This neon-filled extravaganza takes guests on a time travel adventure back to the 80s for a workout-themed bash they won’t forget.

From the spandex-rocking attire to the radical venue, bumpin’ beats, and bodacious bites, every detail of your shindig will be dripping in outrageous 80s flair. So lace up those high tops and tease up that hair – it’s time to work up a sweat 80s style!

Select a Venue

Choosing a venue that immediately screams retro workout vibes is key to setting the mood. Consider these options:

Rent Out a Local Gym or Studio

For the most authentic 80s gym experience, book a private event space at a local fitness center, CrossFit, yoga studio, cycle studio, or dance studio. Most gyms have rooms or studios you can rent for a few hours.

Decorate the workout rooms with 80s accessories like boomboxes, neon signs, and framed photos of 80s celebrities. Use athletic floor mats and stability balls to create seating areas. Turn up the jams, and it’ll be just like partying in an 80s-style gym!

Hotel Banquet Halls

Hotel ballrooms and banquet facilities provide plenty of open floor space for dancing plus a bar, catering options, lighting, and built-in sound systems. Drape the walls with colorful fabric, hang disco balls from the ceiling, and set up neon signs and 80s props around a spacious dance floor.

Many hotels allow you to fully customize the space. Table seating around the dance floor gives guests a place to rest between getting their sweat on!

Local Community Centers

Check with community recreation centers, YMCAs, roller rinks, and schools to see if they allow after-hours party rentals. These spaces often have gyms, pools, or multipurpose rooms perfect for hosting.

Make sure to confirm what decorations and amenities are allowed – some places prohibit hanging things or outside catering. Create different activity zones and add costume racks, photo booths, and game areas.

Host at Home

For total creative control, hosting your 80s bash at home is a fabulous option! Clear all furniture from your living room, den or basement to make a workout space. Drape the walls with neon tinsel, lights, and spandex.

Set up retro gaming, photo booth props, and a refreshment bar in other areas. Backyard pools with floating lounges and deck heat lamps allow guests to rock out while taking a dip!

Having it at home lets you go all out with over-the-top 80s decorations. Just be prepared for potential messes!

Design Colorful 80s Invitations

Once your party spot is booked, it’s time to create some excellent invites! Design snazzy printed or online invitations dripping in 80s style:

Digitized Prints: Create neon and pastel designs digitally using Canva, Adobe software, or Spark. Include graphics like boomboxes, cassette tapes, roller skates, leg warmers, and exercise gear.

Print invitations at home on specialty paper using an ink jet printer. For added depth, use fluorescent or holographic specialty papers. Dramatic fonts like Broadway, Luckiest Guy, or Neon give bold 80s flair.

Handcrafted Options: Make rad DIY invitations using paint pens, fabric scraps, or cut out magazine clippings to form collages on card stock. Cut invitation bases into funky geometric shapes vs standard rectangles.

Glue on beads, sequins, or crushed neon glitter for 3D texture. Hand draw designs using gel pens in hip colors like hot pink, electric blue, and purple.

Wording Ideas: Include fun lingo like “Get Physical!” and “Legwarmers Required!” Tell guests to “Get ready to sweat – 80s style!” or “Warm up those leg warmers and join us!”

Make a bold statement with neon envelopes sealed with 80s stickers or washi tape. Pop Culture Stickers has 100s of authentic 80s options. Include neon RSVP cards, so guests can accept in bodacious style.

For a wetter 80s party theme check out my pool party article.

Deck Out Your Space in 80s Decor

From the walls to furniture to lights and accessories, every element should scream retro 80s vibes. Use these ideas to make it feel like a radical time warp:

Create Retro Signage

• Make LED or neon signs with custom phrases like “Totally Awesome 80s Workout Party.” Hang banners printed with bold 80s graphics.
• Paint inspirational 80s quotes on colorful poster boards and display around the party. Try “No pain, no gain!”, “Feel the burn!”, or “Let’s get physical!”
• Use a projector to beam 80s music videos, movie clips, or neon shapes on walls around the party for mesmerizing visuals.

Drape the Walls in Neon

• Cover wall surfaces with rolls of neon tinsel garlands for a quick and affordable pop of color. Use combo colors like pink and green or yellow and blue.
• Cut spandex fabric into long strips and hang from ceilings draped across walls for a solid neon look.
• Hang strings of bright beads to form colorful dividers between party zones. Use colors like purple, teal, yellow and orange.

Give the Floor Retro Style

• Rent or borrow vintage 80s exercise equipment like stationary bikes, rowing machines, and weights to place around the edges of your dance floor.
• Use athletic floor mat tiles or interlocking foam squares in bright colors to create fun flooring shapes and textures.

Showcase 80s Workout Gear

• Make clothing racks by hanging teal hula-hoops from ceilings and draping with leotards, leggings, leg warmers, etc.
• Display vintage tennis, running, or basketball shoes on shelves. Prop up old school boomboxes, Walkmans, and cassette tapes.
• Lay out Neon pool noodles, Frisbees, hackey sacks, and other 80s toys to play with.
• Let guests pose with blow up saxophones, guitars, and funky sunglasses.

Set a Rad 80s Scene

Use props to create hilarious 80s photo op stations:

• Make a gym photo booth with weight benches, barbells, exercise balls, and Steps aerobics platforms.
• Create a rock climbing wall wallpaper backdrop guests can pretend to scale.
• Set up an 80s living room station with brick wallpaper, acid wash denim furniture, and retro TVs playing 80s MTV.

Take it up a notch with rental items like a ski lodge-style ball pit, life-size PacMan game replica, or vintage arcade machines.

Spin These 80s Workout Jams

Get the sweat dripping and feet moving with this 80s workout playlist bumping all night long.

Dress in 80s Activewear

The outfits make the party for 80s themes! Encourage guests to sport the boldest, brightest, and most outrageous 80s workout wear they can muster.

Ideas for Women

Leotards – Sparkly spandex, neon colors, sexy cutouts, mock turtlenecks, etc.

Bike Shorts – An 80s wardrobe staple! Wear over tights or solo to show off legs.

Leg Warmers – Layer long socks in stripes, metallics, neons, lace, fishnets, etc.

Oversize tops – Off-the-shoulder, cold shoulders, slouchy sweatshirts, tunics

Scrunchies & Headbands – Pile ’em on for that big 80s hair!

Aerobics Looks – Think Jane Fonda vibes! Mock necks, striped leggings, leotards, short shorts.

Accessories – Big hoop earrings, visors, wristbands, sunglasses, belts, etc.

Ideas for Men

Mesh tank tops – Sheer mesh, neon colors, and bold graphics ruled.

Short shorts – Super short gym and running shorts. Show off those quads!

Sweatbands – Classic terrycloth on heads, wrists, and knees.

Athletic socks – Striped tube socks pulled way up.

Parachute pants – Uber wide-legged pants in bold prints and colors. Very MC Hammer.

Spandex unitards – Snug and revealing! Leotard-like bodysuits for men.

Activewear brands – Adidas tracksuits, Nike shirts and shorts, Reebok high tops.

Fanny packs – Useful for stashing 80s essentials hands-free!

Add spandex, scrunchies, and accessories for Insta-worthy 80s photos all night long!

Satisfy Guests with Standard 80s Grub

After sweating it out under the neon lights, guests need refueling! Serve up these delicious 80s-themed bites and drinks:

Hydrating Beverages

• Make it mondo mega by offering multiple vibrantly colored Kool-Aid flavors
• Infuse water dispensers with sliced fruit and serve in retro color-changing cups
• Stock coolers with classic 80s sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and Squirt
• Mix up wine coolers, Fuzzy Navels, Sex on the Beach, and other fruity cocktail faves
• Quench non-alcohol drinkers with virgin Newman’s Own daiquiris and pina coladas
• Get crazy with multicolored Jell-O shots wobbling on trays

Gym Snacks

• Whip up Rice Krispie treats dipped in neon candy melts
• Bring on the Whoopie pies, Pop Tarts, Dunkaroos, and other nostalgic packaged snacks
• Make Chex Mix loaded with Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, pretzels, nuts, bagel chips and 80s cereals like Oatmeal Swirlers
• Serve make-your-own trail mix and granola bar stations with fixings like M&Ms, raisins, chocolate chips, dried fruit, cereal pieces, etc.
• Display towering glass dispensers of popcorn drenched in neon “butter” dust

Killer Main Dishes

• Make build-your-own-pizzas with zany 80s toppings like hot dogs, tater tots, and French’s fried onions
• Offer a nacho bar with queso, black olives, neon tortilla chips, ground beef, and all the fixings
• Heat up trays of retro appetizers like mini corn dogs, bagel bites, pizza rolls, so guests can dive in
• Bake up tot-loaded casseroles like King Ranch Chicken made with tater tots instead of corn chips
• Fill slow cookers with vividly-colored sloppy joes or chili mac doused in neon cheese

Radical Sweets & Treats

• Make a totally awesome candy bar featuring all the iconic 80s sweets – Nerds, Pop Rocks, Ring Pops, Push Pops, Laffy Taffy, Bottlecaps, Airheads, Fun Dip, etc.
• Serve up crunchy cookies loaded with chocolate chips and other mix-ins like Reese’s Pieces, Oreo bits, Rolo candies, M&Ms, butterscotch chips, etc.
• Display towering gelatin creations wobbling on cake stands
• Top cupcakes with pacifiers, Care Bear figurines, or other plastic 80s cake toppers

Don’t hold back on the sugar, artificial flavors, or radioactive-looking neon food coloring – it completes the 80s party experience!

Get Active with 80s Party Games

In between busting moves to the radical music mixes, make sure to have some bodacious games and activities on deck:

• Name That Tune – See who can identify the most 80s hits from just a short audio clip
• Dance-Off Challenge – Take turns owning the dance floor with your best solo or group routines
• Lip Sync Battles – Pull out your inner pop star miming to favorite 80s hits using costumes and props
• 80s Trivia – Test guests’ knowledge of tubular 80s TV shows, movies, music, celebs, and pop culture
• Twister – This classic gets hilarious when players don neon spandex and legwarmers. Crank up “Let’s Get Physical” and start twisting!
• Musical Hula Hoops – Hand out light-up hoops and hula to the tunes. Last one hooping wins when the music stops!
• Rocky Training Course – Set up relay race-style stations inspired by Rocky’s epic training regime – punching bags, jumping rope, push ups, stair runs, etc.
• limbo – Guests take turns shimmying under a neon pole to see how low they can go!
• 80s aerobic session – Screen aerobic videos from the era
• Zumba – Hire a Zumba teacher and have a class with an 80s soundtrack

Capture moments at a funky photo booth so guests can take printouts home. Award silly 80s prizes to game winners.

More 80s party game ideas here.

Send Guests Home with Excellent 80s Favors

After a night of killer vibes and rad times, give guests fun favors to remember the shindig:

• VHS or cassette tape cases wrapped in 80s movie posters or magazine images
• Old school Nintendo game cartridge cases filled with Nerds, Bottlecaps candies, or Temporary “80s Tattoos”
• Neon emoji party glasses, visors, sunglasses, or other bright accessories
• Custom buttons with 80s logos, sayings, or neon designs
• Teal and neon hair scrunchies, leg warmers, wristbands, or headbands
• Hacky sacks or bean bags with funky 80s fabric prints
• Old school View Master discs with rad 80s images
• Mini Etch-a-Sketches, Rubik’s Cubes, or Koosh Balls
• LA Gear-style high top shoelaces

Tuck favors into colorful drawstring bags splashed with neon or decked out in 80s graphics for a tubular takeaway.

Let’s Get Physical!

With outrageous outfits, a totally radical venue, bodacious bites, and nonstop neon accents, your 80s workout party will take guests straight back for outrageous fun from warm up to cool down!

From sending colorful invites to cranking the classics, every detail should ooze retro workout vibes. Let creativity rule and make your bash as neon and outrageous as possible. The more spandex, more better!