When the clock strikes midnight Jan. 1, many in this city welcome the New Year while reveling a bygone era. FlashBack RetroPub hosts its Party Like Its 1999 celebration with ’80s and early-’90s flare 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Dec. 31 at 814 W. Sheridan Ave., Suite A, in Film Row.
True old-school retro fans won’t be fooled by the “1999” moniker — a hat-tip to pop icon Prince and The Revolution’s hit 1982 album and single of the same name.
The venue’s ’80s memorabilia and throwback arcade game selections will expand for the celebration.
“[We know] that a lot of people will be downtown and probably looking for places to go,” said owner José Rodriguez. “We want to make it a place that is attractive and [have] guests partake in a lot of the fun we are going to have, not just with arcade games, but with dancing, celebrating and kicking off the new year.”
The night includes a midnight countdown, balloon drop and champagne toast, cocktails and beer. DJ Sirok spins ’80s and ’90s hits and requests 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
This year’s cover charge is $10, comparing favorably to last year’s $25.
“Last year, we learned a little bit, being our first year,” he said. “We just want people to come out and have a good time [for] a fun event that is cost-efficient.”
And, unlike many New Year’s Eve celebrations, black-tie, white-tie and cocktail attire and fancy shoes aren’t required.
“It’s casual to semiformal,” he said. “If people want to dress up, they can.”
Guests receive party favors at the door. Rodriguez said they might want to keep heavy coats at home or in their car because there is no coat-check. Table reservations, which are $50 for a table of four and $75 for a booth of six, include cost and taxes for a bottle of champagne. However, reserved seating is going fast.
FlashBack RetroPub also offers 70 locally and regionally brewed craft beers, 10 signature shots and a full bar.
The venue’s retro-fantastic ambiance is a great fit for this year’s party theme, Rodriguez said. The arcade bar boasts more than 50 stand-up arcade games, including retro classics Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Asteroids, Defender, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Multiple ’80s-era televisions glow behind the bar with a VHS film selection guests can select from, giving the full effect of the decade’s nostalgia, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Top Gun, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Footloose, Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman.
The venue recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and Rodriguez said he’s proud and grateful for the support the bar has received.
“The turnout and the feedback we’ve gotten has been tremendous,” he said. “It’s been humbling to see how many people really enjoy what we’ve done, what we’ve put together and how true we’ve stayed to the ’80s and how many people appreciate it.”
Rodriguez said the bar’s popularity now reaches beyond the metro area.
“We’re thankful for the turnout we’ve had from Oklahoma City and surrounding cities,” he said. “We get people from all parts of the state; I can’t thank everyone enough. Hopefully year two will be even better than year one and we will continue to grow and get more people in.”
Print Headline: Delirious new year, ’Cause FlashBack RetroPub sings ‘Two-thousand zero-zero, party over, whoops out of time’ with retro-fantastic fanfare as it rings in 2017.
