Disco Inferno Theme | Fundraising Directory and Ideas

Theme Ideas: Disco Inferno

This ‘Disco Inferno Theme’ article forms part of series that explores different themes. This series is designed to save organisers of fundraising events from having to reinvent the wheel all of the time – our primary focus here at the Fundraising Directory!

When you think ‘disco theme’, images of glittering mirror balls, sequins, light up dance floors and John Travolta in his famous white suit dancing to Saturday Night Fever spring to mind. A disco themed event is a great chance to let your hair down and have some fun. Here are a few ideas to help you plan your Disco Inferno event.

See images of all things disco on our Pinterest Board.

Invitations

Decorations

As always Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration for your decorations depending on your budget and/or craft skill level. Here are just a few:

First things first. You MUST have at least one mirror ball and some cool lighting to go with it. The ‘Disco’ was typically dark and lit up with strobe lights or black (UV) lights or neon lights. Most of these are easy to hire or purchase.
The next most important item is your dance floor. For some real authenticity, you can hire a light up dance floor or if you’re a bit handy you can make yourself a black and white check one (like a chess board).
Got some old vinyl records lying around? String them up with some fishing line.
Glue old records onto a silver sprayed stand for a cool centrepiece or cake stand.
Lava lamps – you can even DIY these.
Glow sticks in balloons or neon balloons can add a whole lot of colour to your venue.
Purchase mirror ball string lights.
Create a groovy entry to your disco with a silver metallic curtain across the doorway.

Costumes

There’s a really wide range of costumes that can fit into this theme and the best part is that you can easily find something to fit your budget and a trip back to the era of disco wouldn’t be complete without these:

Roller girl – you know you want to bust out those roller skates you’ve hiding in the back of your cupboard 😉
Disco diva – don’t forget the sequins!
John Travolta in Saturday night fever (there are a few different options right there!)
Hippie
Abba
Bee Gees
Anything from Austin Powers – groovy baby!
A mirror ball
Easy accessories like an afro wig and sunglasses, a jumpsuit, flares, that blue eyeshadow you’ve had since 1984 or some platform shoes.

Filler games

Twister
Karaoke
Dance contest (of course! – do the Hustle, The Bump, The Bus Stop, Nutbush)
Limbo
Glow stick ring toss
Leisure suit relay. Players are divided into two teams. Mark off a starting line and a finish line. At the starting line are two sets (one for each team) of similar disco era clothing and funky fashions. Each person from each team puts on all the fashion items and races to the finish line and back. They then take it all off and pass to the next person on their team who does the same. The first team to finish the race wins.
Fashion item suggestions:

Fringed vest
Afro wig
Fake thick moustache
Leisure suit
Love beads
Platform shoes
Big Sunglasses
Nylon Shirt

Catering

Food back in the 70’s was nice and simple which makes for easy catering options:

Hot dogs and fries (with the option of cheesy fries)
Nachos
Hamburgers
Macaroni and cheese
Casseroles
Jelly moulds (someone’s bound to have an old Tupperware jelly mould or two)
Potato salad
Fondue
Devilled eggs
Wine, champagne and cocktails
Cheese, dips and crackers
Vol au vents
And don’t forget the prawn cocktail!

Music/Entertainment

There is a whole range of different styles of photo booths you can set up. The easiest version only involves purchasing some props. These can be bought online or if you’ve got someone creative in your team, maybe they could make one for you.
Add to your atmosphere by hiring a DJ if your budget stretches that far (it wouldn’t take a lot of looking to find one who will fit your disco theme.
If you can’t hire a DJ, a playlist shouldn’t be too hard to put together and there are plenty of music streaming apps (like Spotify) that provide themed playlists.
Have some 70’s movies playing on a screen, like Saturday Night Fever or That 70’s show.
Pet rocks were big in the 70’s. Have a table with all the necessary bits and pieces for your guests to create their own pet rock. You could even have a contest for the most original creation.
Set up a ‘glow bar’ with all your glow items and

We hope you love our groovy suggestions and that they’ll make your disco party really far out man!

Check out all our theme ideas here.

Mandy Weidmann is Australia’s ‘Fundraising Whisperer’ – publisher of the Fundraising Directory and author of the Practical Fundraising Handbook for School and Club Volunteers. Mandy believes that parent volunteers shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel all the time and is passionate about providing resources to make fundraising easier (and more fun). Click here to learn more about school and club fundraising ideas in Australia.

Originally published 24 July, 2017