College graduations are a huge milestone and it’s important to celebrate them in a way to remember. While many people simply throw a graduation party at their homes, there are numerous other ways that you can help commemorate your achievement. If you’re thinking about how to celebrate your graduation, here are ten ideas that you should keep in mind.
1. Pick a Unique Venue
When thinking about how to celebrate your college graduation, you may want to think about choosing a unique venue. Although many people think about hosting parties in either their homes or their parents’ homes, picking an outside venue can help make the event feel more special.
There are numerous event venue locations ranging from restaurants or banquet halls. Depending on the number of people you’re thinking of inviting, you can plan the size of the venue based on your guest list. Choosing to host your celebration at a location like this can help increase the unique feeling and help you create a night to remember for many years to come.
2. Rent a Cabin
Whether you’re graduating from a private school or a public university, your graduation is a big deal and you’ll want your celebration to reflect that. Renting a cabin for a cozy getaway with friends and family is one unique idea to keep in mind if you’re wondering about how to celebrate your college graduation in a memorable way.
If you don’t live nearby to an area with cabin rentals, you may even consider using this as an excuse to plan a destination celebration. Consider it as a mini-vacation to celebrate all of your hard work. Renting a cabin is also a great way to get away from the city and relax in nature. After all the time spent in college, this can be a welcome retreat before you head out to put your degree to good use.
Some cabins may also have additional features like a sunroom or screened-in porch, which can provide you with a relaxing setting to host friends and family who are coming along to celebrate with you. Although this option provides a more intimate and cozy setting for your graduation celebration, especially when compared to a large banquet venue, for some graduates this can be exactly what they’re looking for.
3. Book a Night Out At Your Favorite Restaurant
Another great thing to consider when thinking about how to celebrate your college graduation is booking at night at your favorite restaurant. Some restaurants, such as those that specialize in hibachi food, can be a great option for this, as they provide both incredible food and entertainment. If you’re a fan of Japanese food, restaurants like this can be a great thing to keep in mind.
Similarly, even something as simple as renting out a room in an Italian restaurant — if you enjoy that food more — can help you host a memorable party with your friends and family. You also won’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning up after the party and can instead focus on enjoying yourself and celebrating your achievement.
If booking a restaurant, you’ll want to call ahead of time to ensure that they have enough space for everyone on your guest list and to ensure that you can book the spot that you want. Some venues may not be open to hosting large gatherings as of now, due to the lingering pandemic. However, you may still be able to take advantage of catering services if the restaurant itself is unavailable.
4. Do Something You Put Off Because of School
College is expensive and it takes up a lot of your time. Because of this, you may not have had time to do all of the things that you wanted. However, now that you have graduated, you can make use of your newly found free time before heading into the career that you’ve been studying for.
Consider buying tickets to a show or game that you’ve had to put off or spending money on a trip that you’ve always wanted to take. You may also consider splurging on something that you couldn’t justify before, such as a gaming console, new television, or even a car.
Treating yourself like this is a great way to commemorate and celebrate your graduation and it can give you the motivation to keep working towards your next set of goals.
5. Visit a Brewery
Brewery tours are a great thing to consider if you’re thinking about how to celebrate your college graduation, and there are numerous breweries across the country. These tours can be a great way to spend a day, and they can give you the ability to learn all about the process that goes into making your favorite beer or whiskey.
Even better, you’ll get to sample the freshest beverages, and if you’re lucky, may even be able to nab some to bring home. Mini whiskey barrels are a must-have souvenir if you’re planning on touring a whiskey distillery.
If you’re planning a destination party, this can also be a good activity to add to your to-do list, especially if you’re visiting a region known for its drinks. A graduation trip to Ireland, for example, wouldn’t be complete without a tour of the Guinness brewery!
6. An Old School Arcade Celebration
Adult arcades have grown in popularity in recent decades and now there are numerous ones spread across the country. If you love the old-school arcades and video games, this is something to seriously consider when thinking about how to celebrate your college graduation.
Consider planning a night for you and your friends to gather together to spend your coins in a nostalgia-filled adult arcade.
If you don’t have an adult arcade bar near you, you may also consider hosting an old-school game night at your home, where you can all spend time together playing old N64 or Atari games to see who can come out as the ultimate champion.
7. Invest in a Hobby that You’ve Been Putting Off
Similar to splurging on a trip or object that you’ve been putting off due to school after graduation, this is the perfect time to invest in a hobby that you just haven’t had time for before.
For instance, you can gather your friends together and enroll in a cooking class. This can be a great way to have fun, celebrate your graduation, and learn some valuable skills that you’ve always wanted to learn.
Other hobby class ideas can include woodworking, painting, glass blowing, or flower arranging. All of these classes give you an opportunity to learn new skills while having fun with your friends, and you’ll usually always have something cool to bring home as a souvenir. For instance, a glass blowing glass may allow you to create a small glass ornament that you can take home with you, while a floral arrangement class may allow you to create flower boxes or bouquet arrangements that you can show off in your home.
If you’re eager to learn about a new hobby, classes like this are a great option to consider when thinking about how to celebrate your college graduation.
8. Investing In Custom Decorations
From custom banner printing or custom t-shirt printing, there are a lot of ways to create items to commemorate your achievement. Whether you’re planning on giving out these custom gifts, or you’re just making them for yourself, customized items can be a great way to mark your graduation date. Some customizable options that you can consider include:
- Banners
- Shot Glasses
- Mugs
- Water Bottles
- T-Shirts
- Hoodies
- Messenger Bags
- Backpacks
- Rings
- Necklaces
- Pens
- Notebooks
You could even have a scrapbooking party with your friends, especially those who have graduated with you, and spend the night putting together your own custom books filled with pictures and memories of your time together in college.
This can be a great way to create lasting items that can be something to look back on fondly and remember all of the good times that you had both before and after you graduated.
9. Set Up a Photoshoot
Booking a professional photoshoot can also be a great way to commemorate your achievement, and it is something that you should keep in mind when thinking about how to celebrate your college graduation.
Having a professional photoshoot with you in your graduation gown can help give you excellent photographs that can help preserve the memory of your accomplishment. If you’re graduating with a degree in a specific field, you may also consider using an outfit and props in some shots to help show off your chosen studies.
For instance, if you’ve just graduated from medical school, you may consider having a few photos taken of yourself in your scrubs or with other items such as your diploma or a stethoscope. This can be a great way to commemorate your chosen career field, while also letting you have fun in front of the camera.
10. Book an All-Inclusive Spa Day With Your Friends
Although this might not be as grand as some of the other options on this list, after spending years pursuing your degree, a day of relaxation can be just what the doctor ordered.
Consider choosing a day that works for you and your friends and sign everyone up for a day at the spa complete with all the bells and whistles. This can be a great way for all of you to relax, catch up, and unwind. You may even consider booking this in conjunction with a stay at a hotel, complete with room service and pool access. Even if you don’t journey far from home, this break from responsibility can be a great way to help you feel rejuvenated after the stress of finals and the jubilance of your graduation.
A Celebration to Remember
When considering how to celebrate your college graduation, the type of celebration will depend on your preferences and what you need. While some people don’t necessarily want a party with a lot of pomp and circumstance, others will enjoy going all out to celebrate their achievement.
Similarly, others will enjoy a larger gathering in a banquet venue where all their friends and family can attend, while others may prefer heading out to an old-school arcade-themed bar.
Consider the type of celebration you want and you may even want to combine your celebration with a friend’s if you both graduated at the same time. This can be especially true if you’re both graduating from the same school or program.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to rush to plan the perfect party, and you should instead take your time to consider how you’d like to mark the milestone. These ten options are just a few of many that you can consider, and you can even combine them depending on what you want and what is around you. For instance, you could rent a cabin, set up an old game console, and host your own old-school video game party. Similarly, you may even host one large gathering for friends and family and then a smaller one for your closest friends later on.
Because travel and some venues may still have some restrictions as the pandemic winds down, it’s a good idea to keep creative solutions in mind so that you and everyone you want to celebrate with gets the chance to attend.
With all of this in mind, you can start to put together a celebration to remember, and give yourself the opportunity to mark this special milestone so that you can look back fondly in a decade or so and remember just how special the occasion was.