It's hard to fathom that it has been 20 years since we saw David Hasselhoff wearing that ridiculous light up jacket getup while serenading fans…as the Berlin Wall crumbled! Yes, today is the 20 year anniversary of the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, which divided communist East Germany (and essentially the whole Eastern Bloc) from West Germany and the freer western world. The fall of the Berlin Wall has come to symbolize the end of the Cold War and paved the way to Germany's official reunification in 1990. Celebrate this historic event with a tongue-in-cheek East vs. West party.
INVITATION TYPE
DECORATIONS
A tale of two cities: divide your party space into two halves, one representing each half of Berlin/Germany.
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East:
- East German flags, very clean and organized space, almost dull (lots of grey and muted colors).
-
West:
- West German flags, graffiti, colorful decorations.
FOOD AND DRINK MENU
East German Menu – East German cuisine was influenced by Russian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, and other Eastern European Cuisines. In communist times, citizens were limited to food rations of 800 calories per person per day. To poke fun, you can divide the meals into tiny portions and only allow your guests a limited amount of food:
- Appetizer: Kartoffelpuffer – German potato pancakes served with applesauce and chive sour cream.
- Entrée: Jägerschnitzel – traditionally served with noodles and tomato sauce, this recipe also works with French fries or spaetzel.
- Dessert: Kalter Hund – "cold dog" cake
- Cocktail: Spaten Beers
West German Menu – Western Germany had more choice and freedom, so offer a larger, more varietal menu:
- Appetizer: Bleu Wedge Salad, Marinated Herring, Assorted German Sausages/Bratwurst
- Entrée: Weiner Schnitzel, Hungarian Goulash, Potato Pancakes with Sauerkraut
- Dessert: Vanilla Bavarian Cream Pie, Apple Strudel, German Chocolate Cake
- Cocktail: Offer several choices of German Beers
ENTERTAINMENT
- David Hasselhoff music and videos.
- VH1's "I Love the 80's" series, 1989
-
Movies from 1989. Here are some flicks that were popular:
- Batman
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Look Who's Talking
- Back to the Future Part II
- Parenthood
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Driving Miss Daisy
- Do the Right Thing
GAMES
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear this wall down!" – President Ronald Reagan
- Divide Your Guests – Create an equal number of slips of paper which say "East Berlin" and "West Berlin." As each guests arrives to the party, have them draw a slip of paper out of a hat, and that will designate them to which side of the party they belong on. For the first portion of the party, assign the guests to their designated city/party.
- Tear the Wall Down – Have children and other guests tear down the toy block wall, reuniting your whole party.
ATTIRE
- Late 80's fashion. Check out this list of trends for inspiration on what to wear.
LAST MINUTE TIPS
Reflect on how the world has changed in the last 20 years. Print out articles on the wall coming down then, and currently commemorative articles.
And as always, remember to bring your camera!
