By Minted | Last Updated: May 4, 2023
Congratulations for this big achievement! Our graduates this year deserve to be showered in love and accolades for capping off their senior year (usually the most academically challenging) with an unforgettable grad party! Whether that celebration is in-person, remote, or a combination of the two, there are plenty of unique graduation party ideas to consider.
We have created this in-depth list of unique party decor, graduation games, gifts for guests, and themed menu items. Let these graduation party ideas and games inspire your creative side!
A Grad Party by Ana Sharpe
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Set Up a Photobooth
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.
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Groovy backdrop by Party with Ava
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Prep Your Song List
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.
cue the confetti by Lori Wemple
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Monogrammed Cocktail Napkins
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.
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Letter P Blue Floral Monogram Digitally Printed on White Napkin
by Kim Stealey
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Cool Stir Sticks for Cool Folks
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.
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Sunglasses Stir Sticks - Transparent Black (Set of 25) by Atomic Kraftworks
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Framed Class Photos Keepsake
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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Grad Heart Snapshot Mix® Photo Art by Minted
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Grad Cap Toss Game
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!
Classic Grad Party by Hooray Creative
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Movie night
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.
Minimalist Tassel by Stacey Meacham
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Photo Centerpiece Ideas
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).
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The Big Picture by Minted
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Succulent Party Favor
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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Succulent Party Favors in Burlap by Surfside Succulents
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New City Party Theme
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.
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New York City, New York Skyline Stemless Wine Glass by stephanie miller 1
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Personalized Party Favor Stickers
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!
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Graduation Party by Owl and Toad
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Name-That-Year Song Trivia
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!
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About-The-Graduate Trivia
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!
Quintet by Hooray Creative
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Chocolate Coins
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.
Scripted Graduation Year by Jackie Crawford
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Momento to Sign
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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Wavy by Robert and Stella
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Karaoke Party
Rent a karaoke machine and have a sing-along party to celebrate the graduates.
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Besties on Frame
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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Spectrum by Up Up Creative
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School Color Candies
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
Shimmering tassel by Catherine Culvenor
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Career Cake
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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Image source: Pinterest
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Creative Party Invitations
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!
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gRAD party by Pixel and Hank
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Collect Recipes for the Grad
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.
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Image source: Pinterest
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Potluck dinner
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.
Grids by Lauren Chism
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Create a Card & Gift Table
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.
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Frosted Acrylic Cards And Gifts Sign, White Lettering And Acrylic Base by Logan Boaz
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Memory Jar
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.
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Tri-Photo by Pati Cascino
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Get Everyone to Move with Games
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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Yard Games Kubb Game Premium Set by Maple Grove
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Grad Cap Cupcakes
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.
Cap and year by Stacey Meacham
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Invite a Guest Speaker or a Professional to Your Event
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.
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Sidewalk Chalk Mural
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.
guell by chocomocacino
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Party Bags
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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Virtually the best by Lea Delaveris
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Host a Game of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”
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.
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DIY Tassel Station
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.
tassel wrapped by Kamala Nahas
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Construct a Memory Table
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.”
Celebratation by Jessie Steury
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Photo Guessing Game
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.
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Taco Party Theme
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.
Nacho Baby by Joanna Griffin
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Map Out Future Travel Plans
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.
by Melanie Fletcher
GRADUATION PARTY GAME IDEAS
It’s that time of year again—graduation season! You’ll want to celebrate this milestone with a really fun party. Once you’ve invited all the guests, you’ll need to figure out how to entertain them during the party. Regardless of whether you’re celebrating graduation from kindergarten all the way up to medical school, graduation party games guarantee fun for all ages. They get everyone involved from the shyf wallflower to your most outgoing guest. While you may want to have some unstructured party time for guests to mingle and eat, it can also be nice to have some planned activities to keep the party going. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite indoor and outdoor graduation party game ideas to ensure a truly memorable day.
OUTDOOR AND LAWN GAMES
Graduation often comes when the weather is at its best. So getting outside to celebrate with outdoor graduation party games is a festive option. Here are a few of our favorite games to celebrate your grad outside this year:
- Capture the flag: If you have a large group, this is a great option. You can make it graduation themed by having jailbirds get out of jail by answering trivia questions about the grad.
- Catch the cap: This game is similar to throwing the bouquet at a wedding. Have your guests stand at a distance and then face the grad away from the crowd. Have them throw the cap over their head towards the guests. Whoever catches the cap wins a prize.
- Scavenger hunt: Create a scavenger hunt for your guests where the clues all relate to your grad or have a graduation theme. Think along these lines: “You’ll find the next clue near the grad’s favorite place to shoot for her dreams” and the next clue could be hidden near a basketball hoop.
- Balloon dart art: Hang a canvas and attach balloons filled with colored water (you can add food coloring to the water before filling the balloons). Then give each of your guests 3-5 darts and let them try to hit the balloons. When the balloons are popped, you’ll be left with a beautiful keepsake to commemorate your grad’s special day.
- The bucket list game: Make a list of ten bucket list items like “Hike the Appalachian Trail,” “Ride in a Hot Air Balloon,” “Travel to Morocco.” Write them down on a piece of tape and stick them on 10 different buckets. Arrange the buckets at least 10 feet away from where the guests will be standing. Then give each of your guests 5 ping pong balls with their names on them and have them try to get their balls in the buckets. When everyone is done, go around to each bucket and read the names that are in the bucket. For example, “Paul and Ellen will get to ride in a hot air balloon!”
- Musical graduation caps: This is like musical chairs but with graduation caps instead of chairs. Have one less cap than you have players. Have the guests stand in a circle and pass the caps around in a clockwise direction while music is playing. When the music stops, the person without a cap is out. Remove a cap in each subsequent round until there is only one grad left. The remaining grad can be given a prize.
- Cookie forehead game: Have each guest put a cookie on their forehead and set a timer for a minute. During that time, they have to move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth without using their hands. If the cookie falls off they lose!
INDOOR GRADUATION PARTY GAMES
Indoor graduation party games are great because you don’t have to worry about the weather. And there are so many fun options to keep the party going. Some of these graduation games are more time-consuming and some will be quick, so feel free to do more than one! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Superlatives game: Have the grad come up with a superlative for each guest. (Think: “Most Likely To Win the Nobel Peace Prize,” “Most Likely To Have A Whole Closet Just for Their Shoes,” “Most Likely to Write the Next Great American Novel.” Then read them outloud and have the guests guess who matches which superlative.
- Graduation Trivia: Divide your guests up into at least two teams. Then, read graduation themed trivia questions. The questions can be about the grad or other graduation-related topics. (For example, “What does the grad want to be when she grows up?” “What was her minor in college?” “What is the mascot of the college she will attend in the fall?” “Who in the class of 2023 was voted most likely to own more than five dogs when they grow up?” “What year was your high school founded?” The team with the most correct answers wins.
- Baby picture game: Ask all your guests to bring a baby picture of themselves. Number them and put them on a corkboard. Next pass out sheets of paper and have guests write down which baby is who.
- Create a collage together: Ask your guests to bring some of their favorite photos or keepsakes to give to the grad. You can also provide some photos and meaningful images (think: places your grad would like to travel, school logos, etc.) Set up a collage station with a posterboard, glue, and tape. Have your guests drop by the station to add their images to the collage. Your grad will be left with a keepsake made by all their friends.
- Pin the tassel on the grad: This is like the game pin the tail on the donkey except instead of pinning a tail to a photo of a donkey, you can post a large graduation photo of the graduate and have them pin a cap tassel on it. Have each blindfolded guest pin the tassel to where they think the grad’s cap is.
- Graduation themed charades or pictionary: These classic party games can be given a “grad twist” where all the things the guests act out or draw are graduation related. Think: diploma, graduation ceremony, professor, math exam, report card, fraternity brother.
- Two truths and a lie: Have everyone come up with two truths and a lie about the graduate and everyone has to guess which is which. It can be a way for each guest to share what they know about the grad and bond over good memories.