Turning 18 means you’re officially an adult – so it’s time to celebrate in grownup style! Though childhood is behind you, that doesn’t mean you can’t party like a kid with fun themes as you enter adulthood on your own terms. The possibilities for your monumental 18th birthday bash are endless, but not every idea may excite you. To help you narrow it down, here are 20 epic themes ranging from elegant to adventurous – complete with decor, menu, activity and style inspiration. Read on for over-the-top concepts that will make you and your guests feel young at heart as you commemorate coming of age in extraordinary fashion!
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20 Ways To Celebrate 18th Birthday
Turning 18 is a major milestone – you are finally an adult! Your 18th birthday calls for a celebration to remember and these party ideas will help you go out with a bang.
Black Tie Affair
Make your 18th birthday glamorous with a black tie dress code! Ask guests to get decked out for a classy co*cktail party. Hire waiters to pass fancy hors d’oeuvres and have a mixologist create custom co*cktails. Decorate with crystal chandeliers, fresh flowers, and candles to set the mood. Feel like a celebrity when you make your entrance in an elegant gown or tuxedo.
Neon Nights Bash
Turn up the fun with a fluorescent neon party! Send out invitations telling guests to wear white and provide neon paint so everyone can decorate each other from head to toe. Play high energy music, serve electric colored shots, and hand out glow sticks to dance under black lights. Vibrant decorations like neon signs, streamers, and balloons will further bring the theme to life.
Parisian Getaway
Ooh la la! Transport guests to the City of Love for a chic french affair. String up twinkling cafe lights, play accordion music, and decorate with pink roses and faux green vines. Greet guests holding a baguette and beret and serve crepes, macarons, and champagne. Set up photo ops with an Eiffel Tower prop and oversized vintage frames. Encourage guests to come dressed in stripes, berets, and scarves.
Under the Stars Night
Bring the outdoors in for an enchanted evening under the stars! Drape fabric overhead to
create a celestial ceiling and hang fairy lights to mimic twinkling stars. Incorporate other natural elements like greenery garlands, weeping willow tree centerpieces, and rustic wood accents. Serve hot chocolate with chocolate liqueur, s’mores bar, and space themed sweets. Read horoscopes or play lawn games for entertainment.
Tropical Island Bash
Escape to a tropical island oasis without leaving home! Transform your backyard tiki-style with faux palm trees, pineapple decor, tiki torches, vibrant flower garlands, and bamboo accents. Greet guests with flower leis, play island tunes, and serve colorful co*cktails. Set up fun lawn games like limbo, coconut bowling, hula hoop contests. Encourage Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, and leis in the dress code. Display island inspired cakes and desserts for a luau to remember!
Victorian Vintage Tea
Channel your inner Victorian for a sophisticated high tea soiree inspired by the time period. Create an elegant tablescape with vintage china, dainty tea sandwiches, scones, desserts and loose leaf tea. Ask ladies to wear gloves, gowns and plumed hats, while gentlemen don three-piece suits and pocket watches. Share etiquette tips as you indulge in the refined revelry. Decorate the venue with lace details, rose centrepieces and candlelight for added old-world charm.
Carnival Extravaganza
Bring the amusem*nt park to your own home with a carnival themed extravaganza! Set up game booths like ring toss, balloon darts, soda can alley and a photo booth. Serve classic carnival fare like funnel cakes, hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts and candy apples. Use bright colors, pennant flags and streamers to adorn the space. Award silly novelty prizes to game booth winners. Hang a happy birthday sign lit with twinkling lights above the ‘entrance’ for a magical touch!
Hit the Slopes Bash
Get ready to hit the slopes with an après ski soiree! Mail clever “lift tickets” as invitations and encourage guests to bundle up in their coziest sweaters, fleece and hats. Line the walls with white and silver tinsel garlands to mimic snow covered trees. Scatter silver glitter table confetti for a snowy effect. Serve up fondue, hot toddies, hot cocoa and apple cider along with hearty dishes like chili, stew and slider sandwiches. Don’t forget to set the mood with a ski lodge Spotify playlist!
Masquerade Ball
Host an elegant masquerade ball straight out of a fairytale! Mail formal invitations requesting black tie attire and masks. Drape the event space in rich fabrics, candelabras dripping in crystals, and overflowing floral arrangements. Serve a selection of appetizers, pastries and champagne-spiked punch. As guest arrive, provide Venetian-style masks on a table or have masks available for purchase as party favors. Make a grand entrance descending a staircase after all guests have arrived before enjoying your first dance.
Go Back in Time
Set your time machine to the most monumental era or decade you choose for a nostalgic birthday blast! Research the fashion trends, lingo, music and pop culture from your historic heyday of choice. Dress and style the party space to mirror your iconic decade or time period, using reproduction props if needed. Create a playlist of throwback hits and serve food and co*cktails inspired by vintage recipes and ingredients. Share fun facts and trivia as you reminisce on the good ol’ days!
Bon Voyage Bash
Say au revoir with a journey around the world departure celebration before you set off on new adventures. Choose cuisine and decor from your upcoming destinations and share exciting excursion plans. Request guests also RSVP with future travel goals. Display a giant paper map and allow guests to mark their upcoming journeys and share wanderlust-fueling inspiration. Unveil surprise scratch-off lottery tickets attached to a funny fake passport at the end for added fun. Bon voyage!
Boho Chic Soiree
Wander towards wonder at a magical bohemian style fete. Adorn the space with dream catchers galore, macrame hangings, embroidered throw pillows and tapestries. Offer flower crowns and temporary henna tattoos so guests can fully channel their inner flower child. Serve vibrant dishes like rainbow fruit skewers, poke bowls and infused waters. Play acoustic guitar and hand drum music around a flower-framed bonfire setup. Surround with eclectic seating like poufs, hammocks and an earthy picnic tablescape for good vibes through the night.
Red Carpet Glam
Strut the red carpet like a celeb with a glitzy Hollywood soiree! Roll out a strip of red fabric as your own red carpet entry flanked by a photo backdrop or step and repeat wall adorned with twinkling lights. Encourage guests to dress to impress – perhaps even don replica designer gowns and dapper tuxes. Serve fancy co*cktails (mocktails for under 21) and elegant hors d’oeuvres handled on trays by friends playing the role of waiters. Stage paparazzi to snap candids and give acceptance speeches after opening gifts. Don’t forget the skinny microphone prop for added drama!
At the Roller Rink
Get ready to skate straight back to childhood with a totally rad roller rink birthday bash! Rent or borrow quad skates in all sizes and set up a temporary rink on smooth concrete or a slick surface protected by plastic sheeting. Use neon painter’s tape to mark curved lanes and small cones as obstacles. Decorate with disco balls, neon signs, fuzzy neon tinsel and string lights. Play throwback jams, hand out temporary tattoos in swag bags and serve up pizza, slushes and popcorn for perfect retro vibes.
Murder Mystery Party
Add intrigue and suspense with a murder mystery dinner party. Send out invitations in character, instructing guests to arrive in costume pertaining to a provided theme and persona. Throughout the evening, read scene-setting scripts that provide clues challenging guests to uncover the murderer by the party’s end. Award fun prizes for best actor, best costume and most successfully solving the mystery. Toast at midnight to your coming of age over celebratory co*cktails. Just beware the killer could still be on the loose!
At the Roller Rink
Get ready to skate straight back to childhood with a totally rad roller rink birthday bash! Rent or borrow quad skates in all sizes and set up a temporary rink on smooth concrete or a slick surface protected by plastic sheeting. Use neon painter’s tape to mark curved lanes and small cones as obstacles. Decorate with disco balls, neon signs, fuzzy neon tinsel and string lights. Play throwback jams, hand out temporary tattoos in swag bags and serve up pizza, slushes and popcorn for perfect retro vibes.
DIY Donut Decorating
Indulge your sweet tooth with a donut decorating craft party! Set up a donut decorating bar with vanilla frosted donuts, cups of rainbow sprinkles and jimmies, caramel and chocolate drizzle and an array of candy toppings. Provide decorating tools like piping bags, squeeze bottles and sprinkler containers. Guests can unleash their creativity dolloping on sauce swirls and candy charm before safely devouring their hand decorated treats. Award prizes for most unique, beautiful and delicious designs.
Pool Party
Make a splash with an epic poolside soiree! Stock up on the hottest floaties and water toys and create a playlist that is sure to get people dancing more than swimming. Serve vibrant, fruit filled co*cktails garnished with little umbrellas. Decorate with tiki torches around the poolside, waterproof flower garlands and strings of paper fans hanging between palm trees and pool posts. Remember sunscreen – and waterproof cameras! Capture the summer fun with Insta-worthy pool party photo opps.
Volunteering Adventure
In the spirit of using your newfound adulthood status for good, spend the afternoon giving back! Research local volunteer opportunities in your area and reserve a group project for your party date at an animal shelter, soup kitchen, community garden, beach cleanup or other cause you care about. Not only will you feel that “helper’s high”, but connecting while contributing is a fantastic bonding experience. Continue the celebrations after with a potluck picnic swapping stories and laughs from the day’s do-good adventures!
Slumber Party
Revel in nostalgia and close out your childhood with an epic final slumber party! Send out retro sleepover style invites and encourage PJs, pillows and sleeping bags. Play throwback movies and board games late into the night amongst scattered popcorn and candy clutter. Craft customized souvenir pillowcases and commemorative scrapbooks chronicling childhood memories. At midnight, pop champagne under a blanket fort while sharing hopes, dreams and futures yet to unfold as adulthood awaits the morning light!
Read More: 20 Ways To Celebrate 18th Birthday
Conclusion
Turning 18 is an exciting transition into adulthood that deserves an exceptional celebration. As you close one chapter and look to the future, surround yourself with loved ones and choose a party theme that excites you – glamorous, adventurous, delicious – the options are endless! Whether you love baking, traveling, or dancing, personalize the festivities to kickoff your next phase in life. Let your creativity and passions guide you as you enter adulthood. Just be sure to make some epic memories with fabulous friends by your side to toast your monumental birthday bash!
