Bing! Bing! Bing!

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Ah, the sounds of a well-loved arcade game. Whether it’s Pacman, Galga, or another arcade classic, the sounds the games make are addicting to hear. And the games make a great party theme.

The first thing you might be thinking is that an arcade party is only for kids. Wrong! Arcade parties are just as fun and appropriate for adults as they are for kids, especially when it’s a retro-themed arcade party.

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning for your kids, your spouse, or anyone else, an arcade-themed party is an excellent choice! So, continue reading below for our guide on how to throw an amazing arcade party.

Send Out Unique Invitations

The first thing you’ll need to do is send out some pretty unique party invitations. Get creative with it and have fun. You don’t want to send out basic and boring invitations that can be picked up at any store.

Make the invitations at home or create them on a website to come up with something unique that also shows the guests what they’re in for. And remember, not all of the invitations need to be the exact same. Maybe some could be Donkey Kong themed while others are Frogger themed.

Mix it up and let them know that they’ve just been invited to a pretty awesome party before even needing to read the invite! Just remember to send them out about 3-4 weeks in advance. This gives guests enough time to plan for the party, but not too much time where they’ll forget about it.

Book an Arcade Reservation in Advanced

Now, you’ll need to decide if you want to throw the party at your house, a venue, or at an actual retro arcade. If you want to avoid the stress and mess of hosting a party at your home or having to clean up a venue, then you should consider booking an arcade reservation in advanced.

Many local arcades have spots available for party reservations. You can visit this site to learn more about booking a reservation. Be sure to do this in advance to give yourself enough time to plan for the number of people attending the party and such.

If you decide to book a party at a local arcade, then you’re already a couple of steps ahead of the game. You probably won’t have to worry too much about decorations, maybe only a few things. You also won’t have to worry about creating or renting out arcade games.

Use Fun Decorations For at Home

If hosting the party at your house is more what you’re looking for, then you’ll have lots of options as far as food, games, and decorations. Because it’s being thrown in your house, how the party is set up is totally up to you. Some enjoy this responsibility while others would rather a local arcade do the work for them.

The choice is yours, but decorating your house with fun retro arcade items is a whole lot of fun. The best way to recreate your favorite arcade games is to think back to the games’ characters, themes, and settings. Use props to recreate the games. You can have different sections in the house dedicated to one specific game.

You can use posters, table cloths, cardboard cutouts, and other decorations for each game. Then, once you’ve created a section in the house for each game, place that game in that section for guests to play.

Make Games That Resemble an Arcade at Home

When hosting the party at your house, you decide how you want to bring the games to life. You can rent the games from local arcades or online stores, or you can actually create the games yourself. Making homemade games resemble your favorite arcade games is easier than you’d think.

You can create a skeeball game using cardboard, poster board, lights, and some paint! Use cutout aliens of different colors and set them on the stairs. Provide a nerf gun and you have yourself a full game of Space Invaders.

This is the time to dig deep into your creative side and come up with some great game mimic ideas!

Dress Up in Character Costumes

Now, what would a retro arcade party be without proper costumes? Adults and kids alike should have as much fun as possible by dressing up in their favorite arcade game characters. If you can’t find these costumes online or at a store, don’t hesitate to make some yourself.

Let guests know that dressing up as an arcade character is desired, but for guests who arrive without a costume on, have fun props that they can use to put a quick costume together. For example, you can have Mario hats and mustaches on a stick.

Get Creative With the Food

Don’t bore your party guests with the same old party foods. Take those party foods and turn them into something fantastic! For example, you can take Oreos and melt yellow candy melts onto them to create a Pacman. Leave a triangle black for the Pacman’s mouth.

Take Nutterbutters and melt different colored candy melts on them. Use blue candy melts, orange, and more to create the Pacman ghosts. There are lots of ways to turn cheap party foods into something really unique to your party.

Splurge on the Party Favors

The last and final tip for throwing one super amazing arcade party is to splurge a little on the party favors. Your party guests will be ecstatic to find their own personal video games to bring home after the party. You can even try finding handheld retro arcade games online and buying some in bulk.

They’re fun to play and easy to take with them for long car rides, doctor office visits, grocery store trips, and more.

Are You Ready to Throw Your Arcade Party?

After reading through our guide, we hope you’re ready to throw your very own fun-tastic arcade party! Give yourself enough time to plan ahead and save yourself the stress. Remember to get creative, have fun, and play!

For more posts on celebrations, parties, or gift ideas, be sure to check back with us frequently!