How to Host a Hippie Tea Party

Play the acoustic guitar at your tea party.

Groovy, man. It's time to travel back to the late 1960s and early '70s, when the Vietnam War was in full swing and hippies preferred to make love, not war. Herbal tea and mind-blowing brownies were the centerpiece of a generation of love children who wore their hair long, wanted their music loud and loved to come together in peace. If you'd like to recapture this era of flower power, host a hippie tea party that's sure to blow your mind.

Things You'll Need

• Invitations
• Hippie decor
• Wildflowers
• 1960s music
• Hippie clothing
• Tea
• Brownies
• Raw vegetables
• Nuts
• Granola bars
• Grilled Cheese sandwiches

Instructions

1. Send out invitations several weeks before the tea party. Choose psychedelic colors with flowers scattered on the paper. Invite the guests to let loose their inner flower child and come dressed in their favorite tie-dye clothing and love beads. Make it a potluck affair, so you're not stuck in the kitchen.

2. Decorate your party site in true hippie fashion. Hang glass beads to provide an Indian transcendental feel, with rugs and floor pillows interspersed for those wishing to sit on the floor and play their guitar. Hang love beads and peace signs in all colors, along with posters from the era. Add wildflowers in glass bottles or tin cans. Keep the lights dim and add a fog machine. Light incense. Set up a flickering light or different colored lights flashing off the ceiling.

3. Play videos of Woodstock and music by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, the Doors and other bands of the era.

4. Brew several gallons of herbal tea the day before. Bake brownies that are full of nuts and other legal substances. Provide raw veggies, nuts, granola bars, grilled cheese sandwiches and health foods. This will be supplemented by those bringing potluck dishes. Serve on mismatched dinnerware in bold colors or on paper plates.

5. Hold a trivia contest featuring questions about the era. Award a prize for the best costume.

6. Suggest everyone help clean up after the party in the spirit of true hippie ecology.

References

• The Tea Party Club; Tea Party Ideas; Themes for Tea Parties
• Fifties Web; 1960s Pop History; Slang Words and Sayings

Resources

• Hungry Hungry Hippie; What Do Hippies Eat?; March 2010
• History.com: The 1960s
• Old Hippie; Hippie History; Jim Greenlee