our list of 35 great graduation party ideas

One great DIY idea to keep your guests on their feet and smiling is to set up a special graduation photo backdrop. Whether indoors or outside, you can set up a unique photo booth that will be sure to keep the party excitement going. First, decide what backdrop you’d like to use as the main element of your photo booth. Possible ideas include foil streamers, draped fabric or curtains, a wood archway, or a natural backdrop. From there, add some flair to your photo booth using balloons and flowers in your school colors. You should be able to purchase mylar “2023” balloons at local grocery stores. For a playful touch, include a table of photo booth props for guests to choose from. These can be anything from “class of 2023” signs to playful glasses and word-bubble/caption signs. You could even set up the photo booth in your driveway or on your lawn for a drive-by-parade. People in the graduation parade could jump out of their car to quickly snap a fun picture standing distanced from the graduate with the backdrop.

No party is complete without great music. If you’re a music fanatic, prep your party beforehand by putting together a party playlist that you can start playing once guests arrive. Since you’ll have an array of family and friends attending, be sure to pick classics that everyone will enjoy. Not sure what to include? Save some time by hitting play on a premade Spotify playlist. Have the playlist ready-to-go to help get people up and moving with excitement.

Make your graduation party more personal with your initials in the cocktail napkins. This will be a great addition to your party to elevate the overall experience.

Seize the opportunity to make the graduation party more fun with any details you can. Stir sticks are commonly used to mix drinks, coffee, and tea. Choose a unique design that matches the grad party theme.

Oftentimes, lifelong friends are formed in the classroom. Whether you are celebrating an elementary school, high school, or college graduation, a photo collage of fellow students is always appreciated for years to come. Collect some images of the graduate’s closest friends and piece together a beautiful framed work of art that can be displayed at the party and gifted to the graduate to take with them through the next chapters of their life.

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This is a great graduation party game idea to get the competitive juices flowing. Round up your guests and group together anyone who wants to participate in the game. Just like tossing a bouquet, have your grad stand in an elevated location with their back to guests and toss their cap in the air. The guest who catches the cap will get a prize of your choice! You can even have two or three winners to keep the game going. Alternatively, if you’re looking to do a socially distanced version of this, have each contestant take turns throwing the cap to see who can launch it the furthest. The longest throw wins a prize!

If you have a backyard or a large living room, set up a movie screen or projector to create a theater-like experience. Choose a classic movie from the graduate’s childhood or one of his/her favorite movies. If you want something more elaborate, coordinate the movie and the party theme. You can even ask your guests to come in costumes. Of course, snacks are essential here. While popcorn is considered a must, other favorite small bites are chicken wings, pizza, nachos, and candies.

With years of pictures stored in your mobile device, you’re sure to have a special collection of photos that showcase fond memories of the graduate through the years. These photos can be the perfect focal point for table centerpieces. Combine the photos with flowers and ribbons to create special graduation centerpieces. Don’t forget to highlight the year each photo was taken so guests can reflect on how time has passed. If looking for a unique high school graduation party idea, you could have each photo centerpiece bouquet highlight a different grade level (1 -12).

Throwing an outdoor graduation party makes sense because spring has usually sprung by May and June when seniors are starting to receive their diplomas. Tie in your outdoor/backyard party theme all the way through to your party favor selection by offering guests their choice of a succulent. Choose to arrange a cute DIY table display of succulents and allow guests to pick one before they leave. Pot them in tiny tins and attach a favor tag that says “thank you.” It’s a nice touch and something your guests can keep for a long time to remind them of your grad’s special day.

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The perfect sendoff for a grad moving to a new place is to make your graduation party theme centered on that new city! Create excitement around all of the adventures and memories they will have in this new city while giving guests a chance to experience a little of that city as well. Let elements of that new city guide you by featuring sites, sounds, and smells that the city is famous for. If they’re heading to New York City, you can build a theme around yellow taxis, food like classic New York style pizza, and landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. If you are hosting a virtual party, ask attendees to feature a screen background that references the new city. You could even play a short video or do a virtual tour of the city while on the call.

If you are thinking of handing out party favors, add a finishing touch of class to your gift with a graduation sticker! The sticker can be personalized with desired color combinations or custom text like “Thank you for celebrating” or “2023 Graduate.” This is a great way to make a lasting impression on guests while adding a little bit of flair to their farewell treat!

SHOP GRADUATION FAVOR STICKERS

If you’re looking to add some more games to the party mix, you might consider playing a song trivia game to get guests engaged and excited. For this game, select a list of 15 famous songs that came out during the last four years of school. Then play a snippet of each song and have each participating guest write down what year they think the song came out. After going through all the songs, the contestant with the most correct song release years guessed wins! You can give them a gift of your choice. If you want to spread the wealth, feel free to have 2nd and 3rd place winners or assign your party guests to teams. This is a great college graduation party idea as most college students will be very up-to-date on the latest songs and artists. This is also a great game for socially distanced parties because it doesn’t require close interaction!

Next, why not keep the trivia going with a round of Graduate Trivia? Consider doing a round of trivia where you ask guests a series of questions around the graduate. Some questions you could ask include, “What college or university is the grad headed to next year?” or “What sport was the grad captain of in high school?” Be sure to include some difficult questions that may pertain to childhood moments and experiences. Feel free to be creative with the questions and tailor them to the grad’s unique experience and upcoming journey. Make a list of 10-15 of your favorite questions and have guests write down their answers one by one. In the end, whoever has the most correct answers wins. This game is perfect for a virtual graduation party, too!

For a simple and quick way to add some flair to your grad party decor, you might consider buying some chocolate coins. The play money helps represent the good fortune that is hopefully heading the graduate’s way. Place the chocolate coins at place settings or hide them around the venue for children to hunt for while the adults socialize.

Since there may be a big group of friends and family members at your party, be sure to capture the moment by having them sign a graduation memento of your choice. The memento can be anything from a stuffed animal of the school mascot to a large photo print of the graduate. Encourage your guests to sign the memento and write a short message on it. This will be the perfect parting gift for your grad to bring with them as they begin their next chapter. The memento will remind the grad of all the people who are supporting them on their journey. Minted sells our photography art prints both framed and unframed incase you wanted to allow guests to sign a picture before preserving it behind glass.

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Rent a karaoke machine and have a sing-along party to celebrate the graduates.

Next, consider placing pictures of your besties or some memorable moments during your high school or college. Besides as a decoration, this is also to share how meaningful these people are to you and how you treasure the relationships even if some of you will not meet that often anymore.

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If you’re planning on having a dessert table at the party, what better way to add some color to the spread than by having jars of candy in your grad’s school colors? For this idea, you can use any sort of glass container. Think mason jars for a casual look or orate vases for a more sophisticated look. Pick out candy of your choice and group the pieces together by your school colors. Consider candies like M&Ms, Skittles, Starbursts, or gummy bears! You can also put a COVID-19 spin on it and have mini individual jars (or these creative light bulbs) full of candy so everyone has their own. That way there’s no scooping from a shared jar.

SHOP GRADUATION FAVOR TAGS

If you want an attention-grabbing centerpiece for your dessert table, consider ordering a unique cake just for your grad. For this idea, find a bakery to help you create a cake centered around what the grad is going to study in college or what they have recently received a diploma in. Highlight their special major, whether it is civil engineering, computer science, nursing, theater, or another field. As a final touch, consider asking your baker if they are able to add an edible sugar photo print of the grad as a focal point of the cake.

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Get guests excited about your graduation party before it even starts! Select a stylish graduation announcement or party invitation from Minted’s collection of hundreds of unique designs created by independent artists. If you decide to have a virtual party, there are party invitations for those too. We even offer graduation insert cards that can be paired with your announcements to highlight party details. Personalize the graduation cards to feature school colors, class pictures, and all the important event details. Whichever card you chose, make sure it encapsulates your grad and builds excitement for the party!

SHOP GRADUATION PARTY INVITATIONS

High school graduation party ideas like this are great for the grad who loves to cook or is trying to learn how to cook before they have to start preparing meals on their own. We call it a bring-a-recipe party! Ask every guest to write down and bring a recipe to the party for the graduate to create their own personal cookbook for college or after. Place a >decorative box with a sign next to it for guests to drop the recipe in when they arrive at the party. This grad party idea is great for the high school graduate that will likely be preparing a lot of meals on their own for the first time.

SHOP GRADUATION CARDS

A potluck dinner is a great way to try new foods and enjoy a variety of dishes. Ask your guests to fill it out with the dishes they are bringing. This is especially perfect if your guests are into cooking/baking or simply enjoy good food.

Cards with handwritten notes are always heartwarming. Set up a table where your friends and family can drop their cards and gifts.

If you want to make it easier for your guest, you can also include an insert card in the invitation asking for word of wisdom or advice. They can bring back the filled-out cards with them and drop them in the card table.

SHOP GRADUATION INSERT CARDS

Include this insert card in your party invitations or simply put them on a table in your party. Ask your guests to fill them out. You can either collect the cards in a box or ask everyone to read what they write out loud for everyone to hear.

SHOP GRADUATION INSERT CARDS

Yard games are a fun way to engage your guests and create a memorable experience while enjoying being outdoor. You can play these games at the backyard, a park, or even by the beach. Some of our favorites are Croquet (6 players) and Kubb.

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We can’t get enough of the graduation cap theme! For these adorable graduation cap cupcakes, simply make your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and then use some frosting to top each cupcake with a square chocolate cookie. Finish off the look by adding some colored icing to create a tassel on the top.

A guest speaker can be fun. Make sure to choose a speaker that your guests can relate to, or someone that knows you well, or someone that inspires you. This can be a life-enriching moment or it can be an awesome stand-up comedy session for everyone. You can even invite the speaker to join through a virtual conference call if they happen to live far away.

You can also do a mini masterclass session in your grad party --calligraphy, flower arranging, painting etc. Invite a professional or simply anyone in your circle that has some experiences in a particular skill.

Take to the streets (or sidewalks and driveway) to celebrate your grad with colorful sidewalk chalk displays. Secretly invite neighbors, friends, and family to write chalk messages on your driveway and sidewalk during a designated period of time. Have a station set up with a picture of the grad, a thank you note, chalk, and hand sanitizer. Make sure your grad is out of the house at this time. When they arrive home, they will be surprised and overwhelmed by this beautiful display of love and support from their loved ones! The finished chalk mural could also serve as the perfect backdrop for a memorable graduation photo.

Pack a party bag for each guest. You can stuff it with packaged snacks, items that might be needed for games, perhaps a fake cap to don along with the graduate, and more. The point is to have as much fun as possible.

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Looking for an interactive graduation game? This pop-quiz-style TV game show is not only fun, but it also brings on a healthy level of competition as your party attendees jog their memories of grade school lesson plans. Find some questions from the show and create a worksheet for party attendees to complete. This could also easily be worked into an online agenda as a virtual game.

Tassels are a symbolic part of graduation, as the grad crosses that stage with their diploma and moves the tassel from one side to the other. When the ceremony is over, it’s time to decorate the tassel and put it to use as a sentimental piece for years to come. If your grad is inviting other classmates to the party, have them bring their tassels too. Have colored yarn, trinkets, ornaments, and various other fun items for them to use to enhance the look and feel of their tassel.

Pretend you are honoring your child into the “family Hall of Fame”. Create a table or station that showcases achievements from their life to date. For the athlete, perhaps you feature some of their sports jerseys, a high school letterman jacket, and various newspaper clippings or photos. For the outdoor enthusiasts, include images of scenic campsites, maps of National Parks visited, and feature some of their favorite fishing lures. Be creative in the articles you select to showcase through your “memory table.”

There are so many ways to incorporate a photo-guessing game into your event! If you are hosting a party for a team of graduates, post some baby pictures from each guest-of-honor and ask guests to correctly identify each photo. If you are honoring just one grad, print out pictures of them at a variety of ages of their life and number each photo. Invite guests to try and guess the age of the grad in each photo! It’s a fun game that will naturally spark conversations among your party attendees.

Apply a graduation theme to this concept when thinking of potential food ideas for your party. Create serving stations where guests can create their own south-of-the-border dish. On top of the tacos, tie in things like virgin margaritas, piñatas, and cactus-themed prints to really make it a fiesta to remember. Get a festive tablecloth and cactus stir sticks to create a coherent theme across the board.

Traveling is a great way to learn about different cultures and customs. It can broaden your horizons and give you a new perspective on life. Traveling can challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and develop new skills. It can also help you to gain a greater appreciation for the world and its diverse inhabitants.

Have a world map on a board and some pins. Together with your friends, put pins on places that are on your travel bucket list. You can start planning on your future trips with your friends or family as mini reunions around the world.