Your 21st Birthday is a very special occasion, for the first time you can legally drink, go to almost all bars and clubs and enjoy yourself without fear of being kicked out. Scary as it may sound you are now officially an adult! This article will give you some ideas for your 21st Birthday - as it is such a big occasion I would really recommend that you enjoy it and celebrate, it should provide some really great memories to look back on. A word of warning though – some of the photographs might be worth avoiding for a while!
21st Birthday Venue Ideas
One of the first and most important 21st birthday ideas you will have is where to have it. Here are some suggestions for venues:
- Home – an ideal setting for a small gathering of your family and closest friends are house or garden parties. You can still have a blast by including some of the 21st birthday party ideas.
- Club or Pub – This can be a nearby nightclub, a local pub or social club which may supply party packages and permit you to rent an entire room or perhaps the entire venue so that only your party guests may attend. This is an ideal 21st birthday party idea if you have a lot of guests attending. If you have a slightly more exclusive group attending then you can always purchase access to the VIP area to ensure that the birthday boy or girl receives free drinks all night.
- Restaurant – Booking a few tables at your favorite restaurant, provides another great 21st birthday idea if only family and close friends are attending. It can also be a great starting point where everyone can meet before heading out on the town.
- Hotel – A more formal party can be held in a function room at a hotel. A number of hotels host themed nights, like murder mystery and masquerade balls. These can be incorporated into your 21st birthday party celebrations to encourage guests to mingle in a fun, easy way.
- Spa – Take time out to unwind and be spoiled at a health farm or spa, take along your closest friends to make it an unforgettable experience.
21st Birthday Party Ideas – Themes
Birthday party themes don’t have to be expensive and can really unite guests. We have compiled a short selection of tried and tested 21st birthday party ideas to make this process as easy as possible. These themes can be incorporated in the food, fancy dress and the decorations to help ensure your celebration is one to remember.
- Alphabet Party – One of the simplest 21st birthday ideas available, guests dress up as something starting with one or more letters of your choosing. It can lead to some inventive outfits.
- Pyjama Party – Guests come dressed in their bed time attire, anything from onesies to lingerie.
- Decades Party –This could be a formal 1980’s prom or a fun 1970’s disco night. Perhaps even simply dressing up as a raver from the nineties and going to a trance party complete with t-shirts saying ‘Made in the 90s’.
- Casino Party – A casino-themed party, with gambling for alcohol, decorated to reflect the bright lights of Vegas!
- Celebrity Party - In this star-studded event, dress up like celebrities and rub shoulders with the who’s who of Hollywood.
- Halloween Party – Not a traditional 21st birthday party theme but a very good choice if you like to scare your guests.
- Bad Taste Party – Simply put, guests come dressed badly (mismatched colors, mixing styles that should never be worn together etc). Either that or just dressed inappropriately…
- Come As You Were Party – Birthday party guests have to come as they were dressed and styled at the age you pick.
- Dress As One Of Your Friends Party – Pretty self-explanatory.
- Masquerade Ball – This party theme brings a touch of class, mystery and elegance to your 21st birthday.
- Murder Mystery – This is an ideal theme for a small party at your home. Murder mystery games are available at a low price or if you have a higher budget you can hire actors to entertain you. Get everyone involved and encourage guests to dress up as detectives.
- Christmas Party – If your birthday falls within the Christmas season, incorporate Christmas party ideas into your theme. For a feel of a real Winter Wonderland try sticking to a white color scheme.
Other Ideas for 21st Birthdays:
To start the day why not have a lie-in complete with a champagne breakfast in bed or some other suitable form of pampering, after all today is all about you. Getting up early might seem like a good idea (you will get to open your 21st birthday presents much quicker), but you might begin to regret it later on that evening. From bitter experience I would recommend ensuring that well-meaning friends and relatives do not pounce on you at 0700 in the morning as it does catch up with you!
Once up and about you could: spend the day with your family, looking back through old photos and discussing where you thought you would be now; go out shopping to buy an outfit that is guaranteed to turn heads; if you are a guy get a wet shave with friends; and if a girl then get pampered by some professionals with friends / family. Don’t forget that you can legally drink now, so why not order a glass of wine or beer with lunch?
When the evening arrives you could invite your closest mates for a nice 21st birthday meal, somewhere that holds some significance to you (e.g. where you went as teenagers or the poshest place around) before heading out to a club to make the most of your newly legal status. Try to make sure the club knows its your 21st, as they might have some really great 21st birthday gift ideas to try out on you!
One thing to remember – try to ensure that someone is on hand to take photographs for the evening. I don’t imagine that this will be a problem (there are usually plenty of people on hand to take ‘lovely’ photos when out for a 21st Birthday) but it is always best to make sure.
Finally, once everyone has danced and had a few drinks why not head somewhere to chill out and reminisce about the past 21 years, compare the best and worst moments and maybe how things have changed (did you become the astronaut / rock star that you dreamt about when you were eight?).
The most important thing is to enjoy yourself no matter whether you go for any of these 21st birthday ideas – after all you are now 21!
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