21 Ways To Celebrate Your 21st

By Alexandra Brown on March 4, 2015

You may have been partying since high school, or you may have started when you got to college. Either way, you’ve managed to find a way around the whole age thing.

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You’ve either had older friends to help you out, or friends of friends. Or, maybe your school allows entry into bars at 18 or 19.

Despite these ways around not quite being 21 yet, when the big day comes, you’ll have been anticipating it for quite some time, believe me.

Here are 21 ways to celebrate your 21st.

1. The classic 21 tally marks

If anything, you should at least participate in the 21 tallies challenge. The general idea behind this way of celebrating is drawing a tally on your arm for every drink you take until you reach 21 drinks.

It’s advisable to do this with just drinks, and not shots, for obvious reasons. You’re trying to have a good night, not ruin your life.

2. The hourly photo experiment

This is pretty self-explanatory. First step: set an alarm on your phone (that’s loud enough for you to hear). Second step: for every hour that you’ve been drinking, take a photo of yourself. Third step: enjoy the next morning.

3. The throwback

The throwback basically consists of thinking back to one of the best birthday parties you had as a child, and reenacting it. This means implementing the themes, costumes, and having your best friends around to celebrate with you. This also means substituting drinking games for classic kid games.

4. Day drinking

Instead of making a night out of your party, wake up at a reasonable hour, and start drinking right away with your best friends. Do brunch with mimosas, and then don’t stop for the rest of the day.

5. Romantic day

If you happen to have a significant other in your life at the time, spend the day with them. Go to lunch, or dinner, or to a movie and enjoy yourself. Then when nighttime rolls around, obviously party like you never have before, and make it a memorable experience.

6. Celebrate abroad

Obviously this only works if you happen to be abroad during your 21st, but if you do, celebrate according to how a native to that country would. It would be different, but you’d definitely be making the most out of your time abroad.

7. Don’t plan anything

With this approach, don’t make any plans. Let your friends plan your day, kick back, relax, and just enjoy yourself and your new-found freedom to legally purchase alcohol.

8. Celebrate all week

Drink every single night of the week, and when the big day comes, go to a bar and exercise your new independence.

9. Do something spontaneous

That tattoo you almost got on your 18th birthday that you never got, get it now. No time like the present.

10. Make a day adventure

Go somewhere either on your college campus, or a town away, where you’ve never been before, with some of your favorite people. But first, pregame it. It will be memorable no matter what happens.

11. The formal celebration

You’re already feeling like more of a grownup so why not dress the part? Get dressed up, go out with friends to a fancy restaurant, order a fancy drink, and act like you’re in an episode of Mad Men.

12. A night in

Even though it’s not typical for a 21st celebration, spend the night in with good friends, good food, and good Netflix.

13. The Vegas way

Not everyone has this luxury, but if you do, take full advantage and plan a trip to Vegas. Nothing says 21 like gambling for the first time in Sin City.

14. The Faux Vegas way

If you can’t swing the whole actual Vegas thing, have a Vegas-themed party on your own, complete with decorations, games and attire.

15. Have a ‘relax’ day

Sleep in, get your nails done, go to a late breakfast, skip class if you can, and enjoy your day doing only things you want to do.

16. Theme party

Pick a specific theme, like out of a movie or one that your friends come up with, and stick with it the entire day and night.

17. Become a bartender for the day

Go out of your way to learn what’s in/how to make as many drinks as possible. You’re 21. Now is the time to learn these things!

18. Netflix marathon

In addition to drinking as much as possible without dying, have a Netflix marathon with your friends. Watch as many episodes of your favorite show as you can, or choose a movie genre to stick with through the marathon.

19. Have an ongoing, legitimate truth or dare game

This isn’t like when you were younger. You have to follow through with the truths and dares your friends give you throughout the day; that’s what makes it so fun. Adding alcohol to the mix makes it even better.

20. Scrapbook it

Carry a disposable camera around with you (so as to not completely destroy one of significance) and document the day and night via photograph. Looking back on it will undoubtedly be entertaining.

21. Alcohol-free

If alcohol isn’t your thing, that’s totally fine too. Spend the day with your friends just having fun, and make it memorable.

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