1920s speakeasies varied from dingy backstreet joints to high-end glamorous establishments where society customers were served sit-down food before dancing to live jazz bands. Therefore, as the host, you can choose whether to decorate your home as a low-end or high-end joint and whether to focus on aspects such as moonshine, gambling, gangsters or jazz.
A few customers have chosen to use external settings as the perfect backdrop for their murder mystery party.
1 Theresa played the murder mystery game at her own home and then hired a stretch limousine to take her guests to a speakeasy lounge in Tampa for a nightcap.
2 Scott hired Singer Castle on Dark Island for his wife's birthday. They played the game in the historic drawing room, overlooked by the picture spyhole.
Left photo: Theresa hired a stretch limousine to take guests to a speakeasy in Tampa for her 40th birthday. Right photo: for his wife's birthday weekend, Scott hired the historic Singer Castle with its Prohibition links and secret passageways.
2 Simple 1920s Decorations
3 Buy a pack of 1920s decorations from an online store such as Amazon for a simple but effective means of transporting your guests back to the glamor of the 20s. 1920s colors are mainly black and gold but red and white can also be used for accents. Examples of these bought decorations include black and gold metallic fringe curtains, balloons, paper fans, pom poms and garlands.
Left photo: Carolyn's party used a simple garland and balloons. Right photo: Rebecca's party used gold foil fringed curtains and white ostrich feathers.
4 Use a pack of 1920s party props so your guests have fun props for the group photo. The props then also serve as decor throughout your game. (We used 1920s Party Photo Booth Props from Amosfun.) Alternatively, use these props to adorn your table or walls.
1920s Party Photo Booth Props from Amosfun
3 Create a Dramatic Party Entrance
5 Create a sense of drama for your guests before they enter your party space. Place "The Big Tiger - No Password, No Entrance" sign outside your property or just outside your party space. Only guests who knock three times and then remember the password given with the party invitations will be allowed entrance! (Speakeasies were so-called as customers had to "speak" the password very quietly ("easily") so that law-enforcement agents could not hear.)
6 Plaster your front door with our “Closed for Violation of the National Prohibition Act” sign (in the Party Pack) - after all, there was a police raid the night of Buster's homicide but the REAL entrance is the unassuming door round the side! Optionally add the Wanted posters.
7 As speakeasies attracted noisy protests from the local Temperance Movements, use your Party Decorations Kit to create anti-speakeasy placards or create your own using cardboard or old wood.
8 As Pa McNail survived an attempted whacking outside The Big Tiger speakeasy the day before Buster was killed, and as one of his gangsters was iced there, use masking tape to create an outline of a body outside your home. Alternatively, place this in the hall before guests reach your party space. Optionally use some crime scene tape. Add those all-important TOY Tommy Guns (or cutouts of them).
For her party, Bonnie created the outline of a body on the hall floor using masking tape. Guests had to walk over this to enter her party space.
4 High-End Speakeasy Decorations - Glamorous 1920s Black and Gold Colors, Jazz and The Charleston
Black and gold speakeasy party tablescape
9 Use a black or gold tablecloth. For maximum sparkle, use a gold sequinned tablecloth. (We used GFCC's Gold Sequin Tablecloth from Amazon.)
10 Contrast this gold tablecloth with black placemats and coasters.
11 Alternatively, create a unique and stunning contrast to the gold by using records as both tablemats and coasters. (We bought some second-hand records from a charity shop.)
Important note: a degree of heatproofing for guests' tablemats can be provided by layering records and circles of cardboard. However, do not place hot pans or dishes on records. We used records instead of tablemats in the center of the table as we provided a cold buffet.
12 Optionally, use the black and gold "The Charleston" record centers provided with the game's decoration pack to blend with the color scheme.
13 Use the game's matching black and gold circular "The Charleston" place settings to provide yet more visual cohesion.
14 Use gold and black napkins. (We bought Black and Gold Polka Dot Party Napkins from CheeryMagic.) We then added a touch of 1920s glamour by placing a section of bead pearl string over each napkin.
Place setting for Mercy, one of the characters in our speakeasy murder game. The place setting circle, the record center and the decoration for the table centerpiece are all provided in the game's decoration pack.
15 Invest in a pack of gold doilies. Doilies were popular in the 1920s and the gold provides a decorative contrast to the black of the records.
16 Create a stunning centerpiece by creating a small box out of thick card, covering this card with black tissue paper and then using the square "The Charleston" decorations provided with the game's decoration kit. Top with a gold doilie and flameless tea lights.
17 To create a larger, more impressive centerpiece, top the box with a black or gold vase and an arrangement made out of black and gold cake toppers. (Cover a piece of oasis with black tissue paper and place in the top of the vase. Then arrange gold fans, black and gold balls, black or gold feathers or grasses to make a tall display. For those who do not wish to use feathers, we found that dyed "rabbit tail " grasses made a swell alternative. Albefer sell a mix of black ball cake toppers and black dyed rabbit tail grasses.)
Note: if you do not have oasis, then you could shape a chunk Polystyrene foam, cover this with black tissue paper and place in the vase. This is messy but I managed to create an attractive display using this. (I had previously tried using an orange covered in tissue paper but the skin was too tough for the grass stems to penetrate.)
18 To extend your centerpiece upwards and create a focal point to wow your guests, combine this with a black and gold mobile. I created my own mobile by buying a pack of gold and black party decorations from Zerodeco and then hanging the gold and black pompoms and paper fans from the arms of our ceiling light using black thread. (Obviously, please follow any necessary safety precautions!)
19 Hang black or gold fringe metallic curtains in doorways.
20 Create a swell, sparkly backdrop on your walls . Hang gold or black metallic fringe curtains to create an instant easy shimmering party backdrop. Alternatively, buy a sparkly sequinned gold tablecloth and hang this up to create a swell gold backdrop for your party. Or crumple up a thin plastic sheet to create lots of creases, then spread out or hang up and spray with metallic gold paint, taking care not to create noticeable line tracks; leave to dry and then hang up this swell, sparkly backdrop.
21 For extra shimmer, place a gold fringe metallic curtain on the sideboard instead of a table runner. Use a record covered with a gold doilie instead of a tray for cocktail glasses.
Speakeasy party cocktails: Mimosa cocktails are arranged on a record with printouts from the murder mystery game as a backdrop
22 To contrast with a gold tablecloth, use a black fringe metallic curtain as a table runner.
The black fringe curtain forms a table runner that contrasts with the gold tablecloth
23 Use printouts from the game's Decoration Kit to adorn the walls. For additional visual impact, place these printouts on black card or paper. Then extend the visual further by framing with the gold doilies or with the gold and black napkins. Place on a wall with a gold metallic fringe curtain. Note how the different layers of gold and black create a dramatic effect.
24 Alternatively, choose a few favorite 20s' slang phrases. Examples are "Swell"," Life's the Berries", "Doll", "The Cat's Miaow", "The Bee's Knees" and "Giggle Water". Outline the letters of these phrases on gold or black card. Stick on a large sheet of contrasting card or paper. Then add to the wall as a decoration.
25 As the Roaring Twenties were also known as The Jazz Age, cut out some musical notes, buy some jazz player silhouettes or put some jazz instruments (eg trumpet, trombone, saxophone, bass, drums) on display.
5 Low-End Speakeasy Decorations - and Moonshine
26 For your table, replace the tablecloth with fragments of hessian material. Frayed edges add to the low-end look. If you do not wish to buy hessian, then a similar effect can be achieved with a natural unbleached cotton dustsheet. (You can then reuse this dustsheet later when decorating.) Note that the cotton dustsheet is likely to be a lighter color.
27 Instead of one long table, have a number of smaller wooden tables arranged around the room. Old mismatched tables are ideal; small lace tablecloths are optional.
28 Spray empty wine bottles with gold paint. When dry, optionally cover with gold doilies, black and gold napkins, "The Charlston" printouts from the game's decoration kit, or other 1920s printouts. Place candles (if safe) or else fresh or dried flowers in the bottles.
29 Spray an inexpensive vase with gold paint. Use for a table centerpiece.
30 Create a simple table centerpiece by putting a string of pearls and a battery-powered tea light inside a brandy snifter glass. Drape the pearls over the rin of the glass for more effect.
31 Use gold doilies as a simple table runner.
Low-end speakeasy tablescape with frayed burlap tablecloth, gold-sprayed wine bottles and table runner made out of gold doilies.
32 Turn the lights down low to mirror the dingy, poorly-lit rooms that catered to the lower end of the market.
33 If you have a basement, then this could be the ideal venue as speakeasies were often based in underground spaces.
34 If you have access to beer or whiskey barrels, use these upturned barrels for a bar area.
35 Put wooden planks across two barrels, or across other supports, and use these for the bar area.
36 Create "moonshine crates" by wrapping cardboard boxes with brown paper and then attaching the printouts from the game's decoration kit. Arrange the boxes on top of each other to provide a backdrop to your party space or place next to your bar area. Decorate with bottles of moonshie, toy Tommy guns or outlines, Tommy guns cut from black card, jars or bags of fake money, strings of pearls, "gangster" hats, cigars or red carnations, or 1920s memorabilia.
37 If you have wooden crates or pallets, arrange the cardboard boxes on top to create a rustic feel.
38 Use the bottle labels from the game's decoration kit to place on an assortment of wine bottles. Optionally age these labels with black tea or weak brown paint.
39 For added visual impact, use a brick photography backdrop. AIKES offer a "red brick ancient theme" backdrop. Alternatively, create your own backdrop by painting bricks onto a flat sheet. (If you enjoy craft, then create your own backdrop by painting bricks on a flat sheet. Choose a light brown or coffee-colored sheet to reduce the amount of paint needed.
Left: moonshine crates made by covering cardboard boxes with brown paper and then using the printouts from the game's decoration kit. Top right: moonshine printout aged with weak borwn paint. Bottom right: moonshine labels aged with weak brown paint. Left photos are from our test party; right photos are from Bonnie's swell party.
40 The speakeasies popularised cocktail drinking - the other ingredients masked the taste of the bad alcohol that was often served. So create a Cocktail List on a board or old mirror etc. Or write the ingredients of your favorite cocktail and put this in a cheap black or gold frame.
41 As Bathtub Gin was notorious during Prohibition, fill your tub with ice and place cans and bottles in this homemade "cooler". Or - even better - buy a cheap or second-hand baby bath, fill with ice and drinks and put this in your kitchen/lounge as a drinks' bar.
42 Find an old gold-framed mirror and paint a Twenties' slogan on it in black paint. Or use it as a Drinks’ Menu.
6 Gambling Theme
43 Have a Poker table set up. Make this Poker table into one that could be found at a speakeasy by adding moonshine bottles, cocktail glasses, ashtrays and gangster party outfit accessories such as toy guns, fake cigars and red carnations. Andy's virtual speakeasy party used these to good effect:
Andy's party featured a Poker table with toy gu, toy cigar and cocktail glasses.
44 Glue miniature playing cards onto a small, tall cardboard box. Place a tall vase or bottle inside this box and use flowers, dried flowers, feathers, or black and gold pompoms to form an attractive centerpiece.
45 Cover small square boxes in black, gold or white paper. Glue on circles of contrasting card or paper to represent dice sides. Top with pearls and battery-powered tea lights to form a simple table centerpiece.
46 Place a small dice on each place setting.
47 Use Poker chips to form a simple table runner.
48 Buy a pack of jumbo-sized playing cards. (We bought A4 Jumbo Playing Cards from GrassVillage.) Use these as placemats.
49 Optionally, use the remainder of the jumbo-sized playing cards as a table runner, to frame an entrance-way or to frame printouts.
50 Arrange playing cards on a piece of card and hang on the wall as a decoration. A jumbo-sized card arrangement makes more of a statement.
51 Give a pack of playing cards as party favors - or as the prize for the best costume, best actor or best solution.
1920s table decorations with a gambling theme. Left: miniature playing cards are used to form a table centerpeice; jumbo-sized playing cards are used as placemats and gamblig chips are used to make a table runner. Top right: a dice is added to each place setting. Bottom right: two boxes are covered in white paper and then black dots are added to make a dice centerpiece.
7 Gangster Theme
52 Add toy tommy guns, cigars, red carnations, gangster hats or sacks with $$$ signs on to other decorations.
53 Buy or make a gangster silhouette and place on a door or wall.
54 Make a "Wanted ... for the Shooting Outside the Big Tiger" sign out of a piece of cardboard. Let your guests pose with this for photo opportunities.
55 Use the Wanted ... for the Shooting Outside the Big Tiger" posters provided with the game's decoration kit. Insert the faces of your guests and use these to decorate your walls or table.
These ideas are provided for your inspiration only. Any recipes or recipe ideas should be tested before your party. Ideas for party recipes, decorations or costumes should be adapted as you wish. It is YOUR responsibility to follow any necessary safety precautions.
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