This post is about graduation party ideas
Are you looking for the best graduation party ideas? If so, you have come to the right place!
In this blog post, I will provide 85 ideas that will help make your graduation party unforgettable.
Whether you are looking for food, decoration, or entertainment ideas, we have you covered! So what are you waiting for?
Start planning your Graduation Party now!
Graduation Party Ideas That Are Essential For Every Great Party
Having a welcome sign is super essential for any graduation celebration. This sign will tell your guests that they have arrived at the right location for the graduation celebration.
2) Photo Booth
A party is not a party without a place to take a ton of pictures with the grad and her friends.
Here are a few genius ways you can set up your own photo booth:
Recreate this idea:
A photo booth is not complete without some fun props to take pictures with. You can either go with class themed props or another theme related prop to bring your party photo fun to next level.
Garland balloons are a must-have graduation party decor because it takes up a lot of otherwise dead space and makes a space feel like a real party.
SUPER, SUPER Essential Graduation Party Idea: Every good party needs a theme. Your theme will help you decide which decor to buy and what food to serve.
I have listed some of my favorite graduation themes so you can get inspired to throw the best celebration:
- Emoji-Themed Graduation Party
- "Taco Bout A Grad" Graduation Party
- FRIENDS Themed Graduation Party
- Hawaiian Themed Graduation Party
- She's A Smart Cookie Graduation Party
Find 20 more Tik Tok Worthy Graduation Party Themes.
Another great graduation party idea to give your graduation party an extra flare is to add clever food labels to each of your dishes.
This sign can help everyone know which table you've designated as the gift table.
8) Instagram Worthy Graduation Cake
Another graduation party idea must-have, is an instagram worthy graduation cake. You only graduate from high schoolfs once, so don't go hold back with this one!
Your grad's cake can be based on your party's theme or celebrate your graduation from one school or preview your entry into another.
9) Drink-Bar Station
Having a drink bar station will keep your grad and her guest cool.
You can set them up by having a cooler filled with a selection of pops for them to choose from or stack the drinks neatly on the table for them to grab and go.
High School Graduation Party Ideas
Do you have every school photo of the grad from kindergarten to 12th grade? If so, don't let these photos go to waste!!
Incorporate those pictures into your graduation party by lining them up your driveway or yard with these graduation party signs. This graduation party idea will definitely help your party stand out!
Must Have: A slideshow of your grad's best high school memories is another genius way to bring the graduation party to life.
The grad and her guest may relive their great high school days one final time by revisiting the happy times they've had.
Buying and wearing a custom high school class ring to honor a grad's journey through school is huge tradition in America, but not everyone can afford to purchase one.
As such, make your grad party a meaningful and unforgettable party by buying class ring pops for everyone! Your grad and guest will appreciate the humor and thought behind this super clever idea.
This is a really good graduation party idea if you are need some cool memorabilia to fill your grad table.
Guest can enjoy learning more about your grad past accomplishment and future goals by reviewing this chalkboard poster.
14) "Advice and Well Wishes for the Grad" Cards
Allow your guest to give you grad all the best advice for the future to come in college and in life by providing graduation advice cards.
Also, allow your guest to share their favorite memory with the grad. Your grad will able to enjoy reading through them later and hold on to them forever as a keepsake gift.
Keep a jar nearby so that your guest can place their memory card inside.
This graduation card box is so necessary because it'll keep the cards from becoming a messy pile at the party.
Graduation Party Ideas for Daughter
18) 360 Spin Photo Booth
Me on a 360 Spin Photo Booth at my friend's wedding 🙂
If your grad enjoys taking pictures, she'll be obsessed with this 360 Spin Photo Booth.
The first time I tried this was at my friends wedding and it was such a huge hit. My husband and I enjoyed being spun around while the camera recorded us dancing and having a good time.
Trust me, your grad will have a fun time too!
Recreate this graduation party idea:
Donut Walls are insanely popular at graduation parties. They make one of the cutest set ups at parties and are so tasty to eat...because really? Who doesn't like donuts?
20) Friends Couch Area
Is your grad expecting a lot of her girlfriends to attend her party? If so, a genius graduation party idea is to recreate the iconic FRIENDS moments, where all the cast from friends sit on the orange couch.
This idea is one your grad and guest will want to post on Instagram, for sure!!
Another graduation party idea guaranteed to be a huge hit at your daughter's party is these cake pops. Before diving into the graduation cake, your grad and guest can pregame by enjoying some tasty cake on a stick.
I absolutely love cup cake toppers because of all the fun you can have with this idea. You can have your daughter's face as a cupcake topper, their class number, or another item to fit the theme of her party.
Recreate this idea:
Another sweet idea is to have a candy buffet station with all your grad's favorite candies. Also, don't forget the candy labels which is what makes this stations so fun and clever!
- Class Rings (Ring Pop)
- Smarty Pants (Smarties)
- Honor Rolls (Fruit Roll ups)
- Book Worms (Gummy Worms)
- and more!
If your grad is graduation this summer, then one of the best graduation party ideas ever is an ice cream station. Ice cream will be a crowd pleaser that will help your grad and guest stay cool.
Your grad will be looking for graduation photo ideas to post on Instagram later. So make it easy for your grad by getting her a 2022 jumbo balloon.
She'll be so excited when she sees this balloon and will undoubtedly be one of the first photos she posts on Instagram for all of her friends to see.
26) Polaroid Station
Polaroids are amazing and so fun to use!
At a polaroid station, your guest can take and print their pictures instantly and pop it into your grads card box for your grad to look at and add to her grad photo guest book later
You grad and guest can also hang their polaroid pictures on this hanging graduation display at the party.
Obsessed with chocolate?
Then add some Hershey bar wrapped chocolates to your candy station or dessert menu.
29) Cakesicles
I've never had cakesicle in my life so if I saw one at your party, that would be the first thing I'd try!! They are just so pretty and their made up of the best food at a party - cake!!
If you have cakesicles at your party, I promise, your guest will never forget your party for the rest of their life.
Does your grad and her friends spend all day on Instagram?? Then your grad and her guest will absolutely be obsessed with this Instagram Selfie Frame.
When you order this frame, you can give it custom hashtags, a custom caption, and add your grad's instagram handle to it.
If you grad is obsessed with cupcakes like I am, then having a cupcake station for her graduation party is a must!
They can be decorated to match the theme of her party and can make up for all the other desserts if you wish to forgo having a dessert bar station.
Recreate this graduation party idea:
You can also buy done-for-you pretzel rods on Etsy!
Or you can order some of your very own from the amazing pretzel rod artists @Stephs.sweet.creations and @Eufracio_creations
32) Cupcake Station
If you grad is obsessed with cupcakes like I am, then having a cupcake station for her graduation party is a must!
They can be decorated to match the theme of her party and can make up for all the other desserts if you wish to forgo having a dessert bar station.
33) Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Is your grad a chocolate fan?
Does she like strawberries?
If so, then your grad will definitely enjoy having chocolate covered strawberries at her party.
Is your grad a fan of rose gold? If so, then she'll love this rose gold fridge curtain that she can use as a backdrop to take photos.
Graduation Party Ideas for Guys
35) Cookie Bar
I honestly don't know any guys that don't like cookies. Cookies are the ultimate crowd pleaser for guys so a cookie bar station is the perfect graduation party idea.
You can dress the cookies to match their favorite school's sport team, their school's colors, or feature the cookies as they are in a variety of types.
You can also put cookies in a "you're a smart cookie" bag and hand them out to all of his guest when they arrive or as a take home gift when leaving the party.
Another crowd pleaser at parties are tacos! Tacos are a familiar comfort food that will surely disappear by the end of the night.
Another cool station you could add to your grad's party is a cereal bar station, featuring all your grad's favorite cereals - fruit loops, cheerios, rice crispies, etc.
Did you grad play lot of sports or was in band in high school? Have trophies, medals, or certificates to show for it?
If so, then incorporate all his memorabilia at his graduation party by displaying his certificates, trophies, and medals on a table for everyone to see.
Having a nice, fun competitive game like the bean bag toss will be hit for your grad and his guy friends.
41) Show your key to success station
If your grad is going off to college, create a "show your key to success" station so loved ones can share all their best advice and wisdom for the journey ahead.
Graduation Party Ideas 2022
If you're looking for another graduation piece to add to a wall or to a table, you can add a graduation collage of all your grads photos from her baby years all the way up to graduation day.
Want to make sure that your guest is having a fun time the ENTIRE time that their at your party? ! Bring out the games!!
These graduation games will make sure there is NEVER a dull moment
44) Graduation Themed Cookies
Graduation themed cookies is another great graduation party idea to have at your party. There are just so many cool ideas you can do with a cookie.
You can make your cookies look like the theme of your party, your school colors, your grad's sorority colors, your grad's future dream career, and many more.
No matter what you do, the crowd will love it!
I love this idea so much!! This can make a perfect addition to your photo booth station, can be used as a prop, can hang along the skirt of one of your grad tables, or hung up on a wall somewhere.
46) Balloon Photo Booth
If you grad loves lots of balloons and you have the budget for it, an insanely unique graduation party idea that would make your party stand out is this obnoxiously cute 2022 photo booth made out of balloons.
Make the memories of your grad's graduation party 's last a lifetime by asking all your guest to sign this graduation signature board. Your grad can then frame it and hang it on her wall later. .
Leave a good impression on all your guest by filling them up with some nice treats or a souvenir to take home with them when they leave.
Psst! If you're super lazy like me, you can add your "Thank you for coming" Card to your graduation goodie bag so you don't have to worry about mailing it off later.
Want to reduce the risk of covid spreading at your graduation party? Hand all of your guest graduation themed mask when they arrive.
I don't know why but fruits and veggies look way more delicious on a charcuterie board then a bowl. Haha.
As such, if you plan on serving fruits and veggies at your graduation party, I highly recommend that you put them in a charcuterie board.
You can also fill your charcuterie board with a selection of meats, cheeses, and crackers.
Recreate this graduation party idea:
Or hire someone like Charcuterie & Things to do it for you!
51) Mini Seven Layered Dip
What you'll need for those tasty minis:
Another great graduation party idea is to serve mini seven layered dip...cuz who doesn't love a good Mexican party in their mouth?!
And let's be honest, since we're not out of the pandemic yet, it's the perfect party food for the season!
If you're on a budget and need some decor to add to each table, a genius graduation party idea is to add a graduation framed photo all the tables or high tops.
It's so much cheaper than flowers!
Not diggin' the guest book idea and want a better way to remember all those who attended your party? Have them sign the graduation autograph stuffed animal instead.
Your grad will look back at the animal far more than she'll look back at her grad guest book.
Everyone will be taking their own pictures of the grad and their experience at the grad party.
At the same time, guest will be dying to get a hold of pictures taken of them at the party so they can post and share on Instagram.
Make it easier on everybody to find each others pictures by establishing a hashtag (e.g. JessicaReidgraduatesHS2022) that everybody uses when they post. That way, when anyone can access the pictures by searching the hashtag.
Outdoor graduation party ideas
If you have a huge fence in the back or wall space on your backyard porch, then this graduation party banner will go perfect there. It'll just give your space all the best graduation party vibes.
A backyard graduation party is not a party without backyard string lights. These lights will keep the party lit no matter how dark it gets so your guest can continue partying through the night without any trouble.
Recreate this graduation party idea:
If you're going for a southern, barbecue, or farm-like feel for your graduation party, then this garland is the perfect piece to add to the tables to bring your theme to life.
Is your grad a fan of peonies or another beautiful flower?
If so, for your backyard graduation party, you can put up a flower wall made up of your grad's favorite flowers and use it as a photo booth.
Another genius outdoor graduation party idea is to have large marque letters of your grad's name, the year, or just "GRAD".
This is an Instagram worthy element that your grad and all her friends will enjoy taking pictures of.
60) Graduation Sliders
Sliders are the best outdoor graduation food idea. You can grill beef patties for the meat eaters and beyond meat for the vegetarians and provide a ton of slider options to help your guest make the perfect slider.
A super unique graduation party idea you can add to your party is to add graduation bottle caps with tassel to your water bottles and traditional glass bottled soda pops.
Pallets make great photo booths too! Just add some balloons and some garland to it, and you'll have the perfect photo booth.
Recreate this graduation party idea:
Honestly, mimosas and fruit punch are one of the favorite things to drink at parties. They are super good and make a great alternative to soda if your guest aren't diggin soda.
A backyard graduation party is not a true backyard party without a savory station. The savory food is what makes every good backyard party a hit.
So make sure you come through for your guest! Mark the savory station with this savory station sign and roll out the good stuff!
For your outdoor graduation party, make it super easy for your guests to keep their hands cleans by providing hand sanitizer for every table and station.
You can get this nice champagne toast hand sanitizers for just a dollar each at Bath & Body Works.
You can make your outdoor graduation party extra cool by serving Vintage Soda Pops (Glass bottles) instead of the soda cans.
66) Seasonal Vegetables
Don't be afraid to add seasonal veggies to the menu. Veggies can be tasty too. You can do street corn, cauliflower wings, grilled carrots and bell peppers.
67) Assorted Sandwiches and Cheese
If your grad is a fan of any of cheese, pickles, and/or sandwiches, then she'll love having an assortment of these items at her party.
68) Fresh Fruit
Not only does fresh fruit make a good healthy snack option for a party but it can do a good job cooling down your guest on a hot summer day.
Tassel garlands are a great way to decorate your tables. It can also be used as another pretty element of your photo booth.
If you and your family doesn't want to dress up for the graduation party, you could opt for these casual graduation t-shirts instead.
Want to make sure that no one mistaken anyone else's cups for theirs? Add a different color sticker to each cup that way your guest feels confident that they are grabbing the right one.
72) Fire Pit with Marshmallows on Stick
Want to create a S'more station for your guest?
To avoid germ swapping, you can build a bucket full of marshmallows already on sticks and have the crackers and chocolates already rationed out for everyone so they can get roasting right away.
Another super cool photo booth idea is one against a hedge wall with neon sign lights saying "Congrats! You Did it!"
Have a pool in your backyard?
Your pool can totally be a part of the graduation decor by dropping graduation foam letters on top, as shown in picture.
Not everyone likes sitting around the table. Especially when there are a ton of guest and impossible to talk to everyone if everyone is seated in a particular spot.
Make meeting and talking with new people easier by renting table tops instead. That way people have more freedom to move around.
Why not have one your tables spell out G-R-A-D for your graduation party?! I wish I thought of that for my grad party!
I just love this sign. If you are going for something classy in the backyard, this sign is a nice, super elegant way of saying "eat up...help yourself!" lol
If you need straws for your graduation party, I would go with these!! They're so pretty! 
Drive By Graduation Party Ideas
Must have: If your guest will literally just be driving by, then make sure you have a drive by photo booth so your grad can still take really good pictures with her guest without having them get out of their car.
Recreate this idea:
Plan on giving all your guest that stops by your drive by virtual graduation party a goodie bag? Well, make sure you give them this super clever "Thanks for Driving by"
Your guest will absolutely love it!
Want a budget friendly goodie bag idea for your virtual graduation party that will still win your guest over?
Give away this "Thanks for Poppin By" Goodie Bag. You can fill this bag with kettle corn and earn some good laughs with this idea.
Want to serve charcuterie snack but don't want everyone's hands touching all the food. Serve Charcuterie snacks in a jar! Everyone will get to enjoy all the good fixins without spreading covid germs.
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This Post Was About Graduation Party Ideas for 2022
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