Inside this post: Not sure what to do for your teenager’s birthday this year? No worries, we have you covered! Here are eight birthday party ideas for teenagers that are sure to be a hit!
Remember how easy kid’s birthday parties used to be? A simple cake, some balloons, and a few party games used to do the trick.
It feels like as our kids get older their parties need to get more elaborate, but that’s not the case. Tweens and Teens still love to act like kids…they just want to feel more grown-up when doing it.
3 Key Elements for a Successful Teen or Tween Birthday Party
To make the big kids happy, you usually just have to employ a three-tiered strategy:
1. Party Food and Drinks
No party is a hit without food and drinks, but particularly for big kids—they’re going to want to eat. You don’t need to break the bank though. Kids eat a lot, but their standards are typically pretty low, so you can get away with cooking up a bunch of frozen pizzas and stocking the fridge with sodas or sparkling waters. Grab a cake and you’re good to go!
2. Fun Theme
Our youngest recently asked for a knee hockey party, so we set up a tournament in our basement. 11-year old hockey players don’t ask for much—snacks, hockey, and… some more snacks. We put together some cute goodie bags with hockey stickers and hockey key-chains, got a cheap plastic “championship” trophy at Party City, and that was pretty much it.
There are lots of ways create a “theme” party without draining your bank account!
3. Selfie / Group Photo Station
Drape a dark sheet or tarp in a doorway, add some sparkly streamers, and boom. You have a selfie / photo opp station. Props are fun, like cowboy hats and huge plastic sunglasses, maybe a boa or two?
And, if you want to go retro (because kids love the 90s!) put a few disposable cameras on a table nearby—they’ll think their vintage photo center is totally rad.
Choosing the Party Theme
We put together a few of our favorite ideas with some recommended party supplies. All of these themes are scalable, so you can go big and fancy or simple and selective.
Also, we recommend keeping the birthday teen involved so you can get a sense of what they feel comfortable doing, plus everyone should learn how to plan a successful gathering.
Eight Great Birthday Party Ideas for Teenagers (and Tweens!)
Party Like It’s 1989
Is your kid a Swiftie? You’ll need to have that Eras Tour Spotify playlist on continuous loop! Cook up some Cornelia Street Tacos, bake heart “Lover” cookies, or even serve Coney Island hot dogs! Let the guests make their own friendship bracelets to take home, and of course—make sure the “whole place shimmers!”
There are endless options to have fun with here, as the word is in full-on Swiftie mode. From black hats to “Starbucks lovers” cups to sparkling grape juice (because yes, teens and tweens have “Champagne problems”)… the options are endless.
Here are our favorite supplies for a Taylor Swift party your kid will never forget (and don’t miss our Taylor Swift gift guide as you shop for the perfect Swiftie present!)
“I Can Make the Whole Place Shimmer” Banner
Related: 13 Things I Hope My Daughter Learned from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
Glow in the Dark/ Neon Party
A popular twist on the classic dance party can turn your home into a fun glow-in-the-dark-themed party your teen won’t soon forget. The first step is to make sure you have a black light in order to make your food and other decorations light up and give your party the glow-in-the-dark/neon effect.
Make sure you encourage party guests to dress up in neon outfits and add glow-in-the-dark accessories like glow sticks. You can also give your guests white t-shirts or white socks and let them decorate their shirts in Day-Glo paint for a personal touch.
Here are some must-have party supplies:
Glow in the Dark Temporary Tattoos
Neon Glow in the Dark Plates, Napkins, and Cups
Glow in the Dark Neon Streamers
Murder Mystery Party
Remember the days of breaking out Clue with your friends? This is a great way to get the teens off their phones for a while so they can figure out whodunnit.
Build the mystery yourself with personalized, relevant clues, or purchase a kit that already has all that done for you! If you want to kick it up a notch, have everyone come as a character (the rich grandmother, the spoiled bachelor cousin, the bookworm, or the butler.)
You can serve a nice dinner or even have someone get “murdered” over pizza. It doesn’t have to be fancy to be fun!
Here are some must-have Murder Mystery party supplies:
Camp Out Theme Party
Backyard campouts aren’t just for the little kids and this is one of our favorite birthday party ideas for teenagers! When the warmer weather hits, get a few tents, warm blankets, a fire pit, and games to set up a campout party.
Create a fun playlist or set up the outdoor movie theater. Grill some burgers and hot dogs, set up some night games, grab some extra flashlights, and have some ghost stories at the ready. And most importantly, do all things s’mores.
If possible, decorate the “camp out” area with some fairy lights for when it gets dark, and make sure you have a good outdoor Bluetooth speaker. Tiki torches and mosquito repellants may also be good investments too!
Here are some other fun supplies for a camping-themed party.
Camping Backdrop for Photo Station
Buffalo Plaid Plates, Cups, and Napkins
Food Truck Party
If you have the space, this is one of our favorite teen party ideas to do something fun and different, especially with a big crowd. Many restaurants now have food trucks that will come spend a few hours at a location to serve your guests fresh out of their vehicles. Check around as prices can vary greatly.
Get the music going with your teen’s favorite songs, set up some tables, grab some outdoor games, and have some fun!
Breakfast for Dinner Pajama Party
We love this simple upgrade to the classic sleepover party. Have everyone come in their comfy pajamas and ready to eat. Set up a waffle bar with all the fixings, including sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fruit, bacon, sausage, chicken fingers, and whatever else sounds fun.
Pick a few scary movies, grab your sleeping bags, and stay up all night gabbing with your besties.
Here are a few supplies to make your party a success:
Outdoor Movie Night
If you are looking for something a little quieter but still fun for your teen, give an outdoor movie night a try! Set up a projector outside, get those great movie munchies (you could even rent a big popcorn maker), and set up your teens for a fun movie marathon outdoors.
Set up a good place to take some pics for Insta during the breaks with some fun movie-inspired photo props.
Not sure what to play? Check out some of these ideas.
You could also customize it in several different ways, such as:
- Pick a movie trilogy or theme (Star Wars, Avengers, Musicals, Horror, etc.)
- Go old-school with a drive-in movie theme with retro decorations, blankets, and food.
- Run it like the Oscars where people vote in three categories ahead of time to pick what will be watched that evening. Include the “nominees” on your invite or have people submit electronically. Put out a red carpet and a fancier meal. Don’t forget the paparazzi!
Here are a few suggested fun party supplies:
Plastic Reusable Popcorn Buckets
Movie Theater Candy Assortment
Inflatable Projector Movie Screen
Movie Night Plates and Napkins
Luau Party
Who doesn’t want to visit the tropics? This is a great birthday party idea for teens that you can host indoors or outdoors (also good for those co-ed parties).
This is a theme that you can do so many fun things with ranging from a pig roast for a larger party to simple decorations for a smaller one.
Our teen daughter went to a party where they brought a Hawaiian dancer in to teach them how to Hula. They also did a limbo event (the winner won a Starbucks gift card), had someone bring their ukulele for some tunes, and a hula hoop contest (I didn’t think the teens would be into this, but the boys especially were competitive!)
So put on your grass skirts and grab your surfboards so you can hang-10!
Here are some must-haves for your Hawaiian-theme Luau:
Even more great birthday party ideas for teenagers
If you are looking for a great teen birthday party theme idea, hopefully, these ideas have helped to inspire you. No matter whether you’re throwing a big or small party, these ideas would work to scale up or down to your party needs.
You can easily customize these ideas to fit your location and budget, or the unique personality of your birthday kit
Looking for more ideas? Here are a few more suggestions:
- Photo Scavenger Hunt
- Game night
- Escape Room
- Disco Night/70s
- Carnival night (think cotton candy and fun games)
- Costume party (pick a theme like superheroes, angels and devils, or sports heroes)
- Minute-to-Win It
- Sports night
- Charcuterie Board Night
- Pizza/Taco/Sundae Bar
- Solid Gold Dance Party
- Karaoke Night
- Outdoor game party (think Capture the Flag, flashlight tag, and Ghose in the Graveyard)
Related: Ten Fun Activities to Bond with Your Teenagers
Even more teen birthday party ideas you can outsource
We get it, there’s only so much time in a day. Here are even more ideas to celebrate your tween/teen where you barely have to plan a thing:
- Paintball
- Amusement park
- Go-kart park
- Thrift shopping (hit multiple shops in a day, think Shop-to-you-Drop)
- Spa visit
- Laser tag
- Paint/pottery making
- Cake class
- Volunteer event
- Mini golf
- Hibachi
- Pool party/waterpark
*This post may contain Amazon affiliate links where we earn a small commission for items purchased.
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