Graduation Party Ideas You’ll Want To Use For An Epic Party

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Selection of graduation party ideas that are perfect for in the home or the backyard. Create a party with the use of simple decorations and food for a graduation send off you will remember forever.

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The time has come. After all the years of school, it is now time to graduate.

Graduation is a big deal, not only for the graduate but also for their parents.

You have been the one to watch their first day at school, negotiate their way through camps and buckle down to years of study and hard work. In a blink of an eye it’s over and it’s time to graduate.

It’s natural that you want this to be a big event.

Graduation is a milestone worth celebrating and with some simple decorations and food, you can create an epic party that everyone can enjoy.

There is no hard and fast rule as to what a graduation party should be.

A graduation party could be as simple as a picnic with a few friends. You might choose to have it at home and invite all the school friends over. Or you may decide to have a large affair and invite all your family and friends.

It can be as large or as small as you want it to be.

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate there are a few things you might like to consider to make your party amazing.

Oversized Games:

An easy way to make people laugh is to have games. Oversized games are a LOT of fun.

Think oversized games such as:

• Jenga
• Twister
• Connect Four
• Bowling
• Ring Toss
• Tic Tac Toe
• Chess

You could try your hand at making some oversized games or there are companies that hire them out for you.

Related: 9 Insanely Fun Backyard Games Everyone Will Love

Hold A Lantern Ceremony

If you are holding a party that will still be happening as it gets dark, a fun thing to do would be to have a flying lantern ceremony. 

Releasing lanterns would be a magical moment for your graduate and their friends.

You could ask them to release their lanterns one by one and as they do so say something about what they plan for their future. Then stand back and watch as the floating lanterns fill the night sky.

Just be sure to check that your state allows lanterns to be released before you proceed!

Alternatively if you have a pool in your yard, you could do a similar thing but use floating water lanterns instead.

Match The Graduate Game:

Planning on having lots of graduates to the party? 

Ask all the graduates to provide two photos of themselves. One recent one and one from when they were a baby.

The game is to ask the other guests to try and match which baby belongs to which graduate.

It might not be as easy as you first think!

This will certainly cause a lot of laughs and generate some fun conversation.

Graduation Message Jar:

Have a jar available that all the guests at the party can write a message to the graduate and then place in the jar.

This will be wonderful for the graduate to read through after the party and also a lovely keep sake for years to come.

Planning the decorations for a party is always fun. The first thing you will need to do is decide how you want your party to look. 

For example, do you want to have the feel of glitz and glam and use classic colors such as black and gold or silver?

Or perhaps you would like to use school colors?

Or maybe you would like to use the graduates favorite colors.

Once you have decided on a color scheme, the rest of the decorations will naturally fall into place.

Create A Party Backdrop

A party backdrop can be used in two different ways. It can be a focal point where a food table sits in front of it, or it can be used as a photo booth.

There are so many party table backdrop ideas that can easily be put together at home. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make something look amazing, and a backdrop will always be worth the time spent creating it.

It is likely you will want to have a photo booth at a graduation party, and whether you create the backdrop using plastic plates, tablecloths, streamers, curtains or balloons, it will be a perfect focal point at the party.

Related: How To Make An Easy DIY Party Backdrop

Set Up A Memorabilia Table:

An easy way to provide a focal point for a party and to make the graduate feel a little bit extra special is to set up a memorabilia table. The purpose of the memorabilia table is to walk someone through the graduates life at school from starting to leaving. 

It will help trigger memories, create some laughs and maybe some happy tears too.

This can include many things such as:

• Class photos from school, and school adventures such as activities, sports day, camps etc.
• School achievements such as certificates and trophies.
• First school uniform (if you still have it).
• Collection of first day of school questionnaires.
• Any items specific to the graduate such as first ever baseball use, or ballet shoes etc.

Class Photo Banner:

Display various photos from the start to end of school in a long display.

The photos can be attached to string with mini pegs and it will be a great way to show off the changes throughout the years. This will certainly bring back a lot of memories.

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Having food at a party is a must. The food you decide to serve will directly be related to the type of party you hold and the number of people in attendance.

For a large crowd you may opt for a BBQ or pasta bar, or baked potatoes. You can accompany this food with cheese and fruit platters.

Regardless of the quantity and type of food required, it is always a bit fun to have some themed food available.

Some graduation party themed food examples include:

• Graduation cap cupcakes. Bake some cupcakes and add a graduation cap on the top. These will be a hit!
• Create some no bake diploma cookies.
• Chocolate graduation pops. Graduation caps on a stick. Everyone will love these.
• Graduation party pretzel pops. These are perfect for that sweet and savory hit.

Whilst you now have a ton of graduation party ideas for inspiration, you might be wondering how to put it all together. 

These following parties are parties that were held for graduation and they show how easy it is to create an epic party with just a few simple ideas.

1. Light & Fresh Graduation Party

Source: DIY Design Fanatic.

This party is such a fresh and inviting table display.  

The post will give you some great ideas of how to go about setting up a party table which is great if you are unsure how to set up a display.

2. Pre-School Graduation Party

Source: Sweet Metel Moments

This pre-school graduation party is simply gorgeous.

The party theme is “Shine”… let your light shine. What a gorgeous message to send the little ones.  

This has to be one of the cutest graduation parties ever!

3. Modern Stylish Graduation Party

Source: Amy’s Party Ideas

This party is super stylish. If you are looking for something modern and sophisticated then this is the party to check out.  

The black and white color scheme teamed with a touch of emerald green, gives the effect of elegance and class.

4. Girly Glam Graduation Party

Source: Pear Tree Greetings

This graduation party is full of glitter and glam. It is glitzy in every respect, even down to the glitter rimmed glasses!

It’s simple, it’s stylish and it’s fun. The girls are going to love this one.

5. Bright Future Graduation Party

Source: Frog Prince Paperie

This ‘bright future’ graduation party is such a simple idea, but works absolutely perfectly.  

The party wishes all graduates a bright future, with a bright and cheery party. This is just how a graduation party should be!

A graduation party is meant to be fun. It’s a time to celebrate all the hard work coming to an end, but also the start of a new adventure.

It’s a huge milestone for both the graduate and also immediate family. Whether you chose to celebrate with a large or small event, it is easy to create an event that will be memorable for years to come.

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