If you follow these top party ideas for teens you are sure to throw an epic teen party that your teen will never forget!

Best Party Idea For Teens

Throwing an epic teen party doesn’t have to be boring. With a little creativity and planning, you can host a party that your teen will never forget. Use these tips to get started, and then get creative and come up with some of your own great ideas. Your teen is sure to have a blast!

So Your Teen Wants to Throw a Party

Your teen has asked to have a party. You are so happy that they talked to you that you find yourself instantly agreeing. And then it hits you, you just agreed to throw a party for a bunch of teenagers. Now what?!

It was easy when they were little. A few balloons, the latest Disney theme and off you go. But now their teenagers. What do you do for a teen age party?! If you want through an epic party for a bunch of rangy teens then you are in the right place.

Having raised two teens I have thrown more than my fair share of teen parties. We’ve hosted graduation BBQs, 18th birthday bashes, sweet 16’s, and so many others. So don’t worry, and let’s start planning, ’cause I got your back.

Best Tips and Party Ideas for Teens

Throwing an epic party for teens just takes a little know how, a few twists on the basics, and some teen input.

So, keep reading because I guarantee that when you’re finished with these party ideas for teens you’ll be throwing epic parties that will have your teen giving you a Mom of the Year Award. And what mom doesn’t love that?

Make It Personal

When planning a party for your teenager it is the little details that will take these party ideas for teens over the top. Make sure that during the planning process you are considering:

Make sure that you are inviting the people that your teen really likes. You want them to have fun. Better yet, have your teen put the invite list together themselves first and then together you can go over the list and then work on getting out the invites.

When planning the menu, if you go with your teen’s favourite foods you can’t go wrong. Our daughter loves Vietnamese food so for her 18th I served spring rolls, homemade noodle salad, BBQ pork, and bubble tea. She and her friends loved it!

Anything to do with your teen’s interests makes for perfect decor. If your kid is into sports then go with a sport theme. Are they into photography? Then set up an over-the-top photo booth. More detailed ideas to follow.

Can easily be incorporated into the decor and menu. By sticking with their favourites you really take the guess work out of it. Use both theme and colour subtly in decor, cake icing, and favours.

This is super important! Let your teen create the music list. Make sure that you have decent speakers because sound matters. Good music can make a party. Bad music will break it.

Venue Know How

The venue is a place where you can either save a lot of money or spend a bit of money. Deciding on your best option requires considering a few factors. Ask yourself:

What kind of space does my home have? Hosting at home is definitely the easiest and cheapest choice. So if you have the space to do so it’s a great option.
What about friends and family? If you lack the space, do you have a friend or family member who has the room and would be willing to lend out their home for a teen party?
What kind of weather should we expect? Because weather permitting, hosting outdoors can be a great option. If you don’t have a yard large enough consider looking it other outdoor free venues such as a beach or the park.
What size party am I throwing? If it’s a smaller party no problem but if your teen is inviting a lot of people it may prove necessary to rent out a space. Consider looking into your local community center. Prices are often very reasonable.

Get Your Decor On

The one thing that every good party needs is spectacular decorations. And trust me, the teen party is no exception. Remember that you want to reflect your teen’s interests. So make sure that when you are planning the decor you are keeping their personality in mind.

To get you started here are a few quick party ideas for teens that might fit the bill. If your teen is into:

Sports

Decorate with team pennants and jerseys. Use the colours of their favourite team or if they play a high school team sport use those colours. For a photo booth offer baseball caps, mega phones, and foam fingers. For the food you could hand out popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, and root beer.

Art/Graffiti

Can be a ton of fun. Go all out with a black light, glow in the dark art work. Plus, make sure you include some neon dishes and cups. Hand out glow sticks and glow in the dark face paint and tattoos. Encourage guests to wear all white. For the food use tons of white, sprinkles, and “paint” splatters.

Music

Lends itself well to using posters, music pages, and old vinyl records or CDs for decor. For a photo booth set out feather boas, a conductors wand, glitzy glasses, and funky hats. Wrap a few food items in music sheets, and decorate treats with stars and musical notes.

Horses

Never seem to go out of style. If your teen loves horses consider decorating the space to look western. If you can hold the party in an actual barn then do so. Play western music and add a few western themed entertainment options. For the photo booth set out cowboy hats, faux mustaches, fake six-shooters, and feather boas. For the food go with pulled pork sandwiches, cactus fries, pigs in a blanket and s’more cupcakes. I love this set from Amazon. It would definitely fit the bill.

Movies

Is a popular interest among teens. To bring this into a party think about using a red carpet to greet the guests. Movie posters, old film reels, and glitz goes a long way decor wise. For the photobooth go all out with looks full of Hollywood glam. Likewise, for the food set it up to look like a movie set a la carte or rent a popcorn machine and serve concession stand foods.

Video Games

Harder to do without tipping over into cheesy but video game are definitely a teen favourite and can be incorporated into a party scheme. Go subtle with this style. I recommend going with a black light and glow in the dark elements. Have a game stations set up in another room. If you have VR set that up as well. For the photo booth have signs with know video game words on them and cut outs with Mario character hats.

PRO TIP: When it comes to party decorating for teens I suggest you go understated. Subtly is key. Avoid a lot of bright colours, overly kiddish designs, and anything too themey. These are teens afterall, and they want to feel grown up keep that in mind when it comes to the decor.

Feeding The Masses

Ok, these are teenagers and they have big appetites so the most important thing is that you have enough food to feed them all. You’ll also want to have a few bowls of chips, plenty to drink and a decent sweets table.

For teen parties consider going with:

Finger foods are always a good idea for any party. When it comes to teens you can never go wrong with pizza buns, chicken fingers, spring rolls, fries, or mini soft tacos.
Themed foods when done right will fit right in with the decor. Pop on over to Pinterest for some great recipe ideas. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
The basics. Teens often prefer the simpler foods that life has to offer. Basically, anything that you’d find in a mall food court should fit the bill.
Make a lot but limit the variety. Teenagers are known for being big eaters. So stick to a few choices but make a lot of each.

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Keeping Them Hydrated

Ah, the beverages. This can get a little sticky. It really depends on the age of your teen. If they’re underage then obviously you stick with non alcoholic beverages. If you live in Canada this gets a bit trickier when your teen is over 18. Especially if they have a few underage friends.

In the end, make safe and legal choices. And encourage alcohol free partying. The trick is to let them feel a little grown up and to offer delicious, non-alcoholic options. Here are some fun teen party drink ideas to get you started:

Virgin piña coladas: are a ton of fun, and are super yummy. Perfect for outdoor parties in the summer. Adding the little umbrellas will take it over the top.
Shirley Temple: is a young person’s classic that makes one feel, “Oh so adult.” Simple and inexpensive to make.
Lemonade: Is always refreshing. Play with the flavours and colours. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Punch: Is an old time classic that you can never go wrong with .
Soft drinks: Or as we like to call it up north, pop is a no brainer. Make sure to have a couple different options and lots of it.
Water: Another no brainer. Water is the healthiest, cheapest, and easiest option. Plus, they’ll need to stay hydrated with all that dancing.

Let Them Eat Cake

You can’t have a teen party without having an epic dessert table. I like to go all out with the sweets table and I prefer to have it be buffet style. Trust me, no one forgets an awesome dessert spread. They will love you for it. And your teen will feel extra special knowing you went above and beyond.

Now, you can either make everything yourself or you can go with store bought. Obviously making it yourself will cost less. Either way, you want to make sure that you have a wide selection of desserts.

Some great teen party dessert ideas include:

Cupcakes

Are just classic. Ya, can’t go wrong with a good cupcake. They’re super simple to make, can be made ahead of time, offer a ton of flavour options and can be decorated to work with any theme or colour pallet.

Ice Cream

Is always a summer time hit. Try setting up a DIY sundae bar, or for an extra extravagant touch bring in an ice cream cart or an ice cream making machine.

Cookies

Are another easy go to that you can make yourself or purchase from a grocery store or bakery. These treats can be easily personalized and it’s easy to offer a few different varieties ensuring that everyone gets one that they like.

Candy Bar Station

Is one of my favourite sweet table options and it is is always a huge hit! Set this up to look like a candy store with clear containers, metal scoops, and take away cups. These also make great favours at the end of the night.

Popcorn

A party staple and teenagers love it. Go all out and rent a popcorn machine or go with buckets of flavoured popcorn. Or keep it simple and make your own or buy family sized bags at the grocery store. Costco has some great options.

Cake

Is an easy choice. Make your own or buy a slab cake from the grocery store or a local bakery. Super simple to personalize and is usually easy on the wallet.

woman in white t-shirt and blue denim jeans standing beside wall with graffiti

Tune Time

It’s little known fact that teens need their music. So you want to make sure that you have a play list ready to go. You also want to make sure that you have a playlist that will keep them happy until the party ends.

Don’t attempt to do this yourself. No matter how cool you are you can’t do this job on your own. Enlist the help of your teen or one of their friends to help you. You won’t regret it.

Here are a few musical options for you to consider:

This is guaranteed to get the party hopping. Not a great option for house parties but fantastic for those community center locations or outdoor parties.

A live band can be really expensive. I’m not suggesting that you necessarily go out and hire a band. I’m thinking more if your teen has a band or has a friend in a band maybe you could have them be the music.

But again, have a teenager do this or it will likely end up a dud. Have them do this way in advance. You don’t want to be scrabbling last minute to do this because I’m telling you the music matters. It really matters.

PRO TIP: If there are going to be sensitive eared adults for a part of the party make sure that your teen creates both a clean list and teen list. That way when the adults are there their ears won’t be offended.

To really pump up the tunes you need great sound. Look for these to go on sale around summer time. The sound is fantastic and the teenagers love the party vibes.

Take it to the Dance Floor

I know, I know. You’re thinking it. “Oh, come on Jenny. Teens aren’t going to dance at a house party.” Yes, they will if you do it right and if your teen likes to dance. I know this to be fact because I’ve watched it a ton of times with my own eyes.

You already know that you need to have the right music and that the decor and food help but to really get this dance party started you need to create a mood. To set this mood:

Have a floor surface that is dance ready. Carpet does not work well for this.
Make sure that there is plenty of space to dance. People need space to get their groove on.
Get the lighting right. Nothing kills a dance party quite like a bright room. Use lamps, light dimmers, and strobe lights to create a dance party feel.
Include seating areas around the dance floor for those guests that either need to rest, don’t dance, or need to be first build up enough courage to get dancing.

PRO TIP: Ok, this is a bit over the top but if you can pull it off it’s epic. Our daughter grew up dancing competitively. So a few times she and her friends coordinated a dance and in the middle of the dance party they would suddenly bust out their moves. It drove everyone insane! So much fun.

Touch of Entertainment

There’s nothing worse then a bored teen. To keep the boredom blues at bay make sure that you include a few easy entertainment options. There are several options available depending on your budget.

Here are a few entertaining party ideas for teens to try out:

Photo Booth

Is always a big hit with the teens. Since they always have a phone on them all you need to do is set out some props and a cool back drop. Let them do the rest.

Karaoke Machine

Can be a super fun option if you are feeling particularly brave or own ear plugs.

Movie Marathon

Is a great option if you are wanting to plan a quieter, more laid back party. This is also a great option for sleepover parties or smaller gatherings.

Outdoor Activities

Can work perfectly for an outdoor party. Some outdoor entertainment ideas include playing sports, having a bonfire, or fireworks.

Party Games

Is usually more of a little kids idea but there are some fun and appropriate party games ideas for teens. Check out the ideas below and remind your teen to keep it clean.

VR (Virtual Reality)

Can be a blast at a party. I recommend that you have this set up in another room for those teens that don’t want to dance or need a break. I find it’s a better option than offering regular video games because it really a one person at a time thing. Downside: unless you already own one it is a costly option.

Teen Approved Party Games

If you are going to have teen party games than I got your back. Games can be a great option if your teen isn’t into dancing. Games can also work well if your teen is inviting a bunch of friends from different friend groups. Its helps to break the ice and they can get to know each other a bit through team work.

Check out these great party ideas for teens game suggestions:

Twister: This classic game is always a hit, no matter what age you are. And it usually ends up in a fit of giggles.
Scavenger hunts: Are a great way to get everyone up and moving. You can do this indoors or have them searching the neighbourhood.
Charades: Is a party classic that teens love. And will all that drama practice they should be good at it.

These are just a few of the many teen party games that you could choose from. After you’re done reading this check out Pinterest for even more great ideas.

Items You Need to Throw Epic Teen Party

This list of party items are essential if you want to take your party planning prowess over the top. However, they are investments. So don’t rush out to get them if they aren’t in the budget. But if they are, you won’t regret adding them to your party planning arsenal.

Strobe light – we use this little gem all of the time. It’s at every party and it shows up on the front porch every Halloween. It’s ideal for setting the mood, and it brings in those dance club vibes which makes dancing a lot more fun.

Fog machine just like the strobe light, sets the right mood. Ours broke recently and the kids were so bummed that I’m buying a new one asap.

Black light brings the Wow factor you party needs. Add a few glow sticks, a strobe light, some white decor and you have yourself a party.

Loud speaker. I mentioned it before, but it bears mentioning again, good music is essential. So is great sound. Crappy speakers just won’t cut it.

Safety First

Teens are challenging and when you get them all together and partying things can happen It’s crucial that you follow the law and that you always consider safety first.

Some things to keep in mind when it comes to safety at parties for teens include (but are not limited to):

This doesn’t mean sitting in on the party but you do need to be around and available. If you decide to hide out in the bedroom or den make sure that you are still doing frequent walk throughs so that your presence is felt.

I’m a stickler for this one. It’s the law. Find out the legal age for your area, ask for ID when friends show up, know who is of age and make sure your teen know the consequences to breaking these rules. Just follow the law.

Again, this is a no brainer. It’s the law.

Or you will likely regret it. At the end of the night, especially if there’s been any drinking, you want to make sure that rides have been arranged or you’ll end up spending half the night driving everyone home.

Get the guest list before hand and be there as people arrive so that you can get to know who’s there. Nip any party crashing in the bud.

Don’t mess with this one. If a fight breaks out get the others to safety and call the cops.

Bonus Tips! Party Ideas For Teens

Because we party planning mamma’s can use all the help that we can get, here are a few more party ideas for teens that will take this party from epic to party of the year.

deserves that special touch. I always went with the black light/glow in the dark party. I would then have 18 white balloons blown up and to each a long, white ribbons was attached. The balloons were then let loose to float above the dance floor. To the end of each ribbon, I attached a black and white photo of the birthday boy/girl. The photos were from when they were a baby to present day.

can work with a little planning. Remember to have that separate sound track ready, have separate seating area for the elders to escape to, and have a later end date for the teens so that they get a little teen only time. Oh, and that separate paly list.

is a party planners best friend. From dinner ware to specialty items like the old fashioned pop corn maker, party rental stores make party planning a breeze. Best part, you never have to wash their dishes.

to your kids and their closest friends. Have them do little jobs to keep the party running smoothly. Someone can be in charge of coats while another is on cup collection duty and another on garbage duty.

are unnecessary but can be a nice touch. Just remember to keep it age appropriate and go with less is more. Letting everybody take home glow sticks or a bag of candy is often all that is needed.

Jenny’s Finishing Thoughts On These Epic Party Ideas For Teens

So there you have it. Everything you need to know about throwing an epic party for your teen. As you can see, all it takes is a little know how, some creative ideas, and a few right supplies. When you put all of these elements together you can easily create an amazing party.

Just make sure that you use these party ideas for teens. And that you have a plan, are paying attention to the little details, and that you are doing all of this with your teen in mind. If you check off all of the boxes I guarantee this will be a party your teen never forgets.

Do you have any epic teen party tips to share? Share in the comments below.

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