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Here's how to plan an awesome theme party for Labor Day (or any day)

 
Artist Louie Chin drew characters from several themed party options we're helping you plan. See if you can spot them all (some are easier than others): Beethoven the St. Bernard, Godzilla, Beth (Wet Hot American Summer), Katie (Wet Hot American Summer), Clark Griswold (National Lampoon Christmas Vacation), Neil (Wet Hot American Summer), Del Griffith (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles), Rickie (My So-Called Life), Claire Standish (The Breakfast Club), Regina George (Mean Girls), Gene/Jonas (Wet Hot American Summer), Victor (Wet Hot American Summer), Lindsay Weir (Freaks and Geeks), Cameron Frye (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Janis Ian (Mean Girls), John Bender (The Breakfast Club), Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Firefly), Duckie (Pretty in Pink), the Crow, the Joker and Beyonc?.
Artist Louie Chin drew characters from several themed party options we're helping you plan. See if you can spot them all (some are easier than others): Beethoven the St. Bernard, Godzilla, Beth (Wet Hot American Summer), Katie (Wet Hot American Summer), Clark Griswold (National Lampoon Christmas Vacation), Neil (Wet Hot American Summer), Del Griffith (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles), Rickie (My So-Called Life), Claire Standish (The Breakfast Club), Regina George (Mean Girls), Gene/Jonas (Wet Hot American Summer), Victor (Wet Hot American Summer), Lindsay Weir (Freaks and Geeks), Cameron Frye (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Janis Ian (Mean Girls), John Bender (The Breakfast Club), Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Firefly), Duckie (Pretty in Pink), the Crow, the Joker and Beyonc?.
Published Sept. 1, 2015

Unless you're a local union president or a career labor organizer, chances are you'll be spending this Labor Day with drink in hand.

That's one way to roll back into the tedium of fall. The other, which we recommend highly, is to become a legend among men by throwing an epic summer-ending theme party.

Tampa Bay is notorious for them. We swashbuckle in January, paint the town green in March and spew rainbows in June. Labor Day is unclaimed territory for the theme party enthusiast to be celebrated with whatever creative hullabaloo one can gin up.

Success can depend solely on the commitment of the host.

"People love to dress up around here, so any excuse you can give them is going to draw them out," said Okesene Tilo, director of events at the Ritz Ybor.

For Thursday's Bey Day: Beyoncé's Birthday Party, Tilo said he has even been asked if wearing a leotard is acceptable. (It is.)

Earlier this year, the Ritz Ybor threw a Dr. Dre-themed party that was well received and decided to expand to other demographics, landing on Queen Bey.

"She is the current queen of music right now. She appeals to all types of demographics," Tilo said. "There are women buying tickets in large bulks. We thought this would be a young party but the majority of the people buying have been 25- to 35-year-old women."

WMNF-FM 88.5 has been hosting tributes for the past 15 years honoring artists from the Beatles to Joni Mitchell, said Lee "Flea" Courtney, the station's music director.

"After we pick an artist, we immediately start contacting local bands to see who would be interested in playing a tribute," he said.

Thursday night, they'll be honoring Madonna at Local 662 in St. Petersburg with tribute acts and a look-alike contest.

Once you pick a theme that fits your friends, next is setting a firm budget, said Ferdian Jap, whose company, Big City Events, will host Sushi Battle Tampa on Sept. 24.

"It can get out of hand really quickly without a budget because you want everyone to have the best experience and you'll have so many ideas," Jap said.

Big City's Sushi Battle will pit restaurants against one another for supremacy, and ticket holders win because there will be free samples at every turn. Jap said his crew also threw in a karaoke room, sumo wrestling, a screening of 1954's Godzilla and a sake tasting for good measure.

"You've got to know who your guests are and what they would consider a great experience," Jap said.

Bey Day will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. in honor of the singer's hit 7/11. There will be a Freakum Dress contest, a watermelon-flavored Drunk in Love cocktail and tribute acts.

"Just keep your guests engaged with constant entertainment," Tilo said. "Make things they will remember."

Still unsure? The great minds here at the Tampa Bay Times did some of the heavy lifting for you. Take a look at these innovative party theme ideas and turn them into your Labor Day masterpieces.

Wet Hot American Summer "Staff Party"

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Gene the cafeteria cook

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Gene the cafeteria cook

Break out the red, white and blue streamers and pop that collar. It's 1981. With the recent Netflix revival of the 2001 cult classic, Wet Hot American Summer has even more characters and jokes to pull from for a party theme. Plus, the final episode of the series is titled "Staff Party."

Food: Mac and cheese, hot dogs and sloppy Joes. Be sure to put a "mystery meat" sign out on the table, have a can of vegetables out for decoration and spike some "Bug Juice." However, no one will ever look as sexy with BBQ sauce smeared on their face as Elizabeth Banks. So maybe skip that bit.

Costumes: Cut off the sleeves of a blue shirt, put on a bandana and apron and you can go as Gene, the crazy cafeteria cook. Or be Beth, with her iconic two front braids, McKinley in tiny gym shorts or Andy in a denim jacket and aviators.

Favors: Hand out friendship bracelets or totally '80s plastic key chains — straight out of the arts and crafts cabin.

Playlist: Play the soundtrack on repeat. Wet Hot American Summer did give us the anthem Higher and Higher, after all. Other crowd pleasers would be Juke Box Hero by Foreigner and Rick Springfield's Love Is Alright Tonight.

Summer sun Hughes

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Duckie from Sixteen Candles

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Duckie from Sixteen Candles

John Hughes gave us Sixteen Candles (1984), Weird Science (1985), The Breakfast Club (1985), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Pretty in Pink (1986) and so many other movies that would make a great party theme. Have your guests dress up as any character from a John Hughes movie and see how many versions of Molly Ringwald show up. With so much to choose from, there is no excuse for not dressing up. Note: Ally Sheedy postmakeover is not an acceptable costume.

Food: Sushi, PB and J with the crusts cut off, soup, apples, bananas, all of the sandwiches, Cap'n Crunch and Pixy Stix, cake (with 16 candles just because) and cherry Icees.

Costumes: Pull out crazy patterns and circle sunglasses and go as Duckie. Any '80s prom dress. Strap a bra over your head and go as the nerds from Weird Science, or really commit and show up in a wedding dress and act like you're on muscle relaxers.

Favors: Rubik's Cubes and retro candy.

Playlist: Just bust out the Casio, or put on a Pandora '80s station. There's no shortage of music from the decade.

Mean Girls: Spring, wait, Summer Fling

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Janis Ian

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Janis Ian

It has been more than a decade since Mean Girls was released, and most of us can still manage to fit a reference into conversations daily. So why not host the groolest party ever? If ever there was a time to rap out Kevin Gnapoor's lyrics, it's at a party saying goodbye to summer. Encourage your friends to think when it comes to costumes. (Just throwing on a pink polo is lame.)

Food: Cheese and crackers (only enough for eight people), Toaster Strudel, a Just Stab Caesar salad, hot dogs and a cake filled with rainbows and smiles. Don't forget the "awesome" wine coolers.

Costumes: Army pants and flip-flops, Damien in disguise, Regina's mom in a full pink tracksuit, a mouse (duh), or just dress up as Santa Claus and pass out candy grams. Four for you, Glen Coco!

Favors: Create a burn book with Photoshopped pictures of your friends, and let everyone write in it and take home their page.

Playlist: Spice Girls and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Gidget Goes Berserk

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Luau Girl

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Luau Girl

Mad Men is over, but not our generational fascination with the 1960s. Who better to satiate our appetites than the decade's favorite plucky heroine? Have your pals dress '60s luau chic and invite them to help Gidg solve the mystery of who killed her true love, Moondoggie. Each guest will get a character card with two facts about themselves and will be encouraged to gather facts and solve the murder mystery. Honest to goodness, it'll be the absolute ultimate!

Food: If you can't fit the whole pig and spit in your back yard, or poolside, consider serving pulled pork and chicken. Sliced pineapple rings, mai tais and blue Hawaiians for everyone!

Costumes: Break out the Aqua Net, because it's the hair that really sells these looks. Teased-up, slicked-back, curled bangs or loose waves are a must. Hawaiian shirts, flip-flops, modest swimsuits and teenie-weenie polka dot bikinis are all welcome here.

Favors: Winners of the murder mystery challenge get a mini-replica of Moondoggie's longboard to keep. He would have wanted it that way.

Playlist: Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii album should do quite nicely.

Red Lip Classic

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

The Joker from Batman

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

The Joker from Batman

Let's toast the end of summer by partying in red lips, T-Swizzle style. All guests must come up with a red lip to coordinate with their look, be it mime, clown, bombshell or punk rocker. Yes, even the guys.

Food: Red sangria, apple empanadas, chips and salsa with some guacamole thrown in for good measure.

Costumes: Think Too Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar's "red and wild" party. The more ostentatious, the better.

Favors: Even your iPhone can become a makeshift photo booth with the aid of a tripod, remote and Bluetooth printer. Let your friends snap and print all night long.

Playlist: Red hot classics like Nena's 99 Red Balloons, UB40's Red Red Wine, Prince's Little Red Corvette and Taylor Swift's Red for good measure.

Failure to Launch

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Bill Haverchuck from Freaks and Geeks

LOUIE CHIN | Special to the Times

Bill Haverchuck from Freaks and Geeks

As we gear up for fall TV season, let's celebrate those shoulda, woulda, coulda cultural touchstones that were offed before the world at large could realize their awesomeness.

Food: Can you still buy Crystal Pepsi? What about Vanilla Coke? If you can't find these scions of tasty things past, whip up some snacks you had to leave behind for wretched adulthood. Chicken nuggets are still far superior to the grownup strips. Capri Suns quench your thirst.

Costumes: Name tags will be provided at the door, just in case the character or show you chose to represent is a wee bit too obscure. It's not hard to duplicate Angela Chase's red hair and '90s threads from My So-Called Life, or Mal Reynolds' space cowboy getup from Firefly.

Favors: Send your guests home with individually wrapped Remote Control brownies, complete with M&M buttons.

Playlist: Big hits from one-hit wonders will keep the party going all night. From Dexys Midnight Runners' Come on Eileen to Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's It Takes Two, so many bands have burned bright and faded fast. Let's trot the old guys out for one last summer hurrah.

The Also-Rans

Here are even more ideas to get your party planning off the ground.

Letter party: Celebrate the end of summer by everyone dressing up as something that starts with the letter "S." Surgeon, Sarah Palin, Sock Monkey.

Summer Lovin': Have a '50s Grease party with milkshakes and burgers, and shed 10 pounds sweating in a leather T-Birds jacket.

And the VMA goes to ...: Your guests are encouraged to relive some of the biggest fashion moments from music's big night. Double denim anyone? How about a clamshell pasty on a free range breast?

The League: Paper Bag Edition: An NFL season kickoff party complete with draft with a craft station for decorating your paper bags. The person with the best record at the end of the season gets a Facebook photo shoot modeling all the creative paper bag designs. It incentivizes neglecting your fantasy team and being terrible so that you're not wasting your fall on a fake sport.