What is a kitchen disco? Clue: there’s dancing in the kitchen

Arguably, nobody perfected the kitchen disco better than Sophie Ellis-Bexter did in lockdown. The art of curating the right kitchen disco songs, with creative kitchen disco decorations and even the most unique kitchen disco outfits for dancing in isn’t easy — but it certainly is fun. She said, “Our household was mirroring others around the world.” And if it was anything like ours, she's right.

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home and I couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t matter where else in the house you decorate to become inviting, somehow everyone congregates by the kitchen table and that’s where the party is at. It always has been. Even when I used to go to house parties when I was younger, this room was the place to be (I have a hunch it’s because it’s near the wine fridge or booze cupboard but anyway…). The point is we’ve had a fair few kitchen discos in our house over the years and I don’t mind telling you, I’ve got this down to a tee. So if you’re after some inspiration, see my Disco Dancers Collection and read my ultimate, 5 step kitchen disco guide below…

How to host a kitchen disco

Here are my tried and tested tips…

1. Choose your kitchen disco era

For example, if I’m having my niece over and her friends, it’ll likely be a colourful pop theme with the latest Dua Lipa. Or if it’s Frank, Harry and our friends, we might get into the 70s and think guitars and Fleetwood Mac. Whatever you choose, you can then accessorise accordingly (the best bit, I always find!).

2. Plan your kitchen disco playlist

Usually the general ambience rests on finding the right disco songs to keep the party going — yet it’s often the last thing we think of. I get my son Harry to create great song lists on Spotify. Spotify also now allows guests to combine playlists providing everyone’s on the same WiFi. Oh and getting your WiFi sorted is essential. We have a back-up vintage record player and LP holders from Oak & Rope personalised with ‘Holly’s tunes’ and ‘DJ Frank’, which also helps avoid DJ ‘disagreements’. I also love the Flip one by Snow Sheppard.

3. Pick your kitchen disco decorations

This is my favourite part and I re-use these year-round. I have a hand painted disco ball, disco ball cocktail glasses — even a disco ball wine cooler. These are my staples, then I theme the evening on top depending on the occasion (any excuse…).