18th birthday party ideas
When you celebrate your 18th year, you are celebrating a milestone birthday which should come with all the bells and whistles you want. You have survived puberty, raging hormones, rebellion and dating blues. You are old enough to vote and considered legally an adult, but not quite old enough to drink alcohol responsibly. You want to mark the occasion with family or friends or both. All you need is 18th birthday party ideas to decide how you will mark this important passage into adulthood.
Parties
Many parties intended to celebrate an 18th birthday are held in private settings or as private parties in public settings. People choose pool parties, barbecue or grill parties, beach parties complete with bonfires and campy songs or dinner parties at rented clubs or restaurants.
Rather than go the way of making everything mature and “adult,” some 18-year-olds choose to have a birthday party that is more kid-like. They choose to go to an amusement theme park with lots of rides and foods, play childhood games like “Pin The Tail On The Donkey,” smash a pinata, or head to the neighborhood pizza joint that has an arcade. It is a way to always remember how you have celebrated your birthday your whole life and include family. Once family leaves, you can then have the “grown-up” party with your friends.
Two other ideas for parties: the age old slumber party and a tattoo party. Eighteen-year-olds are not too old for the traditional sleepover. Make it a usual party and make sure there is enough room and bedding for everyone to spend the night. Tattoo parties can be especially fun if everyone at the party decides to get a tattoo for someone’s birthday. The tattoo artist should be reputable and have a portfolio of good art.
However you choose to party, remember to preserve the occasion. Take lots of pictures, record the festivities on video, post to your favorite social networking site for family and friends who live out of town and cannot attend, write about your own experience in your journal or on your blog. Eighteen is such a pivotal year, when you turn 30 you will want to look back on this time and see how far you have leaped in 12 years.
Travelng
For some, a birthday is a time to travel to places you have never been. It does not take a lot of money and the occasion does not require you to travel far or go somewhere exotic. Just make sure you are with the people you love and have a great time. If you have never been to all the historic sites in your own city, visit them. Take a trip to Washington, D.C. and tour the capital. Plan a stay in New York or go to the beach. If you are taking the trip with family, parents typically do most of the planning after they know what you want to do. If you are traveling alone for the first time with friends out of town, make sure the trip is well-planned, that everyone invited has permission to go, and that everyone on the trip sticks to the plan.
Roast
Not too many party ideas for an 18th fete include a roast of the guest of honor. It might be a good idea to get all dressed up in formal wear and head to a private room at an upscale restaurant. Everyone in attendance can participate in “roasting” you – or telling hilarious, slightly embarrassing stories about their friendships with you. You have to have really thick skin for this one and know that everyone on the guest list has enough good taste not to tell something too personal. The best roasts have a requirement for those who decide to speak about the birthday guest of honor: for every little punch someone takes at you, they have to counter with a compliment. It keeps the snarky jokes balanced. Most of the time, you end up discovering how much your circle of friends and family really do cherish you.
Week-Long Bucket List
This is an unusual one for 18th birthday party ideas, but what if the party could last for an entire week? You call it a “______ (insert your name here) Fest.” Each day for a week, come up with something that you have not done yet and go do it. This can be something as simple as a day at the spa complete with a deep tissue massage and pedicure, or it can be as daring as skydiving. Some teens might include registering to vote or getting a driver’s license among the items on their list. Just make sure you do something that celebrates your milestone each day and end the week with a huge party.
Limo Rides or Chartered Buses
What better way to spend an evening out with close friends than letting someone else do all the driving? If you rent a limousine for the evening, be sure to plan in advance where you will go. You can use the limo to pick up all of your friends and drive to all of your usual hangouts for the evening. If you are planning your party at a private club, you can rent a stretch Hummer or a bus and make sure all of your friends arrive at the same time without a fuss about parking.
Any of these 18th birthday party ideas would be a memorable way to mark the passage into adulthood. Whatever you decide to do, make it fun, safe and something you will never forget.
