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1920's Party Ideas: A Roaring Twenties Speakeasy Party
Roaring Twenties Theme Invitations
Send out a personalized Roaring 20s invitation and invite your guests to dress in their finest 20s costumes. The guys can dress as gangsters and the girls, flappers! Take a look at our great selection of 20s themed costumes!
Or spice up your invitation a bit and send a box of candy cigarettes with your invitations. Just mail them with your invitation in a padded envelope. Or, put your invitation on an empty liquor bottle and hand deliver them to people. Invite them to your speakeasy and be sure to include a secret password so they can get into the speakeasy!
Roaring Twenties Theme Decorations and Party Supplies
Greet everyone in style with a fun 1920 theme personalized banner. Surprise the guest of honor with a lifesize gangster cutout or a 1920 flapper with their face added, standing at the door. Including a speech bubble with the gangster asking for the password to enter the Speakeasy is a fun touch, but be sure to include it on the invitation so none of your guests are bounced at the door!
If you're having seating, then you can get your party started off right and dress your guests when they take their seating cards! Hang half of the seating cards on feather boas and the rest off gangster hats. If you're not having seating, you can have these items out on a table at the entrance to the party or put them on the tables for your guests to take when they sit down.
There are many great ways to decorate your 1920's theme party, here are a bunch of our favorites -
- Decorate with old wood crates filled with paper shreds. Have bottles of liquor peaking out from the paper. Put labels on the boxes with the name of your speakeasy.
- Make sure to offer your guests chocolate cigars and candy cigarettes. You (or a model that you hire!) can walk around with a serving tray around your neck passing these out to guests. Everyone will love it!
- If this is a larger party and your bar is located in your cocktail area, then I would also hire a jazz trio for the area... It's VERY 1920s. If you can't afford a real jazz trio, play some jazz on a portable music player.
- This area should also have some fun balloon bouquets with music note balloons in them.
Roaring Twenties Table Decorations and Menu
Set your table with beautiful art deco decorations. Linens should be shades of silver with black accents. Wrap napkins with strands of pearls for an extra special touch.
At our 1920s party, we had tall vases with battery operated lamps at the top. Goldfish swam inside the vases! Next to the tall vases, we had small round bowls with red roses floating in water.
For candy, plate chocolates in fancy glass candy bowls. We made our own using low glass candle holders topped with a glass candle dish, both found at a local candle store.
While your menu doesn't have to be straight from 1920, it doesn't mean you can't theme your menu with people, places and things right out of the 1920's -
- Speakeasy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
- Al Capone's Cheese Platter
- Great Gatsby Guacamole
- Zoot Suit Smoked Salmon Toasts
- Cotton Club Crab Cakes
- Model T Tapenade
Just adjust to fit your party foods!
Your bar should, of course, be a 1920s Speakeasy. You should name the Speakeasy for the party celebrant (Sammy's Speakeasy) or even the location where you're having the party (Watermark Speakeasy). By the early 1920s, when martinis really began to enjoy some popularity, a typical martini consisted of three parts gin to one part vermouth. However you mix it for your guests, serve it in a light up martini glass for a "wow" effect at your bar.
1920's Theme Party Activities
A casino is perfect for your 20s party. Either hire a local event company to bring in tables, or set up your own tables. Whether you hire a company or use your own tables, you'll certainly want to at least hire some dealers to help run the games. Use personalized money with the guest of honor's face!
You'll want to have prizes available for your guests to win throughout the evening. They certainly don't need to be too fancy - maybe a bottle of wine or a gift card to a local coffee shop.
Along with your casino, be sure to have plenty of dancing - swing dancing! There are plenty of CDs available with swing music or your DJ can certainly lead the group in dance. You could even hire someone to teach everyone a few swing moves and then have a dance contest.
Roaring 20s Theme Party Favors
There are great fun gifts that can be passed out to your guests as the dance the night away. Have a DJ? Give them a stash of these items to use throughout the night:
- Pearl Necklaces - If you're not using them on the tables, you'll want plenty to pass out!
- Saxophones - Inflatable saxophones perfect for your guests who want to show off on the dance floor
- Dice Beads - These make great prizes for games