As the end of the school year approaches, one thing is on every senior’s mind: graduation. One offset of that is the traditional grad night party – an all-night event where classmates have one more chance to let their hair down before the next phase of their lives.
Since grad nights are such an honored and venerable tradition, it’s crucial that the party be as fun and exciting as possible. If you’re on the planning committee for your child’s event, here are some tips to make it one to remember.
Step One: Start Planning Early
Realistically, grad night planning should begin before the senior year starts. This way, you can be ahead of the game, particularly when it comes to booking a venue or entertainment. Since grad night season can be busy for many places, you want to get your name on the books as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle for second-tier companies and venues.
Also, since most grad nights are planned by committee, having more time for everyone to agree on event details ensures that you can move forward with various plans sooner rather than later.
Step Two: Pick an Awesome Venue
Depending on your budget, you may be limited with venue selection. However, the best options are ones that provide some in-house entertainment. Examples can include indoor arcades, rock-climbing venues, laser tag arenas, theme parks, and more. By combining entertainment with venue space, you can kill two birds with one stone.
That said, if you do choose something simple like a hotel banquet hall, school gym, or something similar, you can still make it an amazing space with the right decorations and games. This brings us to our next step:
Step Three: Create a Theme
Although “grad night” is technically a theme, one way to elevate the event is to have something a bit more specific. Some examples could include:
- 80’s or 90’s
- Glow/Neon
- Movies
- Vegas/Monte Carlo
- Wild West
Having a theme not only makes the night feel more special, but it allows grads a chance to get creative with costumes and props. You can even have competitions for best-dressed. Just make sure that grads pack their themed attire since they won’t have time to go home and get dressed first.
Step Four: Get Feedback From the Grads
Since this party is for the students, they should have some input on it. You can send out a survey early in the year asking what kind of games and entertainment they would prefer. Not only will this feedback give you a better idea of what to do, but you can ensure that everyone will get the most out of the all-night extravaganza.
Step Five: Choose the Right Entertainment
Grad night is all about fun, so you need to choose some high-quality games and activities for the students. Ideally, you can have multiple rooms with different games happening simultaneously so that kids can move through and participate in as many of them as possible. Some excellent entertainment ideas include:
- Casino Tables – Give the grads a chance to win big!
- Game Show – Family Feud or Minute to Win It are always huge hits
- Photo Booth – Students will need some pics to keep as souvenirs
- DJ/Karaoke – What’s a party without music? Karaoke allows the kids to be a star!
- Inflatables – Gladiator or Giant Soccer are tons of fun!
- Arcade Games – Who doesn’t love playing free arcade cabinets like Cruisin Exotica and Ms. Pac-Man?
- Cash Cube – Have grads grab real cash or coupons for prizes!
- Hypnotist – These shows are always a laugh riot!
- Caricature Artist – Photos are great, but a hand-drawn caricature is even better
Contact the Party Team!
When it comes to grad night entertainment, The Party Team does it all! Make sure that your grads have the time of their lives with live entertainment options. Call us to find out more!