By Arina Smith
Looking for a great theme for your next birthday party, New Year’s celebration, or engagement extravaganza? Look no further than a Great Gatsby party!
Set in the Jazz Age of the roaring ’20s, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel offers the perfect inspiration for a decadent party your friends will never forget.
Embrace the theme by serving 1920s cocktails, dressing up in vintage outfits, and dancing the Charleston into the early hours of the morning. We promise, you’ll have so much fun, you’ll wonder why you never threw a Gatsby party before!
Here’s how to throw a legendary Great Gatsby themed party in seven steps.
Step 1: Choose a Sophisticated Setting for a Great Gatsby party
If your party is going to be a small affair with under 30 people you could consider holding it at your own home. Although you might have to contend with upholstery stains the morning after, at least you will be saving on venue costs. As a result, you’ll have a bigger budget for decor and entertainment as a way to create a sophisticated setting.
But, if you plan on inviting more than 50 people, it would be wise to hire a venue to make sure things don’t get too crowded. This could be a jazz club, a restaurant, or an event room at a bar. Weather permitting, you could even consider an outdoor venue as these were popular for parties in the 1920s.
Once you’ve decided on your venue, you’ll need to schedule a time and date. A Saturday night is ideal as you’ll have the whole day to prepare the venue and your outfit.
If you want to really give your guests an out-of-the-world experience, you can always hire a party bus to go around and pick up all the invitees. Starter drinks can be served right on the bus itself for a good experience. You can always find out about party bus rental cost and see whether it fits in your budget or not.
Step 2: Send Out Invitations for a Great Gatsby party
Yes, we know that party invitations are a rarity these days. But creating a Facebook event or sending a group message on WhatsApp won’t cut it when you’re planning an epic Great Gatsby themed party.
Create your own classy invitations using your computer or by designing them on an online printing site. Your Gatsby theme colors should be black and gold, with Art Deco lettering and a decorative border.
Mail your invitations out around a month before the party, and make sure your invitations include the date, time, place, and contact details for the RSVP. And, to encourage everyone to get in the Gatsby spirit, remember to recommend fancy dress.
Step 3: Decorate with Decadence for a Great Gatsby party
Continue the Gatsby theme colors you used in your invitations by creating a black backdrop with black tablecloths and heavy black curtains. This will be perfect for setting off shimmering metallic decorations such as gold streamers, ribbons, and balloons.
A black backdrop will also add a sense of secrecy, perfect for creating an exclusive and decadent Gatsby-themed atmosphere.
Spray paint flowers gold to tie into the theme and use them to decorate your tables and break up the black. And create eye-catching centerpieces for displaying your food and drink options with golden baubles and metallic serving trays.
Step 4: Embrace 1920s Extravagance for a Great Gatsby party
Encourage your guests to go all out when it comes to planning for your Gatsby party.
For the costumes, that means slick suits and ties for the men and slinky flapper dresses for the women. Strings of pearls, long satin gloves, a feather boa, and jeweled hair accessories all add to the 1920s look.
To make sure everyone embraces the Gatsby theme, it’s a good idea to have some spare accessories on standby. That way, even your friend who turns up in a plain LBD can add a little Gatsby-style sparkle to her outfit.
And for the ultimate way to arrive in style, visit the site to book a limousine. After all, nothing says 1920s decadence quite like arriving fashionably late in a luxury limo.
Step 5: Serve Champagne, Cocktails, and Canapes for a Great Gatsby party
Although ‘The Great Gatsby’ was set just as the Prohibition Movement became law, alcohol features prominently in the novel. As such, it’s only right to remain true to the novel by serving a wide choice of alcoholic beverages.
Classic 1920s cocktails such as Gin Rickeys and Mint Juleps are a must. Just remember to stock up on ice and make sure whoever will be mixing the drinks knows how to make the cocktails you plan on serving.
Cordial and lemonade make great non-alcoholic options for those choosing not to indulge. And you’ll also need to have copious amounts of chilled champagne on hand.
Of course, with all that alcohol flowing, you’ll also need some Great Gatsby food to keep your guests from getting too involved in the party spirit!
Hors d’oeuvres are a great choice for your Gatsby menu as they’re both authentic to the 1920s theme and make ideal party foods. Popular hors d’oeuvres at the time were salmon canapes, deviled eggs, crudités with dips, stuffed mushrooms, and oysters.
Step 6: Entertain Your Guests:
Of course, no Gatsby party would be complete without a great selection of music to dance to.
That could mean creating a 1920s Spotify playlist complete with jazz classics and music from the Great Gatsby movie. Or, if you want to go all out you could hire a band to make sure the dance floor is always packed.
Since gambling was a big feature in the novel, another of the best Great Gatsby party ideas is to include a casino table and a croupier at your celebration. This way, guests can enjoy games like blackjack, dice, and poker while they take a break from dancing.
Step 7: Have Fun!
Once your party is underway and your guests are all enjoying themselves, it’s time to let your hair down. Plus, if you’ve followed our advice and planned your party down to the last ice cube, there should be nothing left to worry about.
After all, Gatsby always made sure he was having plenty of fun at his parties. As such, it wouldn’t be right to stress about small details when you should be having the time of your life!
How to Throw an Epic Great Gatsby Party:
What with the decor, outfits, entertainment, and food, it can seem that there’s a lot to consider when planning a Great Gatsby party.
But once you get started, you’ll find that it’s easier than you expected to create a truly authentic Gatsby experience all your friends will love.
And, as a result, you’ll be more than prepared to throw a memorable birthday party for your child. Here are some unique children’s party ideas to inspire you!
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