How to Celebrate an 18th Birthday

Last Updated: January 10, 2023

For many people, turning 18 is a big milestone. With new rights and new responsibilities, 18 year olds are officially considered adults in many cultures, so you'll want to celebrate the right way. Learning to throw the right kind of party, whether you want to have an informal gathering with your family and stay in, or throw a big party, or head out on the town, you can celebrate in style.

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Method 1 of 3:

Throwing a Party

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Release the kid in you. Why not invite some friends over and have a birthday party? Hang streamers, balloons, eat cake, play games and watch movies! Just because you are now considered an "adult" by law, does not mean you lose your youth — do whatever you like to do!^{[1]
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Expert Source

Christina Millikin
Founder & CEO, Glow Events
Expert Interview. 11 February 2020.} Enjoy the time with people you love. If you want to have a more "adult" 18th birthday party, there are also plenty of ways to celebrate your new-found freedom.
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Consider a quiet party. Some people don't require a big blow-out when they turn 18. Spending a few quiet hours at home with your family? Opening presents? Eating cake? If it worked for 17 years, nothing needs to change now. Spend time with the people who love you and relax.
- Make it quality time. Organize some spa time with a sibling or parent, or spend time working on cars with your dad. Do something you'd normally do, but take the time to really appreciate it. Most people assume that turning 18 means that these moments will start to dissipate, but that isn't entirely true. You can make them last, even if you start taking on new responsibilities.
- Make a list of the childhood things you'd like to do, and use your 18th as an opportunity to do all of the things you've always loved doing. Hang out with your brother and watch samurai movies late, or go to your favorite ice cream spot with the family. Remember, turning 18 has more responsibilities, but you don't have to stop being a kid.
- Try a less common party activity, like camping. You can do this at a park with camping spots, or even in your own backyard. Grab a tent, some snacks, some video games, and a few good friends! It's like an all night hangout but without your parent's over your shoulder. If you want to camp in a park, tent spots are usually about $15 a night, give or take. This can be a great way to bond with your friends while also tasting freedom away from your parents.
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Invite a manageable number of people. One good way of celebrating an 18th is throwing a house party for yourself. Depending on the house you've got available, you may want to have a big throw-down or a smaller gathering appropriate for your purposes. Whatever you want to do, make sure you invite an appropriate number of people so you won't have a big crowd spilling onto your lawn and attracting cops.
- If you talk about your party on Facebook or other social networking, keep it to private messages. Don't post about your party publicly, or you may have unwanted guests and attention.
- Consider celebrating multiple 18ths at the same time. If a couple friends are all turning 18, mash up all your parties together to get one big throw-down, rather than a few smaller parties. Think epic.
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Think up a theme. Set up your party with a style that suits your theme, or your own personal taste. You could keep it elegant and tasteful with some nice flower arrangements, photos, and crepe, or you could do it up with a smoke machine, disco ball, and a trap DJ for a grimy dance party. Maybe you want mason jars full of lemonade, a bluegrass band, and hay bales. Decide what kind of vibe you want for your part and go with it.
- Quick tip: change your light bulbs from the standard white to red or yellow and set the tone to the house party quickly, cleanly, and cheaply.
- Prepare your house properly by tucking away all your valuables and things that may get knocked over. Place them in a lockable room, or move things into the garage or a shed.
- Think about clean-up. If you've got to start scrubbing goo off the floor after the jello-wrestling tank overflowed, you might have a bad start to your 18th year. try to keep it manageable.
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Set up the entertainment for the night. It's important to have something for your guests to do at your party. This could be anything from games to dancing to movies to cooking. It's your night, so pick something that you will enjoy doing with your closest friends.
- Choose something that you and your friends will enjoy doing. If you're a gamer, set up a video game gauntlet and move from room to room in an epic circuit. Super Nintendo in the Attic and Xbox One in the living room. Game your way from floor to floor.
- If you want to hire a DJ, remember to give them a list of songs to play that you like and your guests will appreciate. As your guests arrive you can always have them write down two or three of their favorite dancing songs and this will ensure they get up and get the party started.
- If you go with a live band, it's essential that you make sure they'll have enough room, electrical hook-ups, and other materials necessary to play, especially if you're going to pay for it. Make sure they're there early to set up.
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Warn the neighbors. Nothing ruins a party faster than a call to the cops and a knock on the door. It's common courtesy to warn your neighbors that you're going to have a party and let them know the specific details. Go around the neighborhood to make sure you'll be in the clear.
- Pro tip: Don't treat it so much like a warning and treat it more like an invitation. Tell the neighbors you're going to have a party for your 18th and that you wanted to let them know they should stop by. Slide a little caveat in there: "Not expecting too many people, but there'll probably be some music. We'll try to have it over with at a reasonable hour. Hope to see you there!"

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Going Out

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Only invite a selected number of friends. 18 is a huge milestone, so grab some friends and make a night of it. Try to keep your group to a wolf-pack sized crew–no more than five or so, close friends–and hit the town. If you go out, always travel in a group.
- Make reservations if you've got a big party to make sure you'll get into the restaurant, club, or other venue you want to get into. If it requires tickets, buy tickets ahead of time. If it requires a cover charge, make sure everyone's got cash.
- Depending on when you turn 18, this might be one of the last chances you have to catch up with your close friends before college, or before jobs start. It might be fun to head to a loud dance club, but it might also be fun to just hang out quietly and talk. Do what feels natural.
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Find an over-18 club. If your town has one, finding an 18-and-over club can be a great way to explore the town and have some fun. Theses types of clubs are usually like most dance venues, but without alcohol. Lots of venues will have 18 listed as the minimum age, and if there's an event that happens around your birthday, it can be a great way to celebrate.
- While it might be fun for you, also try to plan on underage members of your group. Don't make plans to go anywhere that everyone can't go, or just invite people who are over-18. Do a little planning to make sure nobody will be left out.
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Get a ride from place to place. Before you head out, make sure you know how you'll get from place to place and that you've got your rides arranged. Best to let someone else drive, especially if you're going to be drinking at all, but even if you're not. Taking away the stress of driving around can make the whole evening a lot easier and more fun.
- Taking a cab is a safe bet, or arranging rides with family members or other close friends, but if you want to make your 18th epic, there's always the possibility of a limo.
- If your town has access, using Lyft or Uber is a great way of getting from place to place. You can arrange to have a car meet you somewhere at a specific time.
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Take lots of pictures. In a couple years, you'll definitely want to make sure that you documented your 18th. It's easier than ever these days, but don't forget to snap enough group pictures to keep track of everything you do this night. The pictures will be priceless.
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Have fun, but stay safe. Your 18th should be a night of freedom and fun, but if you're going out you need to be extremely safe. Always stay in a group, make sure everyone's exchanged numbers before you go out, and let your parents or someone else close to you know where you're planning on going and what you're planning on doing. Make sure you start your birthday out on the right foot.

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Exploring New Possibilities

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Figure out what's newly legal in your area. Depending on where you live, there may be a whole host of newly legal things for you to try to explore as a freshly-minted adult. Whether you're planning a party for someone who's about to turn 18 or planning your own get-together, it's common for it to include some kind of thing you couldn't do when you were 17.
- In some countries, 18 is the legal drinking age. If you're going to have a few drinks to celebrate, make sure you drink safely and don't test your limits. You've got a whole lifetime of legal drinking ahead of you. No need to cram it in all at once.
- Lottery tickets, tattoos, tobacco products, marriage licenses, military enlistment, and voter registration are all things that 18-year-olds suddenly have at their disposal in most areas. Learn what's available in yours and plan to celebrate like an adult.
- In many areas, turning 18 means you have to get a new driver's license or ID card. In some states and provinces, it's a different color, with different designations. While it might not be a fun way to celebrate, it's a good idea to get your new ID as soon as possible.
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Buy a lotto ticket. One of the first things lots of 18 year-olds do is buy up a lottery ticket or two. It can be a fast and fun way to do something with your new ID and your new adulthood. Buy up a scratch-off or a power ball card and have some harmless fun. Who knows, you might even win a little folding money to help fund your party.
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Consider a birthday tattoo. 18-year-olds don't need parental consent to get a tattoo legally. While it's not necessarily recommended that you get a tattoo just because you can, if you've been settled on a design for a long time and are really serious about getting one, it's a common way of celebrating your birthday. Research a good artist in your area, have a meet up to talk about your design, and schedule an appointment for your 18th.
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Register to vote. Yeah, yeah, it's not the stuff of parties, but spending the pre-party portion of your day doing newly adult things might be an exciting and fun way to celebrate. Exercise your rights by registering to vote in your area, so you'll be ready by the time the next election comes along.

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Expert Q&A

Question

What do I need to consider when hosting a party outdoors?

Christina Millikin
Event Planner
Christina Millikin is the Founder and former CEO of Glow Events, an event planning agency based in San Francisco, California. Glow Events is a boutique event planning firm specializing in full event production and creative design for corporate and social events. Christina has worked with clients such as Salesforce, Heroku, Okta, and Netflix. Glow Events' work has been featured in Martha Stewert Weddings, InStyle, and SanFrancisco Magazine. Christina is an advisor to the management team at Glow, as well as a business advisor for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, and she has a BS in Marketing from the University of Florida.

Christina Millikin

Event Planner

Expert Answer

Definitely the weather! Also, make a plan for rain, shine or cold, since you can never know. Keep a close eye on the weather and have backup plans to be able to pivot one way or the other the week before the party based on the forecast.
Question

How do you throw a cheap party at home?

Christina Millikin
Event Planner
Christina Millikin is the Founder and former CEO of Glow Events, an event planning agency based in San Francisco, California. Glow Events is a boutique event planning firm specializing in full event production and creative design for corporate and social events. Christina has worked with clients such as Salesforce, Heroku, Okta, and Netflix. Glow Events' work has been featured in Martha Stewert Weddings, InStyle, and SanFrancisco Magazine. Christina is an advisor to the management team at Glow, as well as a business advisor for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, and she has a BS in Marketing from the University of Florida.

Christina Millikin

Event Planner

Expert Answer

If you want it to be cheap and controlled, always start with your budget! Also, don't offer lots of different food options, as that will certainly increase your costs. Avoid meal times and focus your offerings on bites and finger foods.
Question

I decided to spend my 18th birthday on my own -- I'll dress up and go to the movies, go shopping, do things I like to learn to enjoy my own company. Is that a bad idea?

Community Answer

Not at all. The heart of enjoying your own company is hugely underrated in this day and age. Happy birthday and have fun.