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Wow! We’ve had over 500 viewers on the blog since it was started in May 2016! This is a special post to celebrate that. My favorite movie is Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom.” I will be giving you directions for party games and activities as well as foods to serve. Here’s a movie trailer for those of you who don’t know this film:

Here is the idea for this party. Decade: 1960s. Place: Camp Ivanhoe. Event: party mixer for the boys and the girls on the island. Everyone should do their best to dress appropriately. There should be enough videos on Youtube to tell your friends how to dress as though they’re from the 60s. Let’s get started.

Activities:

Check your phone at the Door

Imagine a phone free night! No worries. No awkward scrolling. We get the same freedom that we left behind in the 20th century. You can tell your guests that only one section of the house or yard will allow cell phones and that’ll be around where you store the cell phones (ideally in individual bags with the owner’s name written on the bag in a locked closet or pantry). The rest of the party should be phone free so that the guests can get on with their real lives rather than experiencing it through a phone screen.

How can they take photos to remember the night? Well, you can tell them to bring their own cameras. CVS still sells disposables. The other alternative is to have a polaroid camera or two floating around the party, but that in itself will pose its own risks.

Design a Patch

Offer a station when the guests first arrive to create their own badge or pin. You can have them do this using felt and glue, beads and safety pins, or just use paper. If you’re really serious, a pin maker will cost you over $115 on Amazon. The pin or patch should represent the guest in some one. Because this is the 1960’s and the time of free love, encourage the guests to trade and exchange these tokens of friendship as the party goes on. You don’t know who’ll end up with whose pin.

Dance 

You should encourage dancing at the party. Many of the styles of dancing from the sixties may not be known. Encourage your guests to watch the following videos to be prepared to dance during the party:

 

What kind of a bird are you?

That is one of the most iconic lines from the movie. It can also be a fun party game. Print out small images of birds with their common names (don’t put down the scientific names because no one will know that Columbiforms Columbidae  means your average pigeon). Tape these onto the backs of the guests as they arrive. No one can tell them what bird they are, but they can give hints. For example, if someone gets pigeon taped to their back, a friend can tell them that they’re a rat with wings. They may then immediately understand that they’re a pigeon or they may be even more confused. Here’s a list of some birds for the cards:

1. Dove
2. Raven
3. Sparrow
4. Chicken
5. Peacock
6. Goose
7. Canadian Goose
8. Swan
9. Owl
10. Hawk
11. Robin
12. Bluejay
13. Cardinal
14. Bald Eagle
15. Turkey
16. Albatross
17. Penguin
18. Pigeon
19. Crane
20. Flamingo
21. Mocking bird
22. Canary
23. Finch
24. Parrot
25. Wood Pecker

Archery

Yes, this is a weapon. It’s also a popular camp activity. It’ll be a fun side activity to do while the party is going on. Look for a magnetic set on Amazon so that you’ll minimize the damage done.

S’mores

Have a fire pit? Make s’mores. This activity will need supervision to make sure that the flaming s’mores someone just made don’t get combined with the archery set to become a completely different activity.

Photo Stand

Set up one of the moonrise kingdom campsites. Leave some props for the guests to put on like Sam’s glasses and coon skin hat, and Suzy’s binoculars. Leave a polaroid camera near the site so that guests can take their own photos.

Movie Screening

Screen the movie if you want to. Get a screen, a projector, and a copy of the movie. Sit everyone down on the ground or warn them to bring towels in advance. You can hand out bowls of popcorn before the movie starts.

Food:

1. hot dogs
2. hamburgers
3. corn on the cob
4. popcorn
5. s’mores
6. Old Fashioned punch- here’s a website I found with some old recipes
7. Water
8. apple crumble

Party Playlist:

1. “Laisse Tomber les Filles” France Gall
2. “Miss Grace” The Tymes
3. “Kaw-liga” Hank Williams
4. “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” The Beatles
5. “Comment tu Dire Adieu” Francoise Hardy
6. “The Twist” Chubby Checker
7. “I’m a Believer” The Monkees
8. “Noir C’est Noir” Johnny Hallyday
9. “Build me Up Buttercup” The Foundations
10. “Happy Together” The Turtles
11. “Le Coeur au Bout des Doigts” Jaqueline Taieb
12. “Sweet Caroline” Neil Diamond
13. “Moi je Joue” Brigitte Bardot
14. “Le Temps De l’Amour” Francoise Hardy
15. “Pressure Drop” Toots & The Maytals
16. “Dancing in the Streets” Martha & The Vandellas
17. “These Boots were Made for Walkin'” Nancy Sinatra
18. “Wraith Pinned to the Mist” Of Montreal
19. “Hello, Goodbye” The Beatles
20. “I love Beach Music” The Embers
21. “My Girl” The Temptations
22. “Under the Boardwalk” The Drifters
23. “Good Vibrations” Beach Boys