Hosting a Graduation Party

A Tough One

I think graduation parties are one of the hardest events to plan. The guests are a wide range of ages. If it's a high school graduation party, the guest of honor and his friends are of an age that can be particularly difficult to satisfy. And for me especially, one has to balance making the party all about the guest of honor and making it all about the other guests. 

Ideas: Slideshow

One of my favorite ideas for a grad party that I have seen be very successful is a slideshow. You can play it on the home television (if you TV is networked or you can hook it up to your computer) on your desktop screen or if you have a projector, project it on the wall!

This website offers a very easy to use tool and step by step instructions on how to create your own slideshow: http://www.ezvid.com/how_to_make_a_free_graduation_video_slideshow

Digital Guestbook

If you have an iPad there is a nice free app called Digital Guestbook that allows your guests to leave messages for the guest of honor.

All Pointing in One Direction

Crossing the great digital divide can be difficult and unless you want your party to look like this: 

or worse this:

You need to provide some fun focused activities for your guests:

Karaoke

You can hire a karaoke DJ or download an app or program for your tablet or computer. If you download an app and decide to do it yourself you need to have a host that is very outgoing and can keep the karaoke going.

Timeline Game

Using the slide show you made, have people guess what year each picture is from. 

Entertainment

Hiring a professional entertainer can be a great idea for a Graduation party. A comedian, magician, dj, or henna tattoo artist can bring a great air of sophistication and fun to your party. I've had some clients object to what they feel is the high price of professional entertainment. But if you figure out the price per guest it really isn't that much. For most parties a professional entertainer's price is less than a movie ticket for each guest!

About the Author

Edd Fairman, Wizard of Sorts is a stand up comedy magician that specializes in magic for college and corporate events. He is based in Chicago.