How to Host a Nostalgic Throwback Party

For STOMP in January this year, I chose to host a #ThrowbackThursday party. And I think it might be one of my favorite parties yet to date – and was so easy to host as well!

There are a ton of different ways to embrace a “throwback” party. So many that it could probably warrant its own series. For this Throwback Party, I chose to lean in to the childhood nostalgia.

Every guest was asked to bring their favorite childhood cereal and submit one of their favorite episodes from a kids show in the 2000s. Vibes could not have been better!

If this sounds like the type of throwback you’d like to revisit with your friends, I made a step by step guide of how to recreate the party below!

Step 1: Invite Your Guests

As always, the first step of throwing any good party is to remember to let people know about the plans! Take some time to think through who you would like to join for your party, then send them an invitation so they’re able to reserve the date for you!

For this party, there is an ask for each guest to do a bit of preparation. So it’s best to get your invitations out on the earlier side so they have time to make a trip to the store if needed!

For this Throwback Thursday Party, you’ll want to make sure your invites cover the following:

• What: A Throwback Party! We’re throwing it back to the good ole days. Sugary cereal. Lunchbox snacks. Disney & Nickelodeon on repeat.
• When & Where: The time and place of your shindig.
• Bonus: If able, please bring a box of your favorite childhood cereal to share at the party! And if you have a favorite episode from when you were a kid that you want us to add to the queue, please let me know!

Step 2: Create Your Menu

Now this is a fun one. To create your menu for a throwback party, you get to dig deep into your nostalgia and dig for your favorite old-time snacks!

For this throwback party, I asked every guest to bring their favorite childhood cereal, as it’s not really something our group eats often as adults and it just screams good, old school memories to us.

I chose not to have any sign ups for this party, as if multiple people brought the same brand then we have more of everyone’s favorite to enjoy! You want people to enjoy the cereals they like, so having more is merrier, and it can be a fun talking point to see what cereal was the most popular by seeing what your guests show up with!

Aside from the cereal, I also planned to have some Cheese Balls, Poptarts, and Chips Ahoy cookies out for the snacking. No, this was not a health conscious party. 🙂

Step 3: Curate Your Entertainment

The next step to planning this throwback party is to layout your entertainment schedule. This could just be creating a playlist of music from that time period and chatting through the night, but we instead chose to level it up a bit: I asked all guests to text me their favorite episode of a childhood television show, and they did not disappoint!

Once I had a list of a handful of iconic episodes, I queued them up on Youtube or a streaming service and made a small sign that was on display as people walked in to let the excitement build right away as the party started.

For some recommended episodes from the 2000s, check out some of the favorites from our throwbacks below!

• Hannah Montana: Season 1, Episode 1 – “Lilly, Do You Want To Know a Secret?”
• Hannah Montana: Season 2, Episode 2 – “Get Down, Study-udy-udy”
• Spongebob SquarePants: Season 2, Episode 16 – “The Graveyard Shift”
• Spongebob SquarePants: Season 3, Episode 17 – “The Camping Episode”
• Drake and Josh: Season 3, Episode 2 – “Peruvian Puff Pepper”
• Drake and Josh: Season 4, Episode 10 – “Tree House”
• Zoey 101: Season 1, Episode 6 – “Jet X”
• The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Season 1, Episode 17 – “Rock Star in the House”
• the Fairly Odd Parents: Season 3, Episode 2 – “Shiny Teeth”

Step 4: Decorate the Hosting Space

As the last step before hosting the throwback party, you can spend a bit of time planning out in your head how you would like to make the space feel like a throwback itself.

For this party, I chose to re-create the nostalgic sleepover vibes of a 2000s school night. The set up was easy, the space was comfortable for guests, and the aesthetic was spot on for a throwback party!

To do this, I blew up an air mattress and pushed it up against a couch I have in the living room that faces the television where we planned to watch the old shows. I dressed the air mattress in an extra set of sheets and laid out blankets and pillows to create one big sleepover-feeling space for the night.

The cereal and snacks were set on a nearby table for easy refill access, guests came in comfy clothing, and the vibes were high all night as people recited lines to their favorite episodes and theme songs they didn’t even know they still remembered!

Step 5: Enjoy the Party!

As always, don’t forget to turn off hosting mode and enjoy the party with your guests! This is one of my favorite, laid back and easy parties I’ve hosted in a long time – and I already can’t wait to do it again! Happy hosting.

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About the Author: Jill is the primary author of Host a STOMP, and has been successfully hosting every Thursday of the month for over a year now! Learn More.