21 21st Birthday Celebration Ideas to Forget ⋆ College Magazine

Once in every lifetime comes the day you’ve been imagining for years…

That little piece of plastic that’s been waiting in your wallet since you were 16 becomes a golden ticket to bars, brewskies and a bad hangover. Rather than spending the triumph of your college career like any other Saturday night, take a look at 21 ways to ensure your 21st will be a birthday you never remember…we mean forget.

Keep reading for the best 21st birthday celebration ideas you’ll never forget (or remember).

1. Throw a bonfire party.

Ditch the bar and pull up a lawn chair. Just toast your marshmallows before you finish that second bottle of wine. Despite the glow, second-degree burns don’t complement 21 candles.

2. Take part in the infamous “tally.”

Celebrate each year of your life by attempting to finish 21 drinks throughout the evening. Keep a tally on your arm so friends can see what you achieve and know when it’s time for a glass of water.

3. Do it with food.

If drinking’s not for you, don’t skip out on all the festivities. Indulge with 21 of your favorite snacks. Wings, anyone?

4. Pop open a little bubbly.

Who needs a wedding for a fancy speech and a little champagne? Wait until midnight and then crack open a cork. Just face away from guests to avoid giving your roommate a black eye.

5. Hit the casino.

Stereotypes don’t always suck. Throw on your best hangover attire and hit the slots (’cause you can do that now). Florida State University junior Courtney Piper visited a casino in Niagara Falls for her 21st. “I had never been to a casino before and especially being in Niagara where many people come to do it, I wanted to see what it was all about,” Piper said. “Since it was my birthday and first time, I got $10 free to use. I played the slot machines and actually won $20 at the end.” If Niagara seems too far away (or too cold), there’s always Vegas, right?

6. Head to the strip club.

Get those dolla, dolla bills ready, y’all. “Because it was my birthday, my friend bought me a private dance. A girl took me in the back and gave me a lap dance in a separate room,” FSU alumnus Mat Hooper said. Hooper traveled over four hours outside of Tallahassee to find a reputable strip club in Panama City Beach. “Strip clubs are usually weird and grimy, unless you’re going to somewhere uppity that cost a lot of money, but they’re more memorable than a trip to a regular club or a bar. Whether you’re just sitting awkwardly the whole time, or getting a lap dance from a total stranger, you never forget a trip to a strip club,” Hooper said.

7. Daylong.

Why limit the party? Start with mimosas and spend your entire day in a stupor. Just reserve some time for naps. Go on an extreme day-drink binge and book yourself a Florida vacay to visit Disney’s Epcot where you can drink around the world. Trust me, it will definitely take you all day.

8. Week-long.

Sometimes one day just isn’t enough. Spend the week of your birthday living it up every night, and have a set schedule to show for it. Make sure that thesis is finished first though.

9. Bar crawl.

You can finally get into all those bars you’ve walked by for the last three years. Why wait any longer? Grab a group of friends, make some t-shirts and pub crawl away.

10. Make a beer cake.

Skip the frosting and “bake” yourself a cake with stacked cans of beer. You won’t even need a knife.

11. Make an alcohol bouquet.

Who needs foliage? Grab some tissue paper and pipe cleaners and make a boozy bouquet with airplane-sized liquor bottles. Although, your girlfriend might still like actual flowers…

12. Hit the beach.

It’s finally warm. Hop in the car and head for the coast. You can’t beat a little sand…and a Corona.

13. Fill up an adult piñata.

Throwback to your fifth birthday party by stuffing a Wal-Mart piñata with candy, booze and anything your little heart can imagine. Get ready to bust that sucker open during your pregame. Liquor and bulk candy—hell yeah.

14. Party like it’s 1999.

While you’re at it, make the whole event a throwback and host a ’90s themed bash. Britney Spears and awful wardrobe decisions perfectly complement the bad choices you’re sure to make.

15. Keep it classy.

Skip the seedy bar and have a night of high culture. The inevitably snooty waiter will only take the night to the next level. “The night of my fancy dinner was also the night of the day that financial aid dropped. So we all went The Melting Pot and balled out. No one could use the ‘I’m broke’ excuse,” Hooper said. “It felt like the perfect way to wrap everything up. As much as it’s about the fun, the freedom to drink and having a good time, your friends are what makes your 21st special and a classy or fancy dinner is a great time to show that.” Cheers to that!

16. Participate in a power hour.

Buy yourself a few six-packs, make an awesome playlist and pour yourself a shot of beer every time the song changes. Just don’t expect to make it to the bar afterwards. Not a fan of beer? Say hello to your new BFFs: Jim, Jack and Jose (in that order). It’s your 21st–live a little!

17. Go Skydiving.

Ok, yeah, a little ambitious. Wouldn’t it make one heck of a story though? Hope you land near a bar.

18. Get a tattoo.

Again, ambitious. But if you’ve always wanted one and have an idea that means something, why wait? What a great show and tell for the bar.

19. Complete the dare list.

If you’re up for a challenge, with your friends come up with a list of 21 tasks to accomplish before the end of the night. Among other adventures, sing karaoke, take a shot with no hands, take a selfie with a cop or or ask a bunch of randos at the bar to sign your body. Hey, you’re legal now after all.

20. Stick with tradition.

You best be taking part if your school has a birthday tradition. Along with the many that went before me, I’ll be spending my 21^st at a local bar, the Phyrst, wearing the mandatory green hat. Or if you’re an Florida State Nole, find some buddies to catapult you into the Westcott Fountain. Just make sure you find ones who aren’t as drunk as you

21. Trust your friends.

Leave it to fate, and believe that your friends have it covered. Or if you’re a little worried, make sure a link to this story makes it into some inboxes. No matter what, they’ll be the ones pouring your shots the whole night and then holding your hair back at the end of it.

Even More Ways to Celebrate Being Legal in style

Written by Rebeca Arens

22. Book A Booze Cruise

What better way to kick off being 21 with a bang? Free up a weekend and snag a ticket for a booze cruise on the nearest river or ocean. “Basically, we got on our own private boat with 11 of us and just got mixed drinks and people making them for us free of charge. My favorite part was stopping at places like a beach bar or to snorkel,” College of William & Mary senior Rundy Miguelez said.

23. 21st Birthday Scrapbook

Grab a Polaroid or your phone and document your night out with 21 pictures. Whether you take artsy shots of all those fancy (and highly alcoholic) cocktails, group shots or just some blurry, drunken selfies after the third—OK, thirteenth—shot, you’ll end up with a lasting record of the night. Picture number one? “[I would] get that classic ABC picture with the birthday date sign,” William & Mary junior Victoria Fong said.

24. Get Classy Before You Get Shambly

Take the ultimate drunk test: How many bars can you hit wearing four-inch heels? “[For my 21st] I would get dressed up and go to D.C. with my friends,” James Madison University sophomore Alexis Nelson said. Once you and your squad get as fancy as possible, hit as many cool clubs and bars as you can with your shiny new ID before your calves—and your livers—start begging for mercy.

25. Wine Potluck With Friends

Sometimes, we end up super unlucky and our 21st falls on Tuesday, or, God forbid, a Monday. (Not that I’m talking from bitter experience or anything…) Just because the bars are dead and you need to go to class tomorrow doesn’t mean you should resign yourself to skipping out on your 21st. Host a wine (or tequila, we don’t judge) potluck and rake in the booze. “I’d honestly just have a sweet 21st party with the open bar, kinda what you see in My Super Sweet 16 but like a little more classier,” Miguelez said.

26. Chug A 40 At Midnight

Your dorm room may have seen its fair share of pregames, but for your 21st, you need to kick it up a notch. You might not survive 21 shots, so double it in ounces and… okay, math might not be our strongest suit but forty comes close enough, right? Chug a 40 as the clock strikes midnight and start off that newly legal life right.

27. Wine and Dine at the Theater

Your 21st birthday doesn’t only mean bar crawls and blackouts. Finally being legal means you can go to the fancy places now. Spend the night getting some culture and classy cocktails at a theatre. “I plan on going to the American Shakespeare Center and watching a show and having a glass of wine,” William & Mary junior Erin W. said.

28. Take a Bartending Class

Now that you’re 21, you don’t need to settle for more cheap beer at places that won’t look too hard at your ID or waiting hours for your of-age friends to come bring you the vodka you asked for. You have control of your drunk destiny. Take a bartending class and learn how to make a perfect marg or fancy cocktails.

29. Treat Yo Self To A Trip

Want to go big for your 21st but don’t really plan on blowing your bank account on booze? Hop on a flight or take a road trip to a city or country you’ve always wanted to visit—alcohol optional. “[For my 21st,] I got to be in Europe! I loved hanging out with my mom and exploring London and Paris. It was my first time in London so it was very cool,” Fong said.

30. Go Skydiving

Don’t get drunk, get high—13,000 feet high, that is. (Too cheesy?) Going skydiving will give you that once-in-a-lifetime insane rush that perfectly fits your 21st, no alcohol needed. Plus, you’ll get to see insane sights of the mountains or city or even the ocean from a bird’s eye view… just don’t forget to pull your parachute in time.

31. 21 Topping Ice Cream

Forget the whipped cream vodka, Bailey’s-infused milkshakes or pineapple upside down shots and go straight for the good stuff. Stop by your local ice cream or frozen yogurt place and throw as many toppings as you possibly can on your favorite flavor of ice cream. Warning: Brain freeze (and possibly a sugar rush) imminent.