Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several weeks, you’ll know that Stranger Things 3 launched on Netflix last July 4. And what better way to spend it than to binge-watch with your friends by holding your very own Stranger Things viewing party?
Below are some ideas that will make your viewing party a totally rad Stranger Things experience. And while we agree with season 2 Mike that there are certain things that should be kept to party members only, we say that for this one, the more the merrier. Happy binge-watching!
Come in costume
Not everyone can whip up a demogorgon costume in a jiffy, but luckily, there are plenty of other costumes from the show that are pretty easy to copy. (The kids — Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, El and Max — make the coolest barkada costume.) And even if you don’t have character-specific clothes, you can always come in any ’80s getup, i.e. as loud, colorful, fun, and fabulous as you can look!
Prepare a spread featuring food from Stranger Things
Remember Benny from season 1? Benny owned Benny’s Burgers, the diner Eleven sneaked into after escaping from the lab. At first, she stole some fries, but then Benny eventually gave her a burger and fries meal, and a tub of ice cream, too!
Other goodies that you can include in your viewing party buffet include a casserole (from a concerned Mrs. Wheeler to Joyce); mashed potatoes (the recipe Joyce was fussing over in their Christmas dinner in the season 1 finale); some, as Steve Harrington put it, finger-lickin’ good fried chicken (from his and Nancy’s long overdue dinner with Barb’s parents in season 2); hotdogs on a stick and corndogs; as many flavors of ice cream as they have in Scoops Ahoy in season 3; and, of course, the classic — Eggos, lots and lots of Eggo waffles.
For the drinks, Coca-Cola is a must (a Stranger Things staple), and for healthier alternatives, skim milk (Mike offered this to Eleven when he toured her in his house) and orange juice (from the new season’s awesome new mall).
Have a stash of energy food to help keep you up
For this, we’re taking inspiration from Dustin’s Operation Mirkwood bag from season 1. Where Lucas’s bag contained weapons like his very handy wrist rocket, Dustin’s contained such practical treasures as “Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana, and trail mix… for energy and stamina.”
And then there were the candies the boys collected from trick-or-treating in season 2, the star of which (again, courtesy of Dustin) was the nougat, one of Dustin’s top 3 favorite chocolates. And let’s not forget Reese’s Pieces, Will’s desert island candy.
Play some highly infectious ’80s music
Stranger Things is a pop culture goldmine, especially when it comes to ’80s music. Besides its Emmy-winning main title theme, Stranger Things has introduced to a new wave of fans the distinctive sound of the ’80s, via old hits such as The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” from the first season, the Ghostbusters theme song from season 2, and some classic Madonna from the newly launched season. Cool musical acts from the decade have also been referenced either in dialogue or as background music, such as The Smiths, David Bowie, Joy Division, Wango Tango, Motley Crue, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Queen, Police, and Cindy Lauper.
Lounge on a recliner
While showing El around his home in episode 2 of the first season, Mike proudly showed her their “fun” recliner, which he said “is where my dad sleeps.” The chair looked so comfortable that El couldn’t resist enjoying it when she was left home alone in the following episode, even though Mike told her never to leave the basement — making the recliner our pick for the perfect binge-watching buddy.
Build a fort like Castle Byers or El’s in Mike’s basement
In case you’re binge-watching the first two seasons in preparation for the new one (because why not), you’ll need a comfortable place to rest in between seasons.
Document everything using an SLR camera like Jonathan’s, Mrs. Wheeler’s Polaroid, or Bob’s video camera
Okay, so dear Bob’s video camera might be a bit of a stretch, but do take videos using your phone. You can use your phone to take photos, too, but there’s something about doing it old-school by using an SLR camera or a Polaroid that just feels very “special event.” In any case, just keep snapping and filming, because your now-memories are worth remembering forever.
Subscribe to Netflix!
Because you can’t binge-watch Stranger Things anywhere else.
