How to Host a Great Gatsby Party: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

A Great Gatsby party brings the glamour of 1920s America to life through Art Deco decorations, period costumes, champagne cocktails, and jazz music. Whether you’re planning a milestone birthday party, a New Year’s Eve bash, a school formal, a corporate event, or a hens night with serious style, the Great Gatsby theme delivers all the glitz with a sophistication that never goes out of fashion.

At Shindigs, we stock Australia’s most comprehensive range of 1920s Gatsby party supplies and decorations, so you can source everything in one place and get straight to the fun part. Here’s exactly how to host a Great Gatsby party your guests will be talking about for months.

What is a Great Gatsby party?

A Great Gatsby party is a themed celebration inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel and the Roaring Twenties era it depicted: a world of jazz age excess, the grand Long Island mansions of West Egg, champagne towers, and flapper fashion that still captivates a century later. Jay Gatsby set the bar for a good party, and we’ve been chasing that energy ever since.

Visually, the Great Gatsby theme is defined by black and gold, pearlescent balloons, feather boas, geometric patterns, Art Deco prints, and metallic accents that shimmer in low light. What makes it such a reliable party theme is the complete package it offers: guests know exactly how to dress, the décor has a tight visual language that’s easy to execute, and the cocktails practically plan themselves. It scales beautifully from an intimate dinner for 20 to a ballroom event for 200.

Step 1: Choose your venue

Indoor spaces work best for a Great Gatsby-themed party. Art Deco architecture, high ceilings, and warm lighting create an authentic prohibition-era atmosphere that’s hard to replicate outdoors.

A private home works brilliantly for groups of 20 to 40. For larger groups, hire a function room at a hotel or restaurant, as plenty of Newcastle venues have the bones for a Gatsby-themed event. Dedicated event spaces with flexible layouts give you the most creative control over the room.

Step 2: Set the dress code and send invitations

The dress code is central to a Great Gatsby party. Make it clear on the invitation, because guests who turn up underdressed while everyone else is in sequins and feather boas will feel the difference, and so will the photos.

What to put on the invitation

Dress code: 1920s glamour. Flapper dresses, pearl necklaces, feathered headbands, and elbow-length gloves for the ladies. Solid suits, suspenders, newsboy caps, and spats for the gentlemen.

What to wear to a Great Gatsby party

For women, flapper dresses with fringe and beading are the signature look. Slip dresses in gold, black, or silver work beautifully, too. Add pearl necklaces, gold bangles, a feathered headband, and elbow-length gloves for the full effect. Rich jewel tones like deep emerald and burgundy also suit the Great Gatsby era, so don’t shy away from vibrant hues.

For men, a dark, solid suit with a tie and suspenders is the foundation. Add a newsboy cap or fedora and a pocket square to complete the Jay Gatsby aesthetic.

Shindigs stocks the full range of 1920s flapper costumes and accessories: flapper dresses, feather boas, headbands, gloves, and gangster hats. If guests can’t source their own, point them our way.

Step 3: Great Gatsby party decorations

This is the heart of the event, and where your decorations really earn their keep. The colour palette is non-negotiable: black, gold, and white, with silver as an accent and pearlescent white for the balloons. Everything else flows from there.

Balloons

Black and pearlescent balloons are the fastest way to set the scene. A black, gold, and white balloon garland behind the bar or food table creates an instant focal point. Shop balloons in the right colours at Shindigs.

Table runners and centrepieces

Gold sequin runners down banquet tables instantly transform a plain venue. Feather centrepieces in black and white anchor each table. Add mirror mosaic trays topped with gold-rimmed glasses and taper candles for a layered tablescape that looks expensive but is surprisingly affordable.

Gold foil curtains and backdrops

Gold foil curtain panels hung as a backdrop create a showpiece wall that anchors the room and doubles as a photobooth. Browse Shindigs’ gold-and-black party decorations to coordinate your entire space.

Champagne tower

A champagne tower is the single most photographed element of any Gatsby-inspired party. Stack coupe glasses in a pyramid and pour from the top for minimal effort and enormous visual impact. You’ll need champagne flutes and coupe-style glasses to pull it off.

Photobooth

Set up a Gatsby photobooth corner with feather boas, pearl necklaces, cigarette holders, and an Art Deco sign as a backdrop. Guests love it, and it generates shareable content all night long.

Step 4: Food and tableware

The Roaring Twenties were defined by abundance, so the food table should feel generous and elegant. Finger food and hors d’oeuvres suit a roaming cocktail party format, though a sit-down meal works equally well for a more structured evening.

Gatsby party food ideas

Devilled eggs, smoked salmon blinis, mini beef sliders, cheese boards, and macarons cover the bases beautifully. For the dessert table, gold-dusted truffles and champagne jelly cups on mirror mosaic trays add the visual luxury the Great Gatsby theme demands.

Tableware

The tableware carries serious visual weight. Gold-rimmed plates, black or gold napkins, and champagne glasses set against a gold sequin runner create a tablescape that feels genuinely luxurious. Browse Shindigs’ full tableware range for plates, napkins, cutlery, and glassware in the black-and-gold palette.

Step 5: Cocktails

Classic cocktails are non-negotiable at a Great Gatsby party. Set up a Prohibition Bar station with a chalkboard menu and these era-authentic drinks:

The essential Great Gatsby cocktail list

Bee’s Knees: gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup. The pale gold colour photographs beautifully.

Gin Rickey: gin, lime juice, and soda water. Jay Gatsby’s drink of choice in the novel.

French 75: gin, lemon juice, and sugar, topped with champagne. Perfect for a champagne tower moment.

Champagne cocktail: a sugar cube soaked in bitters, dropped into a coupe glass of champagne. Simple, classic, and visually perfect.

Use coupe glasses rather than flutes where you can, as the wide, shallow shape is true to the Great Gatsby era and makes every drink look more glamorous. Shindigs stocks cocktail and margarita glasses that work beautifully for a Gatsby-style bar setup.

Step 6: Entertainment and activities

The biggest risk with this theme is that guests stand around feeling glamorous but unsure what to do. Structure the evening to keep the energy flowing all night long.

Jazz music

A live jazz band is the gold standard. Even a small three-piece ensemble completely transforms the atmosphere. On a tighter budget, a well-curated playlist does similar work: mix jazz age standards with the modern, Jay-Z-produced score from Baz Luhrmann’s film, and throw in a little Broadway music for good measure.

Best-dressed prize

Announce it at the start of the evening. It dramatically improves the quality of costumes and gives guests something to compete for throughout the night.

Gatsby trivia

A brief trivia round covering F. Scott Fitzgerald and 1920s history is a fun icebreaker for groups where not everyone knows each other.

Shop Gatsby party supplies at Shindigs

Everything you need to host an unforgettable Great Gatsby party is available at Shindigs, Newcastle’s one-stop party supply shop with over 18,000 products and fast delivery across Australia. Browse our complete 1920s Gatsby party supplies and decorations.

Ready to start planning? Shop the full Gatsby party supplies range at Shindigs and throw a little party nobody will ever forget