Having a hard time figuring out how to entertain teenagers at a birthday party? This picky age group can be really hard to plan for but don’t worry I’ve got you covered with 43 cool teen birthday party ideas and themes.
Great ways to entertain teens at home and fun places to go near you. You’ll find tons of creative birthday party themes and games recommended by teens. Great ideas for small parties with their closest friends or big parties with everyone they know (:
So stop stressing about how to keep your teen girl or boy happy and get inspired with this list of 43 great ideas for teen birthday parties. You’re sure to find a birthday party theme your teenager will be excited about!
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Fun & Creative Ideas for a Teen Birthday Party
Check out all the cool teen birthday party ideas for boys and girls to find the perfect birthday party theme for your teenager’s next birthday.
You can also visit the Coolest 13 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas to find more fun ways to entertain teens.
Fun Birthday Party Ideas at Home
Table of Contents
1. Host an Exciting Escape Room at Home
Plan a thrilling escape room birthday party at home using printable escape room games. They include everything you need from running the game to the printables and apps for the teens to follow.
Add to the excitement by breaking the party guests up into teams and seeing which team can beat the clock and escape the room first.
2. TikTok Dance-Off
These kids love social media so turn it into a party. Break the teens up into groups and give each group 10-15 minutes to create a TikTok video. Then get back together and watch what everyone created. Make sure to have a bunch of props for them to use in the video too!
3. Movie Marathon Party
Teens love to lounge around and watch movies so make it a movie night party. You can show all the birthday kids’ favorite movies or ask their friends what their favorite movie is to add to the line-up.
Plan a pizza party, popcorn bar, and fun mocktails to grab in between movies. Create seating by throwing pillows and blankets on the floor. Make sure to let party guests know to dress in comfy clothes.
You can also host an outdoor movie party in the summer by hanging a large white sheet on the side of the house and using a movie projector to play the movie. Kids will love the uniqueness of watching a movie in your backyard.
4. Plan a Thrilling Murder Mystery Party
Create a fun and interactive party with a Murder Mystery. Teens will have to use clues and talk to each other to figure out who is the murderer. It’s super easy to set up with a murder mystery kit that will guide you through the game.
You can assign teens a character with their background story before they come so they can dress up for the part they’ll be playing. Honestly, seeing the costumes everyone shows up in is half the fun!
5. Be Groovy at a Disco Ball Bash
Does your teen love to dance? Plan a cool dance party with disco balls hanging and DJ lights flashing. Plays fun ABBA songs and music from Momma Mia. Create a 70’s atmosphere with shimmery foil curtains on the walls and disco ball balloons hanging in the room reflecting the disco ball light.
Ask the teens to dress up in a 70’s or 80’s outfit to go with the party theme. At the party give the teenagers glow sticks or mini mirror ball disco necklaces to wear while they groove to the music.
6. Picture Perfect Photo Booth Party
Create a cool DIY photo booth for the kids to take selfies and pictures with friends. Have the booth match your themed birthday party. Create a background wall with metallic foil tinsel and then make sure to get a bunch of fun photo props. The more props the better so they can take tons of unique pictures with their phones.
Photo Prop ideas – hats, boas, signs, big beaded necklaces, headbands, and any items specific to your birthday theme.
7. Sing your Karaoke Heart Out
Get all the kids up and singing their favorite songs. All you need is a karaoke machine and a playlist for this party. Teens can sing in small groups or individually. Make sure to make some space in your living room to be the stage area and a dance area.
Add to the fun by having the kids dress up like their favorite singers and then see if everyone can guess who they are.
8. Good Old Fashion Slumber Party
Even teens still love a sleepover party. They get to stay up late gossip with friends, eat junk food, and watch movies or play video games all night. Honestly, this is probably a teen’s favorite party idea.
The best part is they are super easy to host at this age they can pretty much entertain themselves.
If you want some added entertainment to the sleepover try these hilarious Mintue to Win it Games for Teens.
9. Yummy Ice Cream Bar
Plan an epic ice cream bar that teen girls and teen boys will love. This is perfect for a quick get-together birthday party or as an addition to another party theme. Get several flavors of ice cream and then put out tons of toppings. You can even add some warm cookies you pull out of the oven to make it over the top!
Ice Cream Bar Ideas – hot fudge, caramel, chocolate sauce, small marshmallows, sprinkles, M&Ms, chocolate chips, crushed-up candy bars.
10. Epic Birthday Brunch
Host the teens for an early afternoon birthday brunch. This would be a great way to celebrate a sweet 16.
Have stations set up with a pancake bar and toppings and an egg station with toppings. Then create a sweets table with donuts, muffins, cinnamon buns, bagels, and croissants. Finish off your brunch table with fresh fruit options. You could even create a huge charcuterie board.
Make sure to decorate the room with a more sophisticated atmosphere by using silver and gold colors.
Fun Places to Go for Birthday Parties
11. Enjoy a Play, Musical, or Show in Your Area
Take a smaller group of teens to watch a play, musical, or comedy show your teen would be excited to see. It could be a serious show or something like Blue Man Group.
12. Splash into a Pool Party
Pool parties are always a hit with teens. Spend the day swimming, laying out by the pool, and listening to music. Keep them active with some fun pool games like water basketball and volleyball, diving rings, or water paddle ball.
You don’t need to have your own pool to host this party. Look for local pools in the area that will rent out space or that you can take a group of kids to and pay the entrance fee.
13. Soak in the Sun at a Beach Party
Take a group of kids to the beach for an epic Beach party. Pack a picnic lunch and tons of drinks for the teens. For entertainment bring with beach games like Slammo (generic Spikeball), Waverunner football, Yard Pong, and Beach Paddleball.
Make sure to bring a Bluetooth speaker so they can play their music. Another fun idea is to give each guest a beach towel as party favors.
14. Ride the Rollercoasters at an Amusement Park
This is another easy party idea for teens. Pay for a small group of teens to spend the day at a local amusement park. They can hang out together all day riding roller coasters, eating, and having a blast hanging out together. All you need to do is drop them off and pick them back up again.
15. Rent out a Movie Theater
Host a movie theatre party at a local theatre. Many movie theaters will rent out the space with party packages but you can also just buy tickets to a show their excited to see. Make sure to get the kids popcorn and a drink cause it’s a party!
16. Roll out to a Drive-in Movie Theatre
If you have older teens many of them can drive. Pay for a group to enjoy an outdoor movie at a Drive-in movie theatre. Supply the kids with birthday cupcakes, plenty of snacks, and drinks to enjoy while watching the movie. If you have younger kids you can bring a group in your car to watch the show too.
17. It’s a Hotel Room Party
Take the kids to enjoy a night out at a hotel. Let the kids order some room service, swim in the pool, and stay up watching movies in the room. This is a great party idea for small groups.>nj
18. Enjoy a Local Music Festival
If you have a music lover find a local music festival with live music to take a group of teens to see. They’ll enjoy listening to the music and being part of the crowd. It’s a unique experience many kids may not have had before.
19. Enjoy a fun Pottery Class
Let the kids get creative by painting or making their own pottery. Sign them up for a fun pottery class at a local shop that hosts parties. They’ll enjoy picking out what they want to make and chatting with each other as they make their pottery. They can then take home their pottery creation as their party favor.
20. I Can Make That! Cooking Classes
Do you have a budding chef? Plan a fun cooking class for your teen. You can find a local restaurant or cooking class in your area that will host a party.
Ask the birthday teen what type of food they would like to make and find a cooking class with similar food. Make sure it’s easy enough for all teens to cook but also something new they might not otherwise try to make. The challenge is part of the fun.
21. Go On An Outdoor Ziplining Adventure
A cool outdoor birthday party idea is taking the teens on a thrilling zip line course. Find a local outdoor adventure park that will host a group for parties. See if they have other things to try like a ropes course in a package deal too. This is an adventure they will not forget!
22. Winter Ice Skating Party
If your teen has a winter birthday plan a fun ice skating party. This could be at an indoor rink or at a local outdoor rink that rents skates. You’ll want to make sure to rent skates for anyone who doesn’t own them.
Bring with you to the outdoor rink hot chocolate and cookies for the kids when they are done.
Teen Girls Birthday Party Ideas
23. A Relaxing Spa Day Party
Create a relaxing and fun spa day party for your teenage girls. You can bring a group of girls to a spa for manicures and pedicures. Or host a DIY Spa party at home. Provide each girl with a basket filled with spa items to use at the party and take home as party favors. Include nail polish, nail file, hand lotion, pedi pads, face mask, soft headband, and eye mask.
Let the girls paint each other’s nails, do face masks, and relax with cucumbers on their eyelids. When their done serve small tea sandwiches and cucumber water.
24. Sip & Paint Party
Host a teen-friendly Sip & Paint party at a local paint shop or at home. The girl’s goal will be to try and paint their own version of the same picture. If you are hosting the party at home use a YouTube video to show them each step to paint the picture.
Supply each guest with a painting party kit that includes a small canvas, easel, paint, and brushes. Serve yummy snacks and mocktails while the girls paint together.
25. Have a Blast Crafting Together
Plan a fun crafting party creating a unique craft your daughter will enjoy making. These do not have to turn out great it’s just the fun of trying to make the craft together.
You’ll find on Pinterest tons of fun craft ideas like making candles or soap, jewelry, decorating a mug, making jewelry boxes, tie-dye shirts, or crochet flowers.
26. Find the Coolest Threads at a Thrift Store Party
Does your teen love the challenge of finding vintage clothes or just something more eco-friendly to wear? Then hosting a unique Thrift Shop party is a great idea.
Work together with your teen to find the perfect place to shop at thrift stores near you. Find at least 3-4 cool places they’d like to shop with their friends. Then spend the day searching through thrift stores for that trendy look they love.
27. Shopping Day in the City
If thrift stores are not their thing but they still want a shopping outing head to a mall or city stores that you don’t usually shop at. A new location that will be unique and fun for all the girls to shop all day long.
28. Taylor Swift Dance Party
Is your daughter a Swiftie? Then plan an unforgettable Taylor Swift dance party. Ask all the party guests to dress up in one of the 16 different outfits Taylor Swift wore on her Eras Tour. Have everyone guess which song each girl is representing.
After that have an epic dance-off to all of Taylor Swift’s songs or sing karaoke to the girl’s favorite songs.
29. Savor a Fondue Night
Have a fondue party with tons of different foods to dip into cheese and chocolate. Teens will have the best time trying different combinations and see which they like best.
Cheese Fondue Ideas – sausage, bread, soft pretzel bites, cooked baby potatoes, and raw vegetables.
Chocolate Fondue Ideas – marshmallows, strawberries, Rice Krispy Treats, apples, bananas, Oreos, pretzels.
Teen Boy Birthday Party Ideas
30. Hop on a Video Gaming Truck
Plan an epic video game party with a video gaming truck at your house. These large trucks have 5-6 monitors and video game consoles to let multiple kids play at the same time. They can choose video games like Fortnite, Call of Duty, Mario Brothers, Guitar Hero, and more.
If your teenager loves video games he’ll have a great time with his friends on a birthday game truck.
31. Epic Laser Tag Party
Teens love a good competition and Laser tag will bring out the competitiveness in any teen. Take them to a cool laser tag location where they can battle it out with their friends and compete to see who can get the most hits at the laser tag party.
32. Battle it Out on the Paintball Field
Paintball is a great option for teen boys as it has them running the whole party and competing to see which team can stay in the game the longest. They’ll have to work with teammates to create a strategy to win the game. It’s the perfect way to entertain older teen boys.
33. Root on Their Favorite Sports Teams
Take a small group of boys to see a professional, minor league, or college sports game in your area. Whatever their favorite sport is see if you can find a team to go and watch.
If it’s off-season ask your son if he’d consider holding off the party until the sporting season. It will be a special day with their friends whether it’s on their birthday or a couple of months later.
34. Race Around a Go Kart Track
Get your speed demon son off the roads and racing around a Go Kart Track. He’ll have a blast racing his friends at a Go Kart Racing Party.
Find a local indoor go-kart track in the winter or an outdoor track in the summer. See if they have party packages to help bring down the cost and get more racing time for the kids.
35. Plan an Epic Sports Day
What is the birthday kid’s favorite sport? Plan an afternoon playing that with his friends either at home or at a local park. Kids can play basketball, flag football, a whiffle ball tournament, home run derby, or have a soccer shoot-out.
36. Exciting Indoor Sky Diving Party
If they want a real thrill throw an indoor skydiving party. Teens will love feeling lighter than air. It’s a unique experience that will make for a memorable birthday party.
37. Test Your Aim with An Axe Throwing Party
Find out how good your teen and his friend’s aim is with an Axe Throwing Party. Use a facility that does Axe Throwing to make sure it’s safe. They’ll teach the kids what to do and then take turns throwing an axe at a bullseye. Make it a competition and see who can hit a bullseye first.
38. Hit a Strike with a Bowling Party
When in doubt take the teenagers bowling. They always have a good time hanging out and talking while bowling together. Order them some junk food from the bowling alley and they’ll have a great time celebrating your teen’s birthday.
Fun Party Games to Play at Teen Parties
39. Hilarious Minute to Win It Games for Teens
You’ll have everyone laughing while playing these funny teen Minute to Win It games. All are quick 1-minute challenges that each person can compete in or play on teams and see which team can earn the most points. These would be a great addition to your at-home parties.
40. Ultimate Scavenger Hunt Party
Entertain teens with free printable scavenger hunts and see which team will be the first to finish the hunt.
Get the teens outside and into your neighborhood with a photo scavenger hunt, neighborhood scavenger hunt, teen scavenger hunt, or backyard scavenger hunt.
Each team will take a selfie with every item they find on the list and obey the time limit. The team with the most scavenger hunt items checked off their list wins.
41. Awesome Board Game Party
Plan a fun board game birthday party for small groups or hilarious card games for bigger groups. Find our favorite options for Board games teens will actually play.
It includes funny group games like What Do You Meme, Beat That, and Cards Against Humanity. Plus strategic board games like a classic game of Risk and new games like Catan or Marvel Villainous. Find the perfect board game to entertain your teens all night long.
42. Funny Would You Rather Game for Teens
Grab this free printable Would You Rather Game for teens with funny questions teens can answer and debate. A great game to play while you’re in between activities or traveling from one location to another.
43. Act it Out! Teen Charades Game
All you need to host a teen charades party is a list of charades words cut up and added to a bowl. Split the kids up into 2 teams and let each team try and act out the word they pulled from the bowl before the time runs out.
It’s a quick funny game teens will really enjoy. Grab your free printable Charades word list to play.
I hope you have found some cool birthday party ideas to try this year. The teen years can be tricky but marking your teen’s special day will be something they will not forget. There is no perfect party idea so don’t stress just pick a party theme they will enjoy doing with their friends and is in your budget. Good luck and I hope you throw the best teen birthday party!
If you’re looking for more teen ideas visit our Teen & Tween Page or birthday party page.
Do you have a child turning 13? Get tons of fun ideas on how to throw the best 13-year-old birthday party.
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