How to Throw a Sixties-Themed Party

The sixties were a party in themselves, a magical time, and recreating them for a memorable backyard bash is relatively simple. Gather a few specific items, add friends with good imaginations and turn on the record player for an out-of-sight time. Whether you remember the sixties or see them as ancient history, getting groovy will be a gas.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Plan a couple of sixties-themed activities like tie-dying T-shirts and stringing love beads and soon flower power will be the order of the day. Visit a site such as Hollywood Hangover (see Resources) to view psychedelic posters and get ideas for your party invitations.
2. Get out your records. The sixties were probably the richest, most varied time for popular music. Look for bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Arthur Lee and Love, Simon & Garfunkel, Buffalo Springfield and others of that magical era. You'll need a record player--if you don't know what that is, ask your parents to loan you theirs.
3. Decorate with flower power. Cut big colorful flowers out of construction paper and tape them to walls, trees and anywhere else you want to make a splash. Sixties graphics were known for their Day-Glo colors and psychedelic imagery. If you have a lava lamp or two, be sure to add them to the mix. Same with black lights, which make posters and people glow with eerie beauty.
4. Serve sixties food. The sixties were a time of experimentation and the foods we ate were no exception. Fondue was fun and the Kool-Aid was electric. We'll leave out the illegal additions, but a couple of punch bowls filled with brightly colored punch is a lovely idea. If the party is for adults, go ahead and ''spike'' the punch with good vodka to really get the festivities going.
5. Wear sixties clothes. Visit thrift and resale shops to find bell-bottom pants, fringed vests and long swirly skirts. T-shirts with slogans like ''Make Love Not War'' are still findable or you can make your own with light-colored shirts and permanent markers.

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