21st Birthday Party Ideas

Turning 21 and ready for some fun? Check out some great ways to celebrate below. Let us know your favorite memories (or lack thereof) from your 21st birthday bash in the comments sections!

Cocktails & Karaoke
Hit the right note by ringing in your 21st by singing the night away. Come up with your own custom cocktails and name them after your favorite songs or performers. You can even set up your own stage with a cool rug in front of curtains. Invite guests to bring their own props and accessories so they can really get in the groove before they sing. And if you are really feeling the beat, have a contest to see who can come up with the best song or rap about the birthday rock star or diva!

Party Bus
Rent a party bus to take you and your best buds around the town. This way, not only do you have a designated driver, but you and your friends can all travel together in style. Since it’s a small space, the bus is easy to make look festive with balloons, streamers, and party hats. Bring along your favorite drinks and snacks, make a playlist of the best tunes, and celebrate while enjoying the city views. You might have so much fun on the bus that you never even make it to the bars!

Bar Scavenger Hunt
Make your birthday bar crawl a little more interesting with a scavenger hunt! Get a group of friends together to come up with a list of 21 tasks the birthday honoree must do throughout the night. For example, he or she has to convince the bartender to make a special drink, get a picture with someone who has the same birthday, or persuade a stranger to sing happy birthday. Don’t forget to document the night well with tons of pictures and videos as it sure to bring lots of laughs for years to come.

Photo Booth
A photo booth is a fun way to commemorate any occasion. It’s easy to set one up yourself with a cool backdrop, fun props, and a camera on a timer. Or you can easily find one for rent! Focus the props around all that comes with turning 21 – beer goggles, champagne bottles, and martini glasses. TIP: Make sure to print doubles of the pictures so that your guests can take one with them and you also have one to keep. Plus, it’s fun to see how the photos progressively get sillier (and sloppier!) as the night goes on!

Donate Your Birthday
If you’re in to celebrating others more than celebrating yourself, use your special day to raise money for your favorite charity. Host a casual fundraiser and ask guests to bring a donation in lieu of gifts. If you don’t want to throw a party, put your energy in to sending out some emails and sharing your mission on Facebook and other social media sites. Make sure your family and friends are fully informed on what the organization does and why you are passionate about it. That way, not only are they more likely donate, but they may end up getting involved as well! Don’t forget to set a goal to reach 21 donations!

Beer Olympics
Center your 21st around the art of drinking beer. Set up a variety of different events such as beer pong, flip cup, and beer bong races and have guests compete as teams or individuals to be number one. It’s fun to end the night with a goofy awards ceremony. You can even award guests with custom-made beer koozies. Just remember, win or lose, it’s all about the booze! Don’t forget to surprise the birthday guy or girl with a “cake” made out of beer cans.

Casino Night
If a trip to Sin City is out of the question, bring Las Vegas to you! Set up a black jack table since it’s all about hitting 21. You can even make jell-o shooters that look like dice by making them in an ice cube tray and using icing or whipped cream for the dots. And if you are feeling extra lucky play a round of vodka or water roulette!

Champagne Campaign
Once you turn 21, it’s time to drink champagne and dance on the table! So throw a party that’s all about the bubbly. Put together a champagne bar that includes juice, fruit, and garnishes so guests can create their own cocktail. Champagne pairs great with veggies and a salty dip, as well as shrimp cocktail, and certain cheeses, so set out some hearty snacks out for guests to munch on. For the cake, try it champagne style by replacing the water with equal amounts of bubbly. Blow out your candles and pop some bottles!

Birthday BBQ
Who doesn’t love a good backyard barbeque bash? If you want to make your 21st a casual, outdoor affair then this theme is for you. You can fill an inflatable kiddy pool with ice as a fun and unique way to keep the drinks cold. Also, set up a make-your-own burger bar with all the fixins! As for entertainment, just break out the bocce ball and corn hole. Spruce up the backyard with a personalized banner that celebrates the birthday honoree. And if you plan on the BBQ lasting into the evening hours pull out some holiday lights to add some pizzazz to a dull fence or tree. Now get to grilling!

RIP Fake ID
Pay homage to the fake ID that you no longer need with a RIP Party now that you are newly legal. Have a ceremonial burning or cutting of that old ID (especially, since you were never supposed to have it in the first place!) Look online for a RIP Fake ID banner, or try to make one yourself. After the fake ID funeral, it’s time to celebrate. Hurry over to the nearest bar as soon as your birthday hour rolls around. Don’t forget to take a picture of the 21st birthday guy or gal with their first legal drink when the clock strikes midnight!

Bowling Bash
Although bowling may seem like a lame idea, give it a chance! If you get the right group of friends together, you’re sure to have a blast. Check out what your local bowling alley has to offer at night. Not only do some alleys offer great deals, but a lot of them have late night cosmic bowling with tons of neon colors, disco lights, and bumping music! Set up some silly games to play while you bowl. Have your guests pick a card with a various things they must do while bowling, such as dance up to the lane, bowl on one foot, or wear a blindfold! Bowling is definitely a fun and relatively inexpensive way to roll in your 21st.

Let’s Glow Crazy
Turn your 21st into a rave with glow sticks and black lights. It’s easy and fairly inexpensive to rent a black light or two for the evening. Remember to invite all of the guests to wear white or neon so that they glow! You can bury glow sticks in a clear ice bucket to make the drinks stand out. Here’s a special tip: provide plenty of clear tonic-water based drinks, as they will glow a cool blue under the black light! Turn up your favorite music, and dance the night away with a glow stick in hand.