Youth Group Event Ideas: Thrift Prom

We hosted thrift prom with our youth ministry and it was a huge hit!

What is thrift prom?

This is one of my favorite youth group event ideas. Essentially, this is a retro night. However, this is supposed to be straight-up tacky retro. The whole point of this night is to have your students go to a thrift store and pick up the tackiest outfits. Of course, they can get clothes from other places like their grandma’s closet or something. It’s up to them! You just want them looking as tacky as possible.

How did we pull it off?

We set up a dance floor in the middle of our space. Think of Napolean Dynamite. Our playlist was mostly throwback songs with the occasional dancey pop song in the mix.

We decorated the place in a retro 80s dance style — look at any 80s high school movie for ideas! Pinterest is a gold-mine for this stuff, so check that out!

Most importantly, we made a photo booth to take pictures, just like you would find at a prom. We hung dollar store wrapping paper as the backdrop, decorated with some balloons, and we made props for students to use in the pictures. This is what the students really enjoyed most for the night. So, lean into it and get the funniest shots possible.

If you would like more youth ministry event ideas, check out our Color War Blueprint.

This event is featured in the CIRCLES curriculum — A Year’s Worth of Free Sermon Series, Small Groups & Devotionals for Youth Ministry. Click here to view the full CIRCLES curriculum calendar and download sermon outlines, small group discussion guides, and devotionals all for free.