Motown Theme Party Ideas

 

Invite your guests boogie down with you, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, The Temptations and your favorite Motown greats at a Motown theme party.  Surrounded by gold records, music notes and hip music, this is a truly fun and unique party theme.

 

Send your guests fun and colorful ticket invitation inviting them to your Motown concert.  They are available in a variety of colors and look like a real concert ticket.

 

You can also create your own invitations using plastic gold records.  The front says, "Solid Gold" and the back can have all of your party information.  You can easily write it with a sharpie marker.  Then stuff it in an over-sized envelope and send it on it's way.  Your guests will love this invitation.

 

Be sure to mail your invitations 4-6 weeks in advance and don't forget to encourage your guests to dress in their Motown best!

 

 

Greet your guests with gold fedoras for the guys, gold necklaces and sunglasses for the ladies.  If they came in costume or not, they'll love the finishing touches to their outfits.

 

Make your party look like Motown Records by hanging peel and stick gold records along all the walls. You can add the names of famous musicians on the bottom of each record or have one for each guest and add their name on the bottom.  A sign could be hung right over the entrance to the party with your music company's name. "Welcome to Stackton's Motown Records."

 

You can also create a recording studio waiting room as a lounge area at the party.  Rent classic style couches from any local event company and set up tables with old copies of 1960s magazines (that can be bought online) and a few ash trays, of course!  Around the area hang posters of famous Motown musicians.  Set this up near the bar for your guests to enjoy.

 

We love using gold for a Motown theme party, since Motown was all about gold records.  Hang plastic gold records from the ceiling, walls, buffets... anywhere works!  Gold balloons are also cost effective and fun.

 

If you're having a larger party with seating, you don't want to forget seating cards.  We think this gold microphone trophy would make the best seating card with your guest's name and table information added on the bottom.  

 

Set the table with gold paper goods or music theme paper goods. If you are going with real plates, plastic records make great chargers!  Centerpieces should of course be themed to match your party.  You can use gold balloons or use something with a musical twist.  Here are some centerpiece ideas:

• Old record players are perfect centerpieces on each table.  Look at second hand stores or online.
• Small finishes touches are great too.  Wrap your napkins with gold beads for a fun napkin ring.

Soul food is a great option for a Motown theme party.  Create a sign to hang over a buffet welcoming everyone to the Motown Soul Food Cafe. Start by decorating your table with a gold fringe table skirt.  In fact we love it so much, we think it should be used on bars, seating card tables and dessert buffets as well.

 

We would, of course, have karaoke as an activity at a Motown theme party.  Bring in a company to lead it, ask your DJ to run it or bring in your own karaoke machine.  Here are some great Motown classics that your guests might enjoy singing:

• I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
• Dancing in the Street - Martha & The Vandellas
• My Girl - Temptations
• Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye
• Where Did Our Love Go? - The Supremes
• What's Goin' On? - Marvin Gaye
• Do You Love Me? - Contours
• Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - Temptations
• Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye (always a great karaoke song!)

Another option is to bring in a company to create photo favors for your event.  Ask for a music theme background and let your guests, fully dressed in their Motown gear, dress up and take photos.  It's fun and makes a great favor.

 

Your guests will be going home with their gold fedoras and sunglasses, but you may want to send them home with another favor at the end of the party.  We love a custom CD with your favorite Motown tunes. They'll love grooving to the music after they get home from your amazing party!

 

We hope you have an amazing Motown theme party!