Fake IDs, sticky floors, and bad lighting make for a night of unforgettable (well… maybe forgettable) memories. With your 21st birthday, friends and family will want to celebrate alongside you. But not everyone likes the bar setting—and who can blame you? You deserve to celebrate your day however you like.
Read on for some ideas to make your 21st birthday fun outside the bar:
1. Cocktail Competition
If you hate crowded places but still want to enjoy some drinks, host this competition at your home. Ask your partygoers to do some research on what cocktail they want to serve. You can give some guidelines regarding your taste preferences. During your small get together, all guests can interact with one another leaving no one out. You can rank cocktails and drinks based on presentation, taste, creativity, etc. Give out small prizes based on first, second and third place to motivate your guests. Who doesn’t love getting a cute shot glass and some memories?
2. Drunk Gaming
For those interested in smaller parties and love board games and even video games, this one’s for you. Turn your everyday childhood games into drinking games by implementing your own rules. For example, if you choose to play Catan you can implement a rule that states players must take a drink every time they get robbed.
“My girlfriend and friends love having small gatherings. When midterms and finals are over or it’s time to celebrate someone’s birthday, we love getting together to play board games and implementing our own rules. We turned Mario Kart into a drinking game where we’re not allowed to drink and drive,” Kent State junior Jack Madison said.
Playing drinking games like Buzzed which you can buy at stores like Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc. is another option. Created as the revamped version of Never Have I Ever, the games Buzzed can bring your group of friends closer together. You can also play the traditional college party drinking games like beer pong. Whether it’s Mario Kart or Clue, games bring everyone of all ages together.
3. Shopping
When’s a better time to treat yourself than your birthday? If you need or want new shoes, books or games, buy them without guilt for your birthday. Bring friends along for insight and suggestions or go on a solo trip to the mall. You can also go to a different city to do your shopping for a built-in birthday road trip. After your shopping spree, you can explore the new city or go out to eat at a new restaurant. Shop until your heart’s desire or go window shopping. If you love shopping why not treat yourself and go on your birthday, right?
4. Low-Key Costume Party
Recently, many videos online show friends celebrating the release of albums, events and birthdays with costume parties. Guests and the host will dress up according to the theme to elevate a regular house party. For example, for a party celebrating the release of Taylor Swift’s album Red, guests can dress up as specific songs on the album or even Taylor from her different eras.
“For my 21st birthday this year I had a small house party to keep it safe. I wish I would have done something a bit more creative because I know my buddies would have had great costumes and jokes ready,” The Ohio State University junior Gray Buta said.
For your 21st birthday, guests can dress up as you from throughout your years of friendship by recreating a photograph. Again, you can give prizes out for the best costumes. For a night full of activities, conduct the cocktail competition and game night at your costume party!
5. Bartending Class
Ever want to learn the art of making drinks? Well, no one ever called it easy. If you want to learn the craft to impress your friends, take a bartending class and learn from professionals. Find classes near you. This will make for a fun activity with your friends who always wanted to learn how to make their own drinks. During class, you might find your new favorite alcoholic drink, improve your skills before your cocktail competition, or to act as bartender at your next party. Whatever the reason, your 21st birthday gives you the perfect excuse to enroll.
6. Arcade
If you hate any attention on you, the arcade creates the perfect environment for everyone to get together while playing separate games. Bring out the competitive side of all your guests through basketball, air hockey, skee ball and every other game out there.
“My friends and Is are big gamers. So, a place that will allow me to celebrate the new freedom doing one of my favorite activities would be awesome,” The Ohio State University junior Sean Blake said.
You can also try to find an arcade that gives you tickets to earn towards a big prize. Places like Dave and Busters allow you to play all types of arcade games along with some food, conveniently all in one location. Larger arcades like this will allow for larger parties for those with bigger friend groups. Your guests can play for tickets and when the night comes to an end, you can pick out a memento from the prize box to remember the night forever.
7. Fine Dining
It’s not every day or week you can indulge in a $50 meal but who’s to say no on your day? Anyone wanting to try Korean BBQ, the newest hot pot place or a steakhouse, can take their friends and family out to enjoy a new experience. I’m sure there’s a saying out there about food bringing people together. Five-star meals rarely make anyone angry. Just make sure you get your free dessert or drink from the restaurant to end the night. We all experience the awkwardness of everyone singing happy birthday while we sit in front of the cake, but surely the random servers singing can create the perfect end to your special day.
8. Photoshoots
Aesthetically pleasing photos take over all our social media feeds. For your birthday, get dressed up and feel confident in your own skin. You only turn 21 once, so you want to always remember it for years to come. If taking photos brings you confidence, make a photography team of your best friends. You can go to different settings like coffee shops, museums, plant shops—wherever your heart desires.
“I love taking photos to capture my memories with friends. I am known to be the friend that always takes too many photos,” The Ohio State University junior Maddie Coppel said.
If you hate taking photos, remember all the times you enjoyed looking back on your childhood memories and felt the nostalgia. Even if you don’t post them onto your accounts, the effort of taking them to look back on with your friends and maybe even future kids will make up for the countless changing of positions and camera angles. The photos will ultimately serve as a memory for you in the future when you want to look back on your college days.
9. Baking
Cake TikTok features small businesses and their skills in baking and decorating. These videos show incredible cakes. Yours may not showcase exquisite designs or piping but it makes for a fun experience for you and a couple of friends. Bake cookies, brownies, and cupcakes for a Covid-friendly treat for your loved ones. If you want a bigger challenge, bake your own cake and decorate it to fit your style. No cons come with this activity; delicious treats bring joy to everyone… even with smeared icing.
10. Pottery Class
If you love getting your hands dirty in a creative outlet, take a pottery class at your local studio. It’s an activity that many don’t get to experience and one that everyone can try. You can book an entire class for you and your friends or go alone to make your masterpieces. These classes will provide you with all the materials and equipment for you to sculp, shape and design your creations.
“My friend and I went to a pottery class once. We were allowed to make as many things as we wanted and the instructor let us express our creativity. The class was only one session but I would love to go back for a longer class,” Ohio State University graduate Kelly Elwell said.
Studios offer one session classes or multiple sessions that take place over a couple of weeks. The flexibility in classes will fit in anyone’s busy schedule. In a couple of weeks, you can pick up your one-of-a-kind masterpiece that symbolizes your 21st birthday and maybe the start of your new hobby.
