The Ultimate Retro Arcade Party for Little Gamers!

Do you have a little gamer with a birthday coming up? A retro arcade party can be a fun and unique way to celebrate with game-loving friends! We have definitely had our fare share of gaming parties (Game On Party, Minecraft Party, Super Mario Brothers Party, Pokémon Party), but this one brough the vintage game world to our youngest gamers! Read on to check out our ideas on how to throw an amazing retro arcade party!

DECORATIONS

For our retro gaming party, we had a few Arcade Table Covers that we used to cover all the tables in the party area. We also set out Retro Video Game Centerpiece on the tables as well. For table scatter, we spread out glow sticks (to give the party the ‘glow in the dark’ look as well as blocks from our Tangram Puzzle (which – to us – resembled tetris blocks). !

THE PHOTO AREA

Photo backdrops are a great way of setting a theme and double as a nice and easy activity! Pick a backdrop that functions as decorative, add a few props to the scene and you’ve got a great place to hang out!

For this party, we set out our Game On Backdrop and a few VIP lanyards (from our Gaming Party). But, there are also a few other backdrop options that can give your space a more arcade feel: Arcade Backdrop, Retro Game Backdrop.

Note, you don’t have to go all out with a photo backdrop stand either. Grab a few pieces of tape and an empty wall & you’re all set!

THE TABLE

Our table was very simple and easy to set up. We used another Arcade Table Cover and set out some Arcade Dinner Plates. In a nod to Pac-Man (who gobbles up fruit as power ups), we set out some fruit snacks and an apple.

Then we set out some glow sticks that kids could pick up after their snacks!

PARTY FOOD

So, while Arcade food may not be the healthiest option, we did keep in theme for this party 🙂 Pizza, hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy, chips, nachos, and juice boxes!

We also topped our cupcakes with Retro Game Cupcake Toppers

GAMES & ACTIVITIES

What better way to celebrate a gaming party than to let the kids play games all day long! Depending on how much you have to spend on your budget, there are quite a few options – even down to very little cost ones – to keep everyone entertained!

Arcade Venue: This one is the obvious answer for all arcade-party begging kiddos! There are many arcade and gaming venues that offer party rooms and packages for kids to hang out and have fun!
Gaming Truck: This is a pricey option, but does take care of ALL the fun & comes straight to your home! Game trucks are trucks that are available for rent in some areas that are essentially game rooms on wheels – they bring the fun to you 😉
Gaming Tournament – If you have a kid asking for a gaming party, chances are, you already have a gaming console in your home! Rather than having a few kids take over, set up a tournament style match, so that everyone came jump in and have fun! Depending on how your group handles competition, you can even have a ‘high scorers’ scoreboard and some prizes! Make sure to squeeze in some Tetris, Pac-Man, and other retro games!
Bring a Device – if an arcade venue or a gaming truck are a bit out of your price range but your kid is still begging for a gaming party, have everyone bring their devices and play some online games together (or as a tournament)! Just like the option above, you can create a ‘high scorers’ scoreboard here too!
Movie Marathon: We like to have a movie on hand while the party winds down and kids wait to be picked up. There are some excellent options depending on age ranges & interests: Wreck It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Super Mario Brothers, 8 Bit Christmas, Pixels, to name a few!

GOODIE BAGS & GIVE-A-WAYS

Along with candy and more fruit snacks, we filled up some Arcade Gift Boxes (other alternatives: Gaming Gift Bags) and added in some Gaming Bookmarks, key chains, as well as some mini rubix cubes!

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much for checking out our party planning post! Hopefully it gave you some great ideas for your next celebration!

If you did enjoy this, please let us know below or follow us on Pinterest. Also, If you haven’t already and are still looking for that perfect party theme, feel free to check out some of our other party ideas!

Happy Party Planning 🙂