70s Party – 7 Hot Tips for Disco Fever at Your 70s Theme Party

Groovy disco beats, brightly colored clothes, bell-bottoms and crazy hairstyles – the 70s stand for all of this, one of the most creative and versatile decades ever and therefore also particularly popular as a theme for theme parties. What you need for an atmospheric and unforgettable 70s party you will learn here!

If the 60s were like a spring awakening on a flower meadow, then you must imagine the 70s like a trip through the jungle: bright exotic colors bloom everywhere, wildly proliferating life on every corner, over everything lies a sense of constant adventure and the nights are legendarily hot…

In terms of pop culture, the 1970s were also a decade of extraordinary diversity: whether in music, fashion, design or film – in all creative fields, new directions emerged, new standards were set and people experimented for all they were worth.

How nice that there is a wonderful and very fun way to evoke the spirit of days gone by: theme parties!

After we already gave tips for theme parties in the style of the 80s and the 90s have given, therefore this time the party-happy excursion into the decade of disco, punk, hard rock and Schlager: everything you need to know to throw a terrific 70s party!

70s Party – Let’s Go Time Travel Into the Most Colorful Decade…

Whether hippie, punk, hard rocker or disco dancer – the 70s saw an enormous differentiation of pop culture(s). In furniture as in fashion, trends of the late 60s continued: bright colors, psychedelic patterns and sometimes downright futuristic shapes. It was a time of experimentation!

The same applies to film history, by the way: in the USA, the “New Hollywood” current produced the first blockbusters alongside unusual films about outsiders such as “Harold and Maude”: “Jaws” and “Star Wars” (later renamed Star Wars – Episode IV). Alongside this, both auteur films (aka arthouse) and exploitation films flourished. Many of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite films were made during this time, which is clearly evident in his films.

A film that was made in 1998, but is set in the late 70s and conveys the spirit of 70s parties in the most legendary nightclub of the time is Studio 54, named after this club:

Every theme party lives essentially from its atmosphere, therefore our tip: let yourself be inspired by movies and music of the 70s in the run-up to the party planning!

1. Preparation and Checklist

This brings us to tip number 1: spend as much time as possible on the preparation, because this is the be-all and end-all for a good theme party!

For this, it is also crucial what the concrete framework conditions of your 70s party are. Occasion, season, location, weather, the number of guests, as well as their approximate age group; these are all important factors that you should take into account when planning. Ideally, you should not be alone in the preparation, otherwise you may need to ask someone else to help you. Because whether it’s just the two of you or more people: thanks to the division of tasks, party planning is much easier and more fun as a team!

A great help for the preparation of any party is a checklist. With it you can be sure not to forget anything important at the end. Essential questions for creating the checklist for a 70s party are:

1. Is the party indoors or outdoors? Or partly indoors partly outdoors?
2. Which location is available to you? Are there several options? Which one fits best with the 1970s?
3. How do you decorate the party location? Which decorations do you already have, which can come from friends and which do you have to get extra?
4. What is there to eat and drink? What fits especially well with the theme?
5. What about the music at your 70s theme party? Is there a DJ, do you prepare a playlist or is there even live music?
6. What all must be purchased? Are there any things that you could borrow from others (e.g. music system etc.)?

Additionally, a look at our ultimate party checklist is sure to help you out.

2. Stylish 70s Party Invitation

With an unusual invitation, stylistically matching the theme, you show your guests how important the theme is to you and motivate them to get into the act as well, in terms of dressing up, possibly bringing food and the like.

In addition, a few suggestions for DIY invitation cards:

1. Buy wrapping paper in typical 70s patterns (e.g. this, this or this), and blank cards. Cut out a matching piece of wrapping paper and glue it to the front of the card. If you’re handy with scissors, you can also cut out shapes like hearts, stars, or even human silhouettes.
2. Get your costume early (if you are several hosts, this applies to all of you) and look for support for a small photo shoot. The best picture of you / you comes on the blank invitations. You can also have them printed.
3. If you know a bit about programs like Photoshop or Gimp: make a photo collage of album covers, movie posters, advertising slogans, wallpaper samples, etc. – anything that speaks the visual language of the 70s (and you find on the net or elsewhere).

Maybe you have other creative ideas yourself; believe me, in any case, the effort will pay off, because it will be much harder for your guests to refuse a really great designed invitation. And even more so, no one will dare to appear undisguised! 😉

3. Beautiful Living 70s Style – Furniture and Decoration

If you or other members of the party planning team happen to own a piece of furniture from the 70s, great! Typical 70s chairs, armchairs, sofas or a wallpaper in 70s patterns contribute enormously to the atmosphere. But also smaller and especially more transportable furnishings, such as lamps or an old dial telephone are perfect to set accents.

In addition, there are extra party decorations to buy to match the 70s theme. For example, coasters in the shape of a record and retro flower stickers also fit very well.

Almost a must at a 70s party is a disco ball:

4. 70s Outfits

What was it again: were the 70s now the time of the hippies or the disco style? The answer is: both and much more! Punk and hard rock also experienced their first heyday in the 70s. In this respect, you have a wide choice of costumes.

Mostly, however, a 70s theme party is associated with the disco look, sometimes “spiced” with some hippie elements. Dress for it in bright, eye-catching colors! Especially good are sequined shirts or blouses or generally clothes that glitter and sparkle.

Other typical elements of a 70s outfit are:

• Polyester or metallic jumpsuit
• golden sandals
• large earrings
• Midriff knit top
• Flare pants or flare jeans
• Platform shoes
• Plastic jewelry
• Sequin top with V-neck
• Half high sandals
• Rhinestone Jewelry
• Shirts and jackets with wide lapels (“butterfly collar”)
• Ponchos
• Wide large patterned ties
• Dyed shirts or jackets
• Farmer blouse or skirt
• Neckholder top
• Army jacket
• Wide belts with eye-catching glittery buckles
• Cropped top and A-line skirt
• The bandeau top
• The mini dress or mini skirt
• Short pants
• Shiny or embellished jeans
• Jumpsuit or catsuit
• Dresses with high slit and open back
• Very low-cut tops
• All velvet
• Glittery dress
• Stilettos and thigh-high boots
• nude legs or fishnet stockings
• Headscarf
• Slap hats

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5. Snacks und Getränke der 70er Jahre

In the 70s, parties usually had a cold buffet: potato salads, pasta salads, meatballs, sandwiches with fan-shaped pickles and hard-boiled eggs with a tomato cap were just some of the most popular snacks. Also the wonderfully trashy cheese hedgehogs and / or Mettigel may not be missing at a real 70s party. Also very popular in the 70s were crab cocktails, layered salads or a party egg platter with halved hard-boiled eggs garnished with various toppings.

As a party drink, wine- or sparkling wine-based punch was the universally popular standard in the 70s. Some of these even had imaginative names such as “cold duck” or “googly peach”, under which you can still find relevant recipes today.

Typical soft drinks of the 1970s were Afri Cola and Bluna, which were drunk either neat or as a long drink: Afri Cola was preferably mixed with Kümmerling, Bluna with egg liqueur. The latter cocktail was known as “Blonder Engel”.

6. Cult Music of the 70s

Musically, the ’70s were more diverse than almost any other decade: rock and pop music continued to diversify, and new genres such as hard rock, punk, and even early hip hop emerged. As a musical treasure trove for an atmospheric playlist at your 70s party, two major trends are particularly suitable: “hippie rock” and “disco pop”.

For a party with a majority of German-speaking guests, you can also include one or two hit songs of that time as an iconic surprise.

Here are some absolute musical classics of the 70s for inspiration, sorted by genre and artist:

Rock

• John Lennon: “Imagine”
• Led Zeppelin: “Whole Lotta Love”, “Stairway to Heaven”
• Depp Purple: “Smoke on the Water”
• Santana: “Oye Como Va”, “Black Magic Woman”
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer: “Lucky Man”
• Pink Floyd: “Money”, “Another Brick in the Wall”
• King Crimson: “21st Century Schizoid Man”
• Genesis: “Supper’s Ready”, “Firth of Fifth”
• Queen: “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Bicycle Race”
• Black Sabbath: “Paranoid”
• The Who: “Pinball Wizard”

Pop

• Abba: “Waterloo”, “Dancing Queen”
• Blondie: “Heart of Glass”
• David Bowie: “Starman”, “Wild is the Wind”, “Heroes”
• Iggy Pop: “Lust for Life”
• Roxy Music: “Editions of You”
• T.Rex (Marc Bolan): “20th Century Boy”
• Elton John: “Rocket Man”, “Tiny Dancer”

Disco

• Bee Gees: “Stayin Alive”, “Night Fever”, “How Deep is Your Love”
• Gloria Gaynor: “Never Can Say Goodbye”
• Disco-Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes: “Get Dancin'”
• Barry White: “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything”
• Donna Summer: “I Feel Love”, “Hot Stuff”

Soul / R&B

• James Brown: “I Got Ants in My Pants”
• Isaac Hayes: “Do Your Thing”
• Aretha Franklin: “Call Me”
• The Temptations: “Just My Imagination”
• Marvin Gaye: “Inner City Blues”
• Fleetwood Mac: “Go Your Own Way”

German hits

• Rex Gildo: “Fiesta Mexicana”
• Juliane Werding: “On the day Conny Kramer died”
• Vicky Leandros: “Theo, wir fahr’n nach Lodz”
• Michael Holm: “Barefoot in the Rain”, “Tears do not lie”
• Marianne Rosenberg: “He belongs to me”
• Heino: “Blau blüht der Enzian”

If you don’t have time to look for a playlist yourself and no one else wants to play the DJ at your 70s theme party, you can of course just take a ready-made playlist, for example this one:

7. Party Games for 70s Party

As party games, dance games that were very popular at the time, such as Frank Zander’s Duck Dance or Blankenese’s Polonaise, fit particularly well. Recognize songs” with a 70s playlist is also a good tip for a party game.

The absolute hit with young people in the 70s was actually the game “click-clack”. Why not organize a small competition with this game of skill at your 70s party?

And now have fun at your 70s party!!! 🙂

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