Beyond the Garage: Minnesota Grad Party Ideas

It is graduation season, not just for high school graduates, but also for those completing college degrees. With all the graduation parties that your friends and family will be attending this summer, how do you make your event unique?

There's nothing wrong with the garage graduations; that's exactly what I did for my kids. We took over my cousin's beautiful backyard, pool, garage, and kitchen for a delicious potluck gathering with family and friends. But if you want to do something completely different, maybe for a smaller group of people, something to make it special, created just for your graduate, what about some of these ideas?

A GRADUATION ROAST

Alright. Now this might be more for a college graduate than a high school graduate, and yes; you might want to tame down the roasting for a bit; but for that person that loves the spotlight and has a great sense of humor, what better way to celebrate with friends and family than by having a friendly little roast of the guest of honor. You could rent a room at a local restaurant. Have a head table with all the people who will be roasting your graduate, and a special table for the graduate to be seated, where all the guests can see the speakers and the graduate's reaction. Maybe give the graduate the microphone at the end of the night to roast their family and friends back.

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GRAD MOVIE MADNESS NIGHT

For the graduate who loves movies, and maybe not being so much in the spotlight, why not have a backyard bar-b-que and a movie! Perhaps your graduate is a Star Wars Fan, or a Harry Potter fan? Maybe you want to start with a movie for the whole party, and a select few friends can stay for an all-nighter, as the graduate gets to watch the whole series in order.

You could have a theme; Maybe it's C3PO in a graduation hat, a delicious cake shaped like the Death Star. Whatever your graduate loves, this kind of party is sure to be fun.

BRUNCH PAJAMA BASH

Have a breakfast pajama party! Invite your special guests to where their robes, or matching pajama's and have a waffle bar with mimosas and mocktails, maybe some graduate-decorated donuts, and tasty coffee creations.

SUNSET PONTOON PARTY ON THE LAKE

Now, I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, but there are those people who would love to celebrate on the water. You could provide music, maybe some appetizers, and enjoy watching the sun go down.

GRAD GAME NIGHT

This could be simple and fun. Lots of yard games like gian Jenga, cornhole, volleyball, croquet. If it rains, take the games in the garage and play Uno, Magic: The Gathering, or have a trivia night.