Stranger Things night: organizing a themed party or birthday, from the decor to the menu
Guide · Party · Birthday
A night on the theme of the show is prepared like an episode: a place transformed, waffles, a 1985 playlist, a game in the middle, and a monster that arrives at dessert. Here is the complete plan, for a child's birthday as for an adults' night.
The essentials
- The decor: the wall of lights, red and black, string lights
- The menu: gaufres Eggo, glaces Scoops Ahoy, pizza Surfer Boy
- The game: a simplified D&D game, a quiz, a Demogorgon hunt
- The music: a playlist from 1983 to 1987, Kate Bush first
Contents
The invitations
Start with the tone: an invitation in the style of a missing-person poster, with the guest of honor's photo, “Have you seen me?” and the date. Or a card with red letters on a black background, with the letters on Joyce's wall spelling the place. The dress code slips in at the end: the 80s, or a character.
The birthday accessories, for the table.
In the shopWomen's Demogorgon Christmas gift T-shirt39,90 €See the product
The decor
The wall of lights and letters, on the main wall, with a message for the guest. Warm lights everywhere else, the ceiling light off. Red and black on the table, black balloons, a few posters. For the Upside Down, a corner of the room hung with black tulle and threads, with a blue light and smoke if you have some. The rest is the objects: a radio, walkie-talkies, a bike at the door.
| Post | Ideas | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Invitations | Missing-person poster, red letters | Low |
| Decor | Wall of lights, string lights, black tulle | Medium |
| Menu | Waffles, ice cream, pizza, 80s candy | Medium |
| Games | Simplified D&D, quiz, hunt for the Demogorgon | Low |
| Music | 1983-1987 playlist | None |
| Dress code | The 80s or a character | Variable |
The menu
The waffles, of course, in a stack, with syrup and whipped cream: that is Eleven's dish. Ice cream served Scoops Ahoy style, in cups with a little flag, if possible by someone in a sailor uniform. A pizza, for Argyle. 80s candy, sodas, and a logo cake, or a Demogorgon-shaped one for the brave. For the adults, a red cocktail, “the Vecna,” and a period beer.
The cakeThe simplest is also the most successful: a rectangular cake, black frosting, and the logo in red letters cut from fondant. Monster-shaped cakes impress, but scare the youngest.
The games
The heart of the evening. For the children, a Demogorgon hunt: clues hidden around the house, one flashlight per team, and a plush monster to find in the dark. A quiz on the show, with questions by season. And for the grown-ups, a simplified Dungeons and Dragons game, a dungeon master, one hour, a short campaign: that is what the group does in the first scene of the show, and in the last.
The music and the dress code
The playlist runs from 1983 to 1987: the songs of each season, Kate Bush, Metallica for dessert, the show's theme for the guests' entrance. The dress code, 80s or character, does half the atmosphere: a Scoops Ahoy uniform, a Hopper Hawaiian shirt, a pink dress and a blonde wig for Eleven, a Hellfire T-shirt for Eddie. Plan a photo corner with the wall of lights.
The Demogorgon figure, to hide.
In the shopLego gray Demogorgon mini figure14,90 €See the product
A night per season
| Season | The theme | The decor | The menu | The game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The basement night | Lights, D&D board, flashlights | Waffles, pizza, candy | A one-hour D&D campaign |
| 1984 | Halloween in Hawkins | Pumpkins, beige jumpsuits, orange bulbs | Candy, punch, chocolate bars for Dart | A treasure hunt in the dark |
| 1985 | The Starcourt summer | Neons, ice cream, floral shirts | Ice cream, burgers, cherry slushies | A karaoke with "The NeverEnding Story" |
| 1986 | The Hellfire Club | Game table, candles, black T-shirts | Surfer Boy pizzas, sodas | A quiz, then "Running Up That Hill" |
| 1987 | Radio WSQK | Mics, cassettes, a cardboard antenna | Quarantine sandwiches, hot drinks | A game of coded messages by song |
How a good night runs
A themed night plays out in three times. The welcome, where each guest receives an accessory, a headband, a cap, a Scoops Ahoy badge, to enter the universe without having had to dress up. The middle, with a game that brings everyone together: a short Dungeons & Dragons campaign, a quiz, or a hunt for Hawkins objects hidden in the house. And the end, calmer, with an episode projected, the first for those discovering, the last for those who have seen everything.
The detail that makes the difference: a coded message, in the manner of Joyce's lights or Robin's radio, that announces the cake or the next game. Guests who decode the message together have already started playing.
For a child's birthday
With children, you adapt: no Vecna and no spider, but the Wheelers' basement, the bikes, the walkie-talkies and the hunt for the Demogorgon, plush version hidden in the garden. The cake takes Eleven's waffle or the twenty-sided die; the party favors, a pin or a bag of “Eggo” candy. The animated series Tales From 1985, gentler, can serve as background, where the show itself is too intense before twelve.
The game that works at every age: the alphabet lights, where the children write a word letter by letter by lighting the bulbs, and the others guess. It is the most famous scene in the show, and it needs neither a monster nor a screen.
The playlist, season by season
A themed night is also played by ear. For 1983: The Clash, Toto, New Order, and Dixon and Stein's theme as an opener. For 1984: Scorpions for the guests' arrival, Devo for the game, The Police and Cyndi Lauper for the end of the evening, as at the snow ball. For 1985: Madonna, Limahl, and Corey Hart for sunglasses at night. For 1986: Kate Bush, Metallica, Dead or Alive and Falco. For 1987: Diana Ross, as a coded signal, and Deep Purple for the teaser.
The rule of the show holds for the playlist: nothing later than the year chosen. A 1985 night with a 1986 song is a mistake fans spot as fast as an anachronistic costume.
The Scoops Ahoy T-shirt, to scoop ice cream.
In the shopDemogorgon birthday lights backdrop19,90 €See the product
TakeawayInvitations in the style of a missing-person notice. Wall of lights, red and black, an Upside Down corner. Waffles, Scoops Ahoy ice cream, pizza, logo cake. Demogorgon hunt, quiz, D&D, 1983-1987 playlist.
Frequently asked questions
How to organize a Stranger Things night?
A wall of lights, red and black, waffles and ice cream, an 80s playlist, a game in the middle (Demogorgon hunt, quiz, D&D) and a dress code.
What menu for a Stranger Things birthday?
Waffles in a stack, Scoops Ahoy-style ice cream, a pizza, 80s candy, and a cake with the logo.
What games for a Stranger Things party?
A Demogorgon hunt with a flashlight, a quiz by season, and a simplified game of Dungeons & Dragons.
What dress code?
The 80s, or a character: Scoops Ahoy, Hopper's shirt, Eleven's pink dress, Eddie's Hellfire T-shirt.
What theme for a last-season night?
Radio WSQK: mics, cassettes, a cardboard antenna, and a game of messages coded by song, like the one Robin plays on the air to announce a crawl.
What game for a child's birthday on the theme of the show?
The alphabet lights: the children write a word by turning the bulbs on letter by letter, and the others guess. No monster and no screen.