16th Birthday Party Ideas

Been waiting for this day since forever? Well, I certainly couldn't wait for my sweet sixteen. You know how important this year is in every girl's teenage years, right? Sixteen means that finally your parents will start seeing you as a more mature person who can handle responsibilities and well, may even be given more freedom. You get to have a driver's license and legally cruise around town! But wait a minute, what better than mark the 16th of your life with a memorable party? I know what's on your mind - "What should I do?", "Where and how should I celebrate it?", "How should I make the most fun party of the year for my friends?" and "I want it to be really special". If it is for your daughter/son or sibling, it's twice the pressure! Let's ease it up a bit there, shall we? Here are some awesome 16th birthday party ideas that teenagers will just love. Get ready for a fun p-a-r-t-y!!!

Party Ideas for Sweet Sixteen

Toga Party
Nothing says 'cool' like a Toga party. The charm of this Roman-themed party will certainly make for a memorable 16th birthday party. The teenagers can put their own spin and create their Toga costumes. Be ready to have modern-day Roman teenagers being goofy at the birthday party. They can even do their own ritual of crowing of the 'Roman Emperor/Empress' at the party to celebrate the end of the 16th year of the birthday boy/girl. To select the food menu for the party, go for dishes that have underlying ingredients like breads, nuts, meat, cheese, dried/fresh fruits. You can decorate a Toga-themed party as much as your budget allows you.
What you need: Pick out Roman-themed decorations from a party supplier store near you like - golden-painted leaves, swords (fake ones, of course), lanterns, plastic columns and cutlery, party decorations in the shades of white, ivory, green, golden, purple and brown.

Karaoke Party
If you want your party to be more of a low-key and private affair, Karaoke is the word for you. It is fun because everybody likes music and a lot of people enjoy singing too. So, all the teenagers can take their turns to sing their favorite songs and get everyone else to sing along with them.
What you need: All you need is a Karaoke set. You can borrow or rent it from someone if you like or buy your own in case you don't have one. Don't want to spend a lot? Well, just get a mic and attach it to the speakers while you dish out music from your iPod. Add some lights to set the mood of a karaoke bar. Oh, don't forget the food.

Hawaiian Luau/Pool Party
Got a pool? Well, let's jump into it. Everyone loves Hawaii!!! A Hawaiian luau party is a pretty exotic theme for your 16th birthday party. This party is going to be purely entertaining with all that colorful clothing like Hawaiian shirts, sundresses, sarongs, straw hats, grass skirts, flip-flops and other beachwear. Your party people will definitely enjoy the tropical mood. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to serve some yummy tropical mocktails like virgin pina colada, Mai-tais and fruit punch in coconut shells. You can even do away with the theme and just keep it a simple pool party. Though, a hawaiian theme party is easy to create with/without a pool and a fun theme calls for some fun games.
What you need: A pool and your parents' permission to use it for your 16th birthday party. You could rent one too. Floral garlands or leis, flowers hair-pieces for the ladies, straw mats, coconut centerpieces and food like fresh fruit salads, tikis and potato chips for starters, kalua pig and shrimp for the main course with vanilla and pineapple pudding for dessert.

Neon Party
This one could actually become quite popular among 16-year-olds. Imagine, a place that is decorated with neon adornments that glow in the dark. Everyone is dressed in neon colors too and the place looks vivid even in the dark. Wouldn't that be just so fun? Then you can play some techno music for people to groove to. Ask your guests to dress in black or wear something in neon colors with accessories like sparkling ties, glow in the dark sunglasses, neon hats and nail paint! While selecting the food menu, choose dry finger foods so they are easier to indulge in for your guests.
What you need: Party supplies like glow sticks (that you can also put inside balloons to make them glow too), black lights, punch fountain, glow in the dark face paint and jewelry, glowing candles for the cake, neon tableware and decorations. Keep backgrounds like wallpaper, tablecloths and curtains black so the decorations stand out against them.

Dress-Up Party
Dressing up isn't just for little girls or Halloween. Who said you can't dress up once you are past 15 years old? It is super-exciting to dress up the way you like for a cool theme party and there aren't really many days in a year that you get to do that. So, select your favorite theme like - vampires, cowboys, 80s' disco, zombies, fashion disasters or characters from your favorite show/movie and throw your 16th birthday party. It would be really fun for your guests to dress up in fancy costumes and maybe, even act the part.
What you need: Food, lights, music and people dressed in whacky costumes. Pick out a cake to suit the theme.

For Boys: Go Race Karting You are a young man so it will be cool to finish the 16th year of your life with a dash of adrenaline. I don't know many boys who don't like some hot wheels. Get on one! Go race karting with your friends. It gets as simple and as fun as that. Since you can get a driving license now because you are turning 16, some motor experience beforehand would be quite exciting when you go for the driving test, just like the icing on the cake. Follow it up later with pizzas, colas and video games. Check for recreational places in your neighborhood or city that may offer go-karting for teenagers. Do take an adult along with you to avoid any mishaps. You could even have a few female friends cheering for you as you go va-va-voom on the race tracks. An adrenaline-pumping experience to mark your first year as a young man, sounds fun to me. What you need: Tickets to go-karting. For Girls: Coming-of-a-Princess Party You don't have to be a Disney princess to celebrate your sweet sixteen birthday party like one. Gather your girlfriends and have a ball of a time in your own room! Have a pajama party or ask everyone to dress in pink. Then, you get to dress the best because you are the birthday girl. Decorate your room with cute stuff like ribbons, twinkle lights, balloons, piñatas, centerpieces and cool lanterns. Make your own rituals for the crowning of the newly-turned Ms.Sixteen and then... have a blast! I don't even know where to begin from and tell you all how much fun girls can have together. Think pillow fights, chick-flicks, girlie songs, play make-a-new-dish, twister, board games, story-telling (make them scary with a torch and no lights), give each other fun makeovers, do the limbo dance with your boas, make pacts, share your dreams and gorge on lots of food - ice cream, coke floats, pizza, chips, candies. All your friends get a tiara to wear and you be the queen. It may sound cliché but it's soooo much fun. Once in a lifetime chance to be Cinderella without the 12'o clock curfew. What you need: Lots of tiaras, pillows, colorful boa, pink and white balloons, lots of party supplies, FOOD, makeup box and a camera to capture those moments. Cute pink tutus will help too.

Things to Keep in Mind for the Party

• Selecting the Perfect Cake
  If you are going to make the effort to plan the party, you have to pay attention to the center-of-attraction, next only to the birthday boy/girl, the CAKE! Your 16th birthday cake has to be just as special and unique as the theme of your party. Do bear in mind the birthday boy/girl's preference for flavors and any specific design they have in mind. Also, get a huge cake for all their friends. Order the cake well in advance to avoid goof ups. No birthday party is good without the cake. And take lots of pictures!
• Creating a Music Playlist
  Music is SO important for a party. It is pretty much the life of the party. Sort out your music playlists beforehand if you decide to skip on hiring a DJ. Get your music system or speakers in order too. You could hire a DJ though. There are many upcoming ones that are young, unknown but talented and they charge a reasonable price of $100 to $300 depending on the size and duration of your party. You could also ask your friends to play DJ for a night.
• Sending Out Invitations
  These days most teenagers create a Facebook event page to invite their peers for their birthday party. If you are planning on doing so, there is one tiny but important detail that you must keep in mind. Your event should NOT be open to all, else it will attract a flurry of people from your high school who you may not even know. Foresee shortage of food and party disasters? You could even invite your friends through texts or sending out themed invitation cards like you used to.
• Ordering/Making Food
  Pizzas are bound to please everybody, but if you are looking for something else, you can have the option of sandwiches, delicious pretzels, crackers, fruit salads, etc. Loads of chocolates can follow later! Food can also be thematic depending upon the mood you have decided for the party. If the theme is Hawaiian, you can plan out a menu of seafood dishes. Just make sure you keep the comfort factor in mind both for the planner and the one who is celebrating the sweet sixteen.
  
• Be Careful about the Parking
  A lot of neighbors complain about guests taking up all the parking lots around their houses which obstructs driving space on the roads. Now, you don't want your parents to ban you from hosting any more parties, do you? If your 16th birthday party is at your place, make sure you inform your neighbors in advance about your plans and ask them about their convenience regarding the parking space. If you are hosting it at another venue, ensure that it has enough parking space for your guests.
• Don't exceed the budget
  If you are low on budget, you can craft the decorations and invitation cards at home. Also, cooking the food at home may get cumbersome but it is way more economic than ordering it from outside. Trim your tentative guest list if things still don't work out for you in the budget. You could also explain your situation to your friends and have a mutual agreement for each one to contribute towards the budget for every friend's birthday. House parties are always a great option to save up on hiring a place to party. Just make sure your friends don't get rowdy and break because that will cost more.

Turning sixteen is not just about freedom and being all grown-up. It also about still having fun and never letting go of the child inside you. If there is a particular theme for the party, you can even give away a prize for the best costume. For any teenager, the 16th birthday is an important day that holds a lot of significance. For parents, planning for their child's 16th birthday party would involve a whole lot of thinking and planning. The 16th birthday party needs to be more than just special, the day being really important; parents often go that extra mile to plan nothing short from the best for their kids! You can involve your teenager to plan for the party. This way, you would have a party both would really enjoy. This way you can plan a party for your teenager based on his/her choices. It will also allow you to take mutual decisions. Use these really fun tips for 16th birthday party ideas to celebrate with your child in true style.

P.S.: Unless you live in Morocco, Sudan or Jamaica, you can't legally drink alcohol. Although, some European countries are pretty liberal with that. So, do yourself a favor and stay away from it unless you want to mark your 16th birthday with a police arrest and charges slapped against your sorry face. Wait for two more years.