PartyPlanningMag.com

80’s and 70’s parties are starting to get over used. If you want a decade as the theme of your party, any decade from the 60’s and earlier are certainly more fashonable at the moment. They can also be potentially more classy. My favourite is 20’s party! It’s called “the roaring twenties” and provides an awesome theme. a decade with unforgettable celebrities such as Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel, Greta Garbo and Harry Houdini.

20s party, or gangsta party, are amongst te coolest you can have - if done well.

Photo: Marc Baker

Attire
At 20′ parties it is a must that the outfits are inspired from the 20’s. The best outfit could be awarded.

Flappers were big from the late 1920’s. A flapper woman had short sleek hair, a short and shapeless shift dress, wore make up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder and exposed her limbs. They also wore cloche hats throughout the twenties. A cloche hat told everyone that you had short hair. It was only possible to get a close fitting cloche on the skull if the hair was cropped short and flat. The cloche hat affected body posture as it was pulled well over the eyes which meant young women held their heads at a specific angle in order to see where they were going. Foreheads were unfashionable in the 20s.

The men wore suits with west and a hat. The most common suit types were “Charlie Chaplin”, “gangster” and “gentleman”. The Charlie Chaplin style includes a bowling hat, the gangster hat is a bit like the modern version we see on Justin Timberlake now days, while the gentleman would use a tophat.

The Party
the twenties consisted of loud Jazz music, total ban of alcohol in the States and gangsters. 20s parties are all about cool clothes, elegance and style. Lots of dancing, but it is always the men asking the women for a dance.

Decorate the venue like a Jazz club. Print and hang up black and white pictures of celebreties from the 20s. It will set a great 1920′ atmosphere. a dance floor is a must! You can even play a silent movie or some black and white movie from the 20’s in the background - on a projector or LCD screen.

Inspiration?

Dance
It is always fun to teach your guests something new, and a 20’s party is a good excuse to do just that. Dances like East-Coast Swing or Charleston (see youTube video below) have pretty simple steps and is suitable for different styles of music. If you have guests who love to dance, you can even arrange to have a dance competition where the winner is announces “20’s rocker of the year” or something..

Gambling
Gambling was forbidden in the states in the 20’s, and this created a marked for gangsters like Al Capone. Feel free to have some decks of cards laying around for poker and black jack.

Music
Jazz orchestra were very popular in the 20’s. Louis Armstrong and Chicago Jazz were amongst the biggest. Other known names in theis genre are Boogie Woogie, Fats Waller, James P johnson

Get a live Jazz band or create a playlist with music from this decade. You can also get more modern versions of this styles of music. Have a look at myspeac.com for example.

A lot of the music from the twenties can be a bti too low key for a party. Here are the best up-beat party songs from the 20’s:
Charleston
Sweet Georgia Brown
When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along
Varsity Drag
Ain’t We Got Fun?
Makin’ Whoopee
Button Up Your Overcoat
He’s So Unusual (Helen Kane eller Cyndi Lauper)
Button Up Your Overcoat
Singin’ in the Rain (Cliff Edwards)
Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love (Louis Armstrong)
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
Yes!
We Have no Bananas
Let’s Misbehave (Helen Kane eller Irving Aaronson)