50's Party Ideas: A Rock 'n Roll and Sock Hop Theme Party

Go back to the decade when rock n' roll made its debut with these 50's party ideas! Yes, the 50s, when Elvis was the reigning king and transistor radios were all the rage. The average yearly salary was around $3,000, and only the lucky families owned a color TV. Little girls yearned to be Barbie, while little boys emulated Davy Crockett and coveted his coonskin hat. Women walked around in poodle skirts with bobby socks and saddle shoes, and men wore tight, cuffed jeans with white t-shirts (and a pack of cigarettes usually rolled in the sleeve). American Bandstand and Dick Clark introduced the coolest dances with the newest music, while everyone was watching James Dean at the drive-in movies. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio. Father knew best and everyone loved Lucy.

So swivel those hips, grease back that hair, and get ready to the celebrate the decade that changed us all, The Fabulous Fifties!

50s Rock n Roll Invitations

Send your guests fun and colorful Rock & Roll themed invitations, asking guests to dress in their favorite 50s gear, whether leather coats and blue jeans, poodle skirts, cinch belts and saddle shoes, or bowling shirts and capri pants.

If you want to make your own invite, design your own 45s, and make each invitation a different song from the 1950s. On the front of the record, write all of the party information using a silver paint pen. Send or hand deliver to your guests. This will be like no party they've been invited to before. If you can track down real 45s or have them in your basement, still, make custom labels to stick over the existing label. Mimic word placement and language.

Send your guests their invitations and party favors all in one batch. A home made CD is a very cool idea. Attach a piece of paper with the pertinent party information to the front of each CD or make your own label to stick on the cover. Or have Party411.com design a personalized CD and CD label! You can have a custom cover made for a mix CD with 8-10 songs of your choosing.

Whatever you choose, add a little Rock & Roll confetti to the envelope for extra fun!

Rock n Roll Decorations

Talk about nostalgia! This is the decade of reverie and contentment. Use your imagination and this list of things from the 50s to set the tone for your fabulous 50s Party.

Stick a "James Dean Road" or "Elvis Way" sign at the end of your driveway to indicate to guests that they have arrived at your great destination. If you are really going to go all out, which the Party Girl recommends, make several little holes in your sign and stick little twinkling lights through them. Hook it up to your power source and let the lights dazzle your guests. Hang a personalized 50s diner banner out front that says "Bob and Carol's Drive-In Burg-o-rama."

Greet your guests with candy cigarettes and take their Polaroid picture with the life-sized cutout of host or the guest of honor as a 1950s poodle skirt girl, a greaser, or even the "King."

Play music from the 1950s in the background to get the party started. You know, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Dion, Bobby Darrin, the Platters, the Del Vikings - can you hear it now?

Don't stop there! Here are a few more fun 50's party ideas to help you decorate your 1950s themed party -

Make "Guys" and "Dolls" signs to put on your bathroom doors.
Rock & Roll confetti is great for adding color to any flat surfaces like tables and the bar.
Set out baskets of bobby sox for people to wear while they dance!
For "le piece de resistance," rent a jukebox!

50s Theme Party Table Decorations and Menu
Set the table with Rock & Roll paper goods. If you are going with real plates, plastic records make great chargers!

Place a different blow up instrument from the 50s at each table to achieve an authentic Rock & Roll look. If you only have one table to decorate, make a collage of the blow-up instruments. Set them up like a band about to play.

Another fun way to decorate the center of the table is to rent a mini jukebox. Place it in the middle of the table, and let the guests choose their own music.

For a easy and cute way to give everyone their favors, tie the cutlery at each place setting to these great Elvis sunglasses - reminiscent of the 50s.

Go with food that will remind the guests of the soda shops and drive-ins that were so popular. Soda shops were around before worries about cholesterol, so serve the greasiest cheeseburgers with the saltiest fries and the thickest milkshakes that you can create. Don't forget the Coca-Cola and the root-beer floats.

If you would rather not do the drive-in fare, go for the at-home cuisine, namely TV dinners. Pigs in a blanket, Ritz crackers, Velveeta, Bosco, Ovaltine, mashed potatoes and meatloaf . You can see where this is going.

For drinks, in addition to the soda shop favorites, serve Manhattans, Grasshoppers and Martinis, all popular 1950s drinks.

50s Theme Party Activities
Set up a fun photo op for your guests. Hang a Soda Shop scene setter on a blank wall out of the way of the main party area. Fill a basket with a few fun 50s wearables and let everyone stage some fun photographs -

Oversized Elvis Glasses
50s Sunglasses
Inflatable Guitars
Soda Jerk Hats

50's party ideas for games - It wouldn't be 50s party without checkers, Mr. Potato Head®, Parcheesi, and dancing. Have a game competition or dancing contest. Music is a great social activator.

Have a lip sync contest using all of your Rock & Roll favorites from the 50s. Make sure to swivel your hips if you sing a song by "Elvis the Pelvis!"

The hula-hoop is a 1950s favorite. Make sure to have more than one hoop handy so the guests can compete to see who can hula for the longest amount of time.

1950's Theme Party Favors
Of all the themed parties we do, the Fabulous Fifties gives you the best chance to do some creative and fun party favors and prizes.

You can't go wrong with a personalized candy bar wrapper. Not only does it match your theme, you also get to customize it for your event. Everyone will be impressed with that little detail!

Or make everyone a little favor bag to take home, with a 50s twist of course -

How about some comic books?
Pinwheels, or rainbow coils not only fit the theme, but give your guests something to play with immediately.
My personal favorite is a yo-yo. Everyone will have fun "walking the dog" or going "over the falls."
Mr. Potato Head is another favor/game that will have your guests laughing and bring back some great memories.
And finally who wouldn’t want to pull out of your drive with some Fuzzy Dice hanging from their rear view mirror?

All the Daddy-Os and Hip Cats will think your party is the Bomb!