Well, we did it again! Managed to solve another pesky murder. Eighties style. I have to say I might have had a little too much fun planning the 80s theme Murder High Reunion! We had so much fun we just might have to have another 80s theme murder mystery party sometime! Today, I’m sharing some of our 80s party ideas for you so you can have the most epic 80s theme party ever! We even have some free printables to share with you for your own 80s party.
Don’t worry…no spoilers here! I’m going to feature some photos from our original 2012 party and the most recent party we just had. You know a party is fun when you do it twice!
This post was updated August, 2024.
My party was centered around the specific Murder High Reunion party from A Night of Mystery. But these ideas from my party could be used for any class reunion themed murder mystery party. And if you want to see even more 1980s murder mystery ideas (not necessary class reunion specific), swing by my latest post on how to host a totally tubular 1980s murder mystery party!
Make a Welcome Sign for an 80s Theme Murder High Reunion
In 2012, I bought a make-your-own banner kit at Party City to have a large class reunion sign welcoming guests as they drove up. In 2024, as I update this post, I can tell you that making your own custom sign is still the way to go as you cannot order custom signs off Amazon with the word murder on them. Ask me how I know!
Even at my more recent 1980s murder mystery party from this summer, I had to custom make my own sign with markers! Not much has changed since 2012 when we had the first Murder High Reunion party!
Here is the 2012 sign:
Here is the 2024 sign:
DIY Decorations for Murder High Class Reunion Party
In 2012, I made a lot of the decorations myself and I focused more on the class reunion aspect than I did the 80s theme. I have to say you can go down the rabbit hole with this particular party theme. It gets a little confusing because it is 1980s but also class reunion theme.
Use a Face Swapping Program to Create “Vintage 1980s Yearbook Photos”
Luckily, in 2012, I found an awesome online program that allowed me to insert all of our faces into old pictures which were grouped by the decades. I found one “yearbook portrait” to use for each guest. However, there weren’t enough 80’s hairstyles for everyone so I had to use some 70s and 90s styles, too.
These days, you can easily use one of the many AI face swap programs to put your guests straight into any decade you want!
I printed the faces on plain copy paper in black-and-white. Yes, we had color photos in the 80s, but that doesn’t mean I want to use up every bit of my printer ink! At Dollar Tree, I picked up some plain black 5X7 frames for $1 to display all of the portraits. They needed to be front and center so that no one could possibly miss the hilarity of them. I also posted a Facebook album of our party with all of these portraits included.
Make a Bunting of “Old School Candid Shots”
Also, I put together a “blast from the past” bunting dangling from the mantel. This display showed the gang at a school dance, the homecoming king and queen riding in the parade, the chess club “nerds” in front of their chess board. It took a whole day to do this. Totally worth it. I’m telling you – I just had to much fun with planning the Murder High Reunion party!
There I was, in my 1980s throwback, typing away on my typewriter as chief matchmaker!
Other easy decorations which I didn’t manage to photograph very well include old trophies, megaphones, letterman jackets, cheerleading costumes, old yearbooks, etc.
Serve 80s Food for Murder High Class Reunion
For our 80s theme party, we had typical foods of the 1980’s, such as pasta salad, Rotel cheese dip, fruit pizza, etc. In fact, check my latest post on 1980s party food and 1980s drink ideas to see details of the exact food and drink we had at our 1980s party.
Prizes included cheesy toys and candy from the 1980’s. This menu was super easy because it was a smorgasboard of pretty much anything – which is exactly how I remember the 1980s! In fact, don’t many of us still eat 80s party food on a regular basis, anyway?
More Food Ideas for a 1980s Party
- Popcorn
- Orange Push-Up Ice Cream Bars
- Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Twinkies
- Ding Dongs
- Guacamole Dip
- Sausage Cocktail Bread Appetizers
- Pepperoni Pizza
Post a “House Drinks” Menu for Murder High Class Reunion
I made this 80s theme drink menu printable to hang on the refrigerator above the island where guests would be preparing their own drinks throughout the night. In advance, I made three pitchers of Fuzzy Naval cocktails and I bought a couple cases of old school wine coolers. Those were the “house drinks” for the reunion venue. The pitchers of Fuzzy Navals were super easy to whip up with minimal ingredients. The menu matched the drink offerings perfectly!
The two 1980s movie posters hanging on the fridge were provided by A Night of Mystery company – along with other supplemental materials for the Murder High Reunion murder mystery party.
And if the pitchers ran out, we had more ingredients available so guests could make their own drinks by the glass following the posted menu.
Download My Dying to See You Again Sign
This one is so cheeky! I love it! Feel free to grab my dying to see you again printable to hang on your front door or pop into a frame near the entrance! It’s just such a fun addition to the Murder High Class Reunion!
Download My DIY Wine Bottle Wrappers for 1980s Class Reunion Party
I handed out wine bottles as prizes. I tried to find some specific 1980s wine brands to go after, but that didn’t work out. So I decided to make my own printable 1980s class reunion wine bottle wrappers and wrap any bottles of wine I wanted with those.
They can be printed on sticky label paper. Since I didn’t have any of that on hand and this was such a last minute idea, I just used regular copy paper. I cut each label out and glued the ends of the paper together just where they overlapped at the back of the bottles. With a bit of trimming with the scissors, I was able to place some labels vertically, and I just glued them straight onto the original wine label on the bottle. Easy peasy!
I do recommend trying to find wine bottles that have a small profile label. My wine bottle wrappers will not completely cover labels that are too tall. The original labels of my bottles were peeking out just a touch from under my fake wrappers. But that’s okay. they still looked so cute!
I’m pretty proud of the wordplay I came up with! While one or two of these labels can work for any 1980s party, the others are more specific to a class reunion murder mystery party.
Murder High Reunion Fun
We had the best time at our party back in 2012!
Everybody brought their best with their characters! Of course, your assigned character’s personality determines how wacky or how mellow your costume needs to be. I had a pretty out-there character for the Murder High Reunion so I had to amp up the 80s costume with bright colors and bold looks. I did the best I could while seven months preggo.
Our friend, C, always brings it when it comes to our murder mystery parties. Here, he perfectly embodied a nerdy character, and his role-playing was pure perfection!
Remember to go see our newest 1980s class reunion murder mystery post (linked above and below) and see how I changed things up this go ’round! In the newest party, I focused more on 1980s decorations and less on the class reunion decorations.
More Party Ideas
If you are still narrowing down a murder mystery party, this 80s theme Murder High Reunion is a winner! Be sure to check out my other party ideas!
Planning a Murder Mystery Party
1980s Theme Murder Mystery Party
80s Theme Murder Mystery Party
Plan a Rad 1980s Murder Mystery Party
1980s Party Food and 1980s Drink Ideas
How to Plan a Potluck Charcuterie Table Plus 50 Charcuterie Boards
Best Fiesta and Cinco de Mayo Quotes
Patriotic Recipes for a July 4th Party
Chips and Hummus Party Plus 12 Hummus Recipes
Best Tropical Foods for a Luau
Unique Fiesta Party Theme Ideas
Christy
What program did you use for the 80s yearbook photos?
The Gifted Gabber
Hi Christy,
The program I used was called Yearbook Yourself. Unfortunately, I just searched for it, and it seems it no longer exists. Eeek! It was such a fun program! The closest thing I came across is the app called Oldbooth – which I think you can find in the app store. You could probably use this app and then run a “slideshow” of sorts on your TV if you have a smart TV. https://oldbooth.app/
Stephanie
Do you remember what food you served? I am soing the same theme and looking for some appetizer ideas!
The Gifted Gabber
Oh, Stephanie! I’m so sorry I’m just now seeing this. Not sure how I missed your comment. I know we had guacamole dip and those little cocktail bread pizzas. I know your party was six months ago so it doesn’t help you now! ;p