5 Tips On Creating a 80’s Rock The Block Party Drink Station
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What better way to celebrate summer than throwing a block party for your entire neighborhood? Inspired by Dr Pepper®’s limited & special edition ‘Pick Your Pepper’ labels, ranging in amazing designs from unicorns to sharks and old-school cassette tapes, how about hosting an 80’s themed Rock The Block Party?
Invite your neighbors to create different stations inspired by big hair, neon and all things totally tubular! A block party is a great way to entertain and build community involvement, assigning participating homes various tasks from food to games. Not to mention, having the reason to wear leggings and over-sized sweatshirts!
Head to your local Fred Meyer for supplies so you can be the hit of the block party circuit with the raddest drink station, serving the ultimate 80’s drink of course, Dr Pepper! Here’s my 5 how…
What Are You Working With?
As you start brainstorming, think about where you’re going to put your drink station. Will you use a bar cart, table or shelving unit? Make sure the surface you choose is sturdy, stable and large enough to handle multiple guests gathered around.
Setting The Scene
Outdoor decorating can be a little tricky…you want to set the scene but not overwhelm it or spend a lot of time doing it. I used our garage doors to help create a simple but effective backdrop with butcher paper and appropriately themed signage. If you don’t have tissue balls and fans like I do, balloons will do the trick. Tie them to each other and use a weight to keep them from rolling away.
From guitars to boom boxes, inflatables come in all types of styles and sizes. They are inexpensive and perfect for photo props as well.
Make a Presentation
I’m a big fan of drink stations; they are a great place to decorate and play up your party’s theme and involve your guests. Always try to create height and layers to make things visually interesting and accessible. Whether you use stands or upside down bowls, your guests will appreciate the effort.
Signage is always important whether it’s a drink menu or a great way to welcome guests. If drinks are just for straight consumption, large, galvanized buckets filled with ice are a stylish option for storage; otherwise, dress them up in neon cups with cute straws and candy garnishes.
Fabulous Drink Garnishes
Speaking of which, the garnish is the icing on your drink cake! Garnishing your glasses is where guests get a chance to have fun and really personalize their drinks. Fancy straw toppers, candy rimmers and candy skewers will do the trick. And since nothing else screams 80s like Pac-Man, the crew must make an appearance. Created with a paper punch and pinking shears, you’ll be whipping these fun straw toppers up in no time!
What You’ll Need For The Straw Toppers
yellow, pink, red, blue and orange cardstock
1/2″ circle paper punch
pinking shears
scissors
standard hole punch
To Create Classic Arcade Game Guy:
- Punch a 1/2″ circle out of yellow cardstock.
- Cut a small wedge out of the yellow circle, then use the standard hole punch to punch a hole in the middle.
To Create Ghosts
- Punch a 1/2″ circle out of each, red, pink, blue and orange cardstock
- Trim about 1/4″ off each opposite side of the circle.
- Trim the bottom of a flat side with pinking shears, then use the standard hole punch to punch a hole in the middle.
Candy Skewers
- Choose an assortment of gummy candies and 8 1/2″ skewers.
- Set out for guests to create their own!
Candy Rimmers
- The secret to getting crushed candy like Pop Rocks to stick to the rim of a glass, use corn syrup!
- Dip your glass rim in a shallow dish of corn syrup and let the excess run off. Too much syrup will run down the side of the glass when the weight of the candy is added. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that either!
- Dip the rimmed glass into your crushed candy.
- This is not something you want your guests to do, so have pre-rimmed glasses ready to go.
Awesome Accessories
No matter what kind of drinks you’re serving, your drink station is a great opportunity to have a few staple accessories on hand, including ice and napkins. Use a lidded ice bucket so the drinking ice is separate from any chilling buckets. Simple drink glasses are perfect for holding garnishes, straws and other drink must-haves. Have a few permanent markers on hand so drink cups can be easily labeled.
Now that you have the skills, head out and plan your own block party! Buy any three Dr Pepper 12pk or 8pk 12oz (any variety) and receive a coupon for a free Dr Pepper 20oz. This great offer is available 6/21-8/15, so make sure to call or visit your local Fred Meyer or Kroger banner store for offer specifics!
As if the designs aren’t enough fun, if you have SnapChat, there is a fun feature when you Snap the code on your 20 oz. bottle for a custom filter.
May your party rock as much as you did back in the day…
