What to do for a Sweet 16 Besides a Party
The 16th birthday is a milestone birthday. And for many teens, it’s an opportunity to do something special and create a memorable day.
If they don’t want a traditional formal attire birthday party where guests dress up, that’s no problem! Many 16-year-olds want something different than a party for various reasons.
For example, if they have a small friendship group, if they prefer to celebrate quietly, or if they simply want to spend time following a passion of theirs such as watching their favorite football team or having a simple movie night. Fortunately, there are so many birthday party ideas that you can still make the day special.
Below we’ve listed cool ideas that you can consider. Each idea is different but will help to make it a memorable celebration.
35 Birthday Party ideas
Here are 35 party ideas that can be fairly inexpensive or cost several thousands of dollars.
So there’s an idea here for any size birthday party you may want to have.
Slumber Party
Get together with your friends and have an all-night slumber party.
Celebrate a fun low-key birthday party at home.
Order some takeout food, set up a karaoke machine in case anyone wants to sing along (or not), then log on to Netflix for movie night that will keep everyone laughing until the next morning!
Murder Mystery Dinner Party
Nothing is more memorable than a murder mystery dinner party.
Your guests won’t ever forget this night, and it’s an easy way to make friends with people who might not otherwise interact at a regular party!
It will be tricky to get this birthday celebration going. You need 10 or so friends that have offbeat personalities.
They can be anything from extroverts to introverts as long as all of them have fun at your event. With introverted friends just assign shy characters to them so they don’t feel left out from the fun.
A murder mystery dinner party will be the most unique party you ever attended full of laughter and tears of joy.
Concert
Find a band that you like and would love to see them live in person. Plan well ahead of your Sweet 16 as tickets sell out or have a secondary band as backup.
Even if they aren’t playing anywhere near where you live, convince your parents it’s worth going on this trip just for the chance of seeing them perform live!
Tell them this is your favorite music and what you want for your Sweet 16 gift.
Barn Party
Renting out a barn can be an excellent idea for anyone looking to have a unique party. You can invite a large group of guests to these types of outdoor parties.
The right location and Sweet 16 theme will make it feel like you’re in a rural country, even if there isn’t much vegetation around!
Play some country music for full emersion.
Theme Park
What better way to celebrate your 16th birthday than with your closest friends and family members at an amusement park?
There are so many different types of fun activities at amusement parks that it will be hard for you not to find something enjoyable. Disneyland has several parks and is the most picked theme park for birthday parties of all ages. It’s not just for small children.
Some people might prefer roller coasters, while others will like live shows or animal viewing.
No matter what preference suits you. A theme park got you covered to spend a fun day out.
Birthday Party at Home with a Few Close Friends
This is the perfect chance to have a small family gathering birthday celebration with birthday cake and presents!
You can still decorate your home in a Sweet 16 party theme and even wear a Sweet 16 dress with a tiara.
You are an adult now, you don’t need a large venue hall to have lots of fun.
Kart racing
Want to have an epic birthday celebration with your best friends?
Rent a go kart at the local track and go racing!
These go kart racing venues offer private rooms, which means you can have them all for yourself to celebrate and have a fun party, and cut a birthday cake.
Board Games Night
Do you know what sounds awesome? A board game night with your friends for your 16th birthday.
It’s the perfect way to spend time together with friends and enjoy some quality conversation while eating pizza!
SPA Day
On your Sweet 16, you can have a SPA day at a local spa!
You’ll enjoy swimming in their huge pool and jacuzzi.
We’re talking about taking care of yourself while getting pampered by professionals on relaxation.
Do a relaxing spa day and treat yourself, birthday girl!
Get Your First Car
On your 16th birthday. If you got a driver’s license and received a car as a gift.
You’ll be able to take the car out for a spin.
You may even get an opportunity to drive it somewhere special like a family dinner at one of your favorite restaurants to eat your favorite food with your family for your birthday.
Birthday Celebration at a Restaurant
No driver’s license yet?
You can still have a fun sixteenth birthday at a favorite restaurant with close family members while eating your favorite food.
Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a fun great idea for a teen’s birthday.
Have the birthday girl hunt for her birthday party gifts in a fun way with the teen’s closest friends.
It’ll be exciting and fun teamwork between all those involved!
Photoshoot Trip
Celebrate your 16th birthday by planning an amazing trip with friends to somewhere in the great outdoors in a beautiful setting.
Make sure you hire a professional photographer so that the memories of this milestone birthday will be recorded forever!
You can get several options from the photographer including a full photo album of that day’s event.
Camping Trip
A camping trip can be a fun experience and an adventurous way to celebrate your 16th birthday.
You get to see the great outdoors around you while also trying some outdoor activities such as extreme sport mountain biking which is perfect at your age.
Rent an Arcade
Have a day full of fun with your friends without having to worry about all the details.
On your milestone birthday, you can rent out an arcade for an unforgettable experience.
Where you can play games like laser tag, have a bowling alley available to you, eating pizza, and cut the birthday cake all in one place for a 16th birthday.
Zoo Trip
What better way to celebrate your birthday than by going out with friends and watching cool and exotic animals?
You can eat finger foods, like hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy without needing a Sweet 16 party!
Winter Wonderland
With a Winter Wonderland party at your home, you can have an elegant Christmas blue ice sixteenth birthday party. Even if it’s not December yet!
Invite family members and best friends to come to check out this beautiful big party retreat together.
Hotel Trip
You don’t need to travel far. Your local hotel will do just fine!
You can enjoy a different setting for a few days and if there is any pool in the location, take some time off from celebrating with friends to spend some time inside the pool.
If they have a spa area in the hotel you can relax even further during your sweet 16 celebrations.
Volunteer Day
You can do something charitable or philanthropic by choosing the activity.
Like volunteering at a soup kitchen giving out for the homeless, working on Habitat for Humanity to help build homes, and so on!
Travel to a Destination
As a 16th birthday present, you could travel to visit another state or country!
You’ll have plenty of free time during school vacation.
So you can enjoy a whole week with some close relatives and maybe bring a best friend with you for more fun.
Gaming Truck
You can rent a mobile party gaming truck with the latest video games.
They park the truck on your driveway for a few hours, and your guests line up to play video games inside the huge party truck.
These trucks also have the latest VR gaming machines for fun teenage parties.
Glow sticks in the Dark Backyard Party
This is the perfect way to make your birthday party stand out from any other Sweet 16 celebration.
Buy some glow sticks in advance and decorate the entire backyard with neon lights for an extra special cool effect!
Tiffany Blue Party
This is the perfect way to start your special day!
You and your friends can go have breakfast at Tiffany’s to celebrate your milestone birthday.
Get yourself a tiffany blue present. Treat yourself, birthday girl!
Sports Event
You can celebrate your Sweet 16 at a live sports event.
The perfect way to enjoy this memorable celebration is by going watch NBA, NFL, or NHL games.
Potluck Dinner Party
This is the perfect way to get friends and family together for some good old-fashioned bonding.
Guests bring their home-cooked food and everyone tries each other unique cooking for a fun party gathering.
Rock Climbing at a Gym
Start a new and relatively safe sport of rock climbing.
It’s a great sport for building muscles and a great full-body workout.
Do this if you want to have a stronger body when transitioning into an adult from a teen.
Beach Day
Spend your 16th birthday at the beach with a few close friends. During the day enjoy the sun rays, during the night enjoy a nice warm fire pit by the beach.
You’ll need some tunes, s’mores cookers, and plenty of blankets to make this birthday party night unforgettable!
Animal shelter
Why not visit an animal shelter and get the perfect gift for your 16th birthday?
You can see cute animals, donate money or even pick up a new best friend that is waiting there for a new home. Several animals shelters double as Zoos for exotic animals. You can’t take the animals home with you, but they let you hold them and pet the animals for a small donation.
Museum
It’s your 16th birthday, so why not do something that will make you feel extra special?
Visit a museum or several museums in the day.
There are so many different types of art, music, history, or animal attractions at these buildings. Some museums also offer private rooms for large visiting tour groups. These rooms can be decorated and allowed to have small parties right inside the museum.
Escape Room Night
There’s nothing like the thrill of escape room games to spice up your birthday party.
It is a great alternative to a party because you can be set up at home, with just about any group size you want!
There are several online guides on how to set up an Escape Room game with your friends.
Portrait Drawing Night
None of your guests need to be Picasso or even close to Picasso.
The drawings are going to be terrible, but that’s the whole point.
You can laugh with everyone else and keep their awful artwork as a memento of your 16th birthday!
Ghost Tour
Visiting a haunted house or ghost ship with your friends is an excellent idea to celebrate sweet 16.
The exhilarating atmosphere will make the day more exciting and fun!
New City
The perfect way to celebrate your 16th birthday is by taking a road trip with friends in search of new places and adventures.
You can explore a new city like never before and discover hidden gems!
Minigolf
Who doesn’t love to play some Minigolf?
It’s a great way for friends and family alike.
You can have fun no matter what your score ends up being, as long as you’re having fun!
Mix up Birthday Party ideas!
What’s your favorite kind of party?
Mix and match fun ideas for a unique Sweet 16.
There are so many different options, it can be hard to choose. You can add several of these birthday party ideas together.
For example, go to an amusement park in the morning, got play laser tag at an arcade in the afternoon and at night go to a restaurant and have your favorite food.
Thank You!
How about you celebrate your birthday party with one of these great ideas?
Let us know in the comments below which cool ideas you’re going to try!
Remember, it’s your 16thbirthday and it’s a big one.
Happy birthday!
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