How to Plan a 70s Party: Outfits, Playlist and Food, Sorted

Planning a 70s party comes down to one early decision, and everything else follows from it: decide whether the night is hippie, disco or both, then build the outfits, playlist, food and lighting around that call. Get the outfits right and the room reads as 1976, not 2026: every complete fancy dress costume we sell clears 30+ measurement checks and sits inside 500,000+ quality checks a year, so a proper disco or hippie set does the work a bag of separates cannot. This guide covers sizing up to UK 24-26, a real menswear section, and a route for anyone who would rather not commit to a full costume.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Decide hippie, disco or both
• Step 2: Dress the disco half of the room
• Step 3: Get the fit right, including plus size
• Step 4: Dress the hippie half of the room
• Step 5: Already have the clothes? Do the bare minimum properly
• Step 6: Build a two-part playlist
• Step 7: Serve the real British 70s, not the American version
• Step 8: Light it, decorate it, keep the neighbours onside
• Step 9: Add one game so people actually mix
• Frequently asked questions

Step 1: Decide hippie, disco or both

The 70s were not one look, and an invite that just says "70s" gets you half a room in kaftans and half in sequins. Broadly: hippie and flower-power prints ran through the earlier years, glam rock's satin and glitter owned the middle of the decade from 1971 to 1975, and disco built through the mid-70s to become the dominant look by the end of it. Saturday Night Fever, the film most associated with the disco look, did not reach UK cinemas until March 1978, three months after its US release. Pick one era, or say "both, wear whichever you love" on the invite. The pull of the era is real: Ipsos found that 52% of Britons would rather have been born in 1975 than today, well above the 30-country average of 44%. If your crowd leans 90s instead, we have a separate guide to planning a 90s party, and our wider decade costumes range covers every era from the 1920s to the 1990s.

Step 2: Dress the disco half of the room

Disco means bold pattern, a flared leg and enough shine to catch the light. One strong printed piece does more than three mismatched accessories.

Mens 70s Disco Fever Costume

A rainbow striped shirt with a black collar, paired with black flared trousers cut to the decade's proper silhouette. Sizes Medium, Large and XL, 100% polyester, holds up across a full night on the dance floor. See it on our Mens 70s Disco Fever Costume page.

Womens Disco Diva Costume

A three-piece set: a black and rainbow-striped top, flared trousers and matching rainbow arm covers, all in 100% polyester with a zigzag pattern print. Runs UK 8-10 through to 20-22 across four sizes. Full details on the Womens Disco Diva Costume page.

Want the full 1970s range rather than just disco? Browse every style in our 1970s costumes section.

Step 3: Get the fit right, including plus size

Sizing is where most 70s party guides fall down: plus size barely gets a mention anywhere online. Our Disco Diva set above runs to UK 20-22, and the Tie Dye Flares further down run to UK 24-26, the widest range in this guide. Check the size guide on each product page, since costume sizing runs differently to everyday clothing.

Step 4: Dress the hippie half of the room

Hippie is the softer, earlier half of the decade: print over pattern, a peace-sign accessory instead of sequins, a silhouette that moves rather than clings.

Mens Groovy Hippie Suit Costume

A bright patterned suit jacket with matching flared trousers, plus a gold peace-sign necklace included, so there is nothing extra to source. 100% polyester, sized Medium, Large and X-Large. Full spec on the Mens Groovy Hippie Suit Costume page.

Womens Groovy Hippie Costume

A multi-coloured print dress with a gold peace symbol necklace included, in 100% polyester across three sizes, UK 8-10 to 16-18. Works equally for a 60s flower-power theme. See sizing on the Womens Groovy Hippie Costume page.

Step 5: Already have the clothes? Do the bare minimum properly

Not everyone wants a full costume, and that is a fair way to attend. YouGov's Halloween dress-up research found that among Britons who dress up, 42% make their own costume, not far behind the 47% who buy online, so putting something together yourself is a genuine, common choice, not a cop-out. A plain top plus one genuinely 70s piece gets you there.

Womens Tie Dye Flares

A rainbow swirl tie-dye flare in 100% polyester, sized from UK 8-10 right up to 24-26 across five sizes, the widest size run in this guide. Pair with any plain top or vest you already own and the flare does the rest of the work. Full sizing on the Womens Tie Dye Flares page.

Large Black Afro Wig

One accessory that reads as 70s from across the room. One size, 100% polyester, easy to put on and take off between dances. Not suitable for children under 3 due to small parts. See it on the Large Black Afro Wig page.

Step 6: Build a two-part playlist

One long shuffled playlist undersells the decade. Split it in two: an arrival set while people find a drink, then a dancing set once the room fills up. For the glam stretch, T. Rex's "Get It On" (1971), Slade's "Cum On Feel the Noize" (1973) and Sweet's "Blockbuster!" (1973) all held the UK number one spot. Once you move into disco, ABBA's "Dancing Queen" (1976, turning 50 in August 2026), Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (1977) and the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" (1978) are the tracks that filled UK dance floors, not just American ones. The decade's music still sells: UK vinyl revenue hit £174.7m in 2025, up almost 20% year on year, its highest total in over three decades.

Step 7: Serve the real British 70s, not the American version

Most "70s party food" guides online are American: Jell-O moulds and deviled eggs were never the British version. Prawn cocktail to start, steak and chips for the main, and Black Forest gâteau to finish, with a bottle of Blue Nun on the table, was the default British restaurant night out for a generation, popular through the 70s and into its 80s peak at chains like Berni Inn. For nibbles, a chicken or prawn vol-au-vent and a cheese and pineapple hedgehog (cubes on sticks in a foil-wrapped grapefruit) are the properly British spread, and a glass of Babycham suits the table better than anything American.

Step 8: Light it, decorate it, keep the neighbours onside

Lighting does more for the mood than decor spend: coloured bulbs, a mirror ball or a lava-lamp-style light reads as 70s far more convincingly than paper streamers. Keep decor cheap and load-bearing: foil curtains, a string of coloured lights and one disco ball earn their place, and everything else is optional. One practical note for a house party: under the Noise Act 1996, "night hours" run from 11pm to 7am, and a council can act on a noise complaint from a dwelling during that window. A single evening party is unlikely to become a problem, but 11pm is the sensible point to turn the volume down.

Step 9: Add one game so people actually mix

A themed party still needs one thing to break people out of small groups. A wearable party game does that better than a quiz sheet, since it gets people up and involved.

Wheel of Misfortune Costume

A wearable spinning wheel costume with pop-up technology, shoulder straps, a spinner and a carry bag. Fill the spokes with your own dares, then let guests spin it to decide who does what. No size selection needed. See how it works on the Wheel of Misfortune Costume page.

Frequently asked questions