12 Roaring 20s Party Ideas That Are Truly the Cat’s Pajamas

If you need inspiration for your next retro soiree, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of Roaring 20s party ideas that are sure to be the bee’s knees. After all, the 1920s was one of the most iconic decades in history! Between secret speakeasies, flapper style, silent movies, and more, it’s an era that’s rife with inspiration for parties.

Unlike many generic party lists online, we’ve made a point of curating ideas that are actually rooted in the vibrant culture of the 1920s. We’ve pulled from everything from vintage cookbooks and historical archives to the best modern ideas from real people to build a guide to the 20s theme that’s both authentic and achievable. 

Whether your goal is elegance, humor, or full-on Jazz Age flair, you’ll find ideas here that are a great fit for your vibe and your budget. 

Table of contents

• 20s-era fashion suggestions
• Roaring decor to set the scene
• Jazz Age food and drink ideas
• Entertainment options
• Activities
• Find your perfect 1920s-era space

Dress to impress, 20s-style

Get your guests excited to dress up with these creative costume ideas celebrating 1920s style.

1. Host a 1920s costume contest

Of course, no Roaring 20s party would be complete without at least a bit of flapper style—but why not take it to the next level with a full-blown costume contest? Invite your guests to channel their inner icons of the Jazz Age and compete for the title of “Best Dressed.”

You can even create different prize categories to keep things fun and inclusive. Some ideas:

• “Most Authentic”
• “Best Couple/Group Coordination”
• “Best DIY Look”
• “Most Over-the-Top Glam”

To elevate the experience even more, set up a miniature runway at your venue where guests can strut their stuff to vintage jazz (more on our playlist recommendations later in this article!). You might want to enlist some guests to serve as judges, or even let the entire party vote to keep things especially engaging and interactive. 

2. Provide a 1920s style guide for guests

Especially if you ask guests to arrive dressed in era-appropriate costumes, create a 1920s costume guide that goes beyond the usual clichés of flappers and gangsters. Offer outfit inspiration for a variety of personas from the era, including:

• Jazz musicians
• Bootleggers
• Art Deco socialites
• Silent film stars
• Speakeasy bartenders
• Newsboys
• Prohibition agents

Try to make the guide as inclusive as possible by offering advice on feminine, masculine, and gender-neutral options as well as DIY tips and guidance on where to shop or rent for costume pieces. Make all your guests feel welcome to show up in their best rendition of 1920s style!

1920s decor to set the scene

Perfect your party’s immersive Roaring 20s atmosphere with these thoughtful decor ideas.

3. Set up a 1920s photo booth

When you and your guests are all decked out in your best retro apparel, you’ll definitely want to immortalize the moment. So why not set up a photo booth where you can all snap pictures?

Create a glamorous backdrop with Art Deco patterns, shimmering gold fringe curtains, and a classic paper moon decoration (this was a beloved 1920s photo motif). Provide guests with an assortment of era-appropriate props, like feather boas, strands of faux pearls, top hats, and long cigarette holders—these will help complete the look. 

You could even include a custom sign with your party’s name and/or year to make each snapshot feel like a keepsake from another era.

4. Avoid cliché gold and black for your color scheme

Black and gold have often been the go-to colors for Roaring 20s parties, but they’ve become a bit overdone and can make your celebration feel more cookie-cutter than an immersive trip back in time. 

Instead, take inspiration from real 1920s color palettes. Consider absinthe green for a nod to speakeasy culture, mustard or marigold for vintage warmth, and deep teal, rose, or dusty lavender for a touch of elegance. Pairing these with textures like velvet, beaded fringe, and polished wood will help bring depth to your interpretation of the era’s glamor.

5. Draw on the visual language of the era

If you’re planning a Roaring 20s party, you’re probably already aware of the bold and distinctive aesthetic of the 1920s. Tap into that visual language to bring your party to life. Start with typography, opting for classic 20s fonts with sharp angles and Art Deco flair for signage, menus, and invitations. (You might even draw inspiration from these old club membership cards, for example!) 

For tableware, scout thrift stores and antique shops to find Deco-style glassware like champagne coupes. Elevate your tablescapes using tall taper candles in metallic holders and with floral arrangements featuring white lilies or calla lilies, Art Deco favorites. If you’re on a budget, take a look at these DIY Roaring 1920s decor ideas, which include tissue paper pom-poms, gold foil garlands, and wine bottle table centerpieces. 

Don’t be afraid to venture out of the realm of pure authenticity. For instance, creating this bubble balloon walkway would not have been possible in the 20s, but it still adds to the overall ambiance and pairs beautifully with the more era-authentic decor ideas we’ve suggested.

Jazz Age food and drinks to keep you dancing

Delight your guests with authentic 1920s dishes and classic Prohibition-era cocktails that keep the Jazz Age spirit alive throughout the night.

5. Serve little-known but authentic foods from the 20s

Forget modern party snacks—instead, delight your guests with an unexpected spread of vintage dishes that would have felt right at home at a 1920s party:

• Relish trays with gherkins, pimento, olives, pickled beets, pickled onions, celery and carrot sticks arranged like a charcuterie board
• Celery stuffed with cream cheese and chopped olives
• Dilly beans (spicy pickled green beans)
• Oysters Rockefeller
• Shrimp cocktail
• Toasts with finely chopped ingredients on bread (lobster, oyster, shrimp, ham)
• Foods in gelatin
• Pineapple upside-down cake
• Devils on horseback (prunes or dates wrapped in bacon, sometimes with cheese)
• Cucumber sandwiches
• Waldorf salad
• Deviled eggs
• Crab dip served on grilled crispy rolls
• Smoked oysters, mussels, frog legs, smoked octopus, anchovies on a tray with toothpicks
• Vegetable plates with radishes, pickled green beans, bell peppers, cheese balls
• Red velvet cake

To learn more about what kinds of foods that were popular in the 1920s, read food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson’s blog post on the shifting tastes of the aristocracy during that era.

6. Make Prohibition-era cocktails

During Prohibition (1920 to 1933), secret, illegal drinking establishments known as “speakeasies” surged in popularity. According to historian Gustavo Vázquez Lozano, “Five years into Prohibition, there were between 30,000 and 100,000 speakeasy clubs in operation in New York City alone, and it was already evident that the dream of a dry America had crumbled. Put simply, the population’s demand for alcohol had superseded the need for sobriety.”

With Prohibition came a host of creative cocktails designed to mask the taste of poorly made liquor with ingredients like flavors like citrus, honey, and herbs. Offer your guests some of these classic cocktails of the era—popular examples include:

• French 75: A sparkling gin and champagne cocktail with lemon and sugar
• Bee’s Knees: A gin drink sweetened with honey and balanced with lemon juice
• Mary Pickford: A rum-based cocktail with pineapple juice, grenadine, and a splash of maraschino liqueur
• Sidecar: A brandy or cognac cocktail mixed with orange liqueur and lemon juice
• Old Fashioned: A simple bourbon or rye whiskey drink with sugar, bitters, and an orange twist
• Whiskey Sour: A mix of whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup, often served with a cherry or egg white

Set the mood with a speakeasy-style entrance. Ask guests for a secret password to get in, ideally making a playful nod to the theme with a password like “Giggle Water” (a bit of authentic 1920s slang!). You can also hang a sign that says something like “Nothing to see here!” and then reveal the party space behind a curtain or a hidden doorway.

Roaring 20s entertainment

Bring the Roaring 20s to life with classic vaudeville acts, silent movie screenings, and authentic tunes that’ll keep your guests entertained and immersed in the era.

7. Host your own vaudeville show

Considering that vaudeville performances dominated the 20s entertainment scene, why not put on your own vaudeville show for your guests? 

You could even transform it into a talent show and encourage your guests to put on their own performances, or have them arrive in character as famous figures from the era, such as:

• Josephine Baker: The glamorous Black entertainer known for her bold style and performances in Paris
• Clara Bow: The original “It Girl” and silent film star
• Charlie Chaplin: The beloved silent film comedian with his signature bowler hat, mustache, and cane
• Louise Brooks: A silent film actress known for her sleek black bob
• Al Capone: The infamous gangster, complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and fedora
• Zelda Fitzgerald: Flamboyant writer and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald
• F. Scott Fitzgerald: Dashing author of The Great Gatsby
• Babe Ruth: Legendary baseball player

8. Watch silent movie classics

Silent films dominated the 1920s, so why not enjoy some of the classics at a watch party? Gather your friends together and host a private film festival of silent movie classics, from classic comedies featuring Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin to early horror masterpieces like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. 

This is an awesome Roaring 20s party idea for movie buffs! You can make it even more special by renting a movie theater—some of the theaters available for hourly rental in your area might date back to the 20s or even earlier.

9. Play authentic jazz from the era

Queue up a real 1920s jazz playlist to make the atmosphere complete. Nothing embodies the energy of the Roaring 20s better than the sounds of early jazz and swing. Playing artists like Tiny Parham, Red Nichols, Cliff Edwards, Sophie Tucker, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives will bring the sound of the era to your party. For more musical inspiration, check out writer and folklore collector RC Montgomery’s Prohibition and Roaring 20s playlist.

Activities

Keep the energy high with classic 1920s and 1920s-themed games, dance contests, and other activities that capture the fun and festive spirit of the era.

10. Play 1920s games

The 1920s was an era of board games, with classics like Parcheesi, Mahjong, and Backgammon rising in popularity. So why not play some of these classic 20s games at your Roaring 20s party? Learn more about the games played during this era on the Driving for Deco blog.

Once you have an idea of what games you want to play, you might find vintage games on Ebay, or 20s-inspired games for your party on Etsy. You can also play card games that were popular in the 20s, like poker, ridge, spades, and rummy. 

11. Plan a murder mystery party

As an era defined in large part by the drama and intrigue of bootleggers and gangsters, the 1920s is the perfect era to inspire a murder mystery party! You can find 20s-inspired murder mystery games for parties of all sizes on Etsy. For more advice on planning this type of gathering, check out our in-depth guide on how to plan a murder mystery party. You might also consider renting a mansion on Peerspace to take the atmosphere of your murder mystery party to the next level!

12. Have a dance contest

A dance contest is a fabulous way to get guests engaged and energized while having a total blast. You’ve got tons of options for a 20s-themed dance contest.

For instance, the Charleston was the quintessential dance of the 1920s. So why not hold a Charleston contest where your guests can dance their hearts out in true flapper style?

And did you know that dance marathons were a major fad of the 1920s? It’s true! But not just any dance marathons. These were gruelling endurance competitions in which couples would dance non-stop for hundreds of hours! Check out the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? to see what a 1920s dance marathon really looked like as you plan yours.

Consider making your dance contest one that benefits a charity of your choice, and be sure to have prizes (and plenty of hydrating beverages!) ready for the winners.

If you’re not sure whether you’ll have enough space for all the performances, consider renting a dance studio to ensure you and your guests have plenty of room.

Find the perfect space for an unforgettable Roaring 20s party

With all these party ideas under your belt, you’re going to need the perfect setting for your Roaring 20s soirée. That’s where Peerspace can help. As the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals, we make it easy to book stunning on-theme venues in cities across the globe. All venues are owned and operated by local hosts who strive to ensure your experience is excellent.

Whether you go for a sleek urban loft for a Gatsby themed-cocktail party, or a cozy hidden speakeasy that sets the mood just right, Peerspace can connect you with a wide range of spaces in your area that will add character and charm to your celebration. Listings include detailed descriptions, real reviews, and high-resolution photos of the space, so you can plan with confidence and easily find the spot that feels just right.

There’s no need to settle for generic event halls or break the bank on longer-term rentals. Peerspace lets you book exactly what you need, whether it’s just a few hours or the entire day, giving you flexibility and value without the need to sacrifice style.

Now, start planning your 20s party!

If these 20s theme party ideas have sparked your imagination, it’s time to find a venue that’s a good fit for whatever you’re planning. Browse unique Peerspace party venues near you to find stylish spaces with the character and space to bring your 20s theme to life.

If you’re in search of further tips to perfect your soirée, check out the Peerspace blog for even more expert advice on party planning—our expert guidance will help to make your planning process as smooth (and fun!) as possible. Our list of “Great Gatsby” party ideas is a great place to start!

With the ideal setting secured and your plans in place, it’s time to host a party that transports you and your guests straight back to the Jazz Age!