Bouncing on a moon bounce with your friends, listening to good music and eating favorite foods are just some of the activities found at the various Wayland High School graduation parties. Every year, many WHS seniors choose to host one of these “grad parties” in hopes of ending their high school experiences on a high note. But what things make up a good graduation party? Although each graduation party is unique, all good parties have a few things in common. Fun activities, good food and an abundance of guests are necessary components of a successful grad party.

Fun Activities
The activities at a grad party can make or break the event. One common activity nearly every WHS grad party has is volleyball. Volleyball is easy and inexpensive, and a volleyball tourney is often a favorite with guests. Some hosts go the extra mile and spend more money on extra activities to make their grad party even better. Many of these more extravagant parties will have moon bounces, which are always a big hit. You just can’t go wrong with a moonbounce.

Food
There’s lots of room for creativity when it comes to food. There are many fun options including ice cream, popcorn, italian ice and cotton candy. It is also nice to have more substantial food such as burgers and hot dogs, and snacks such as chips or cookies. There is plenty of leeway when it comes to food, and as long as the party has plenty of it, you’re all set.

Time and Location
The time and location of each grad party can greatly affect its success. Most grad parties are held in one of the host’s backyards, but some take place at more extravagant venues like the beach. Having a party somewhere like the beach makes the party more fun and unique, and has an added bonus of more activities (think swimming). However, you can have a fun grad party anywhere. The time of the grad party makes a more substantial difference than location. If you are hoping to have dancing at your party, night would be more appropriate.

Guests
The whole point of having a grad party is to spend time with your school, so guests are key. The best way to set yourself up for success is to invite a bunch of people. A guest list is relatively hard to control because of students’ changing plans, causing cancellations. Of the guests who do arrive, there’s a constant turnover of people flowing in and out. Since you can’t predict who will be at your party, the best way to guarantee a crowd is to invite a lot of people. This way everyone will have friends to hang out with, and there will be plenty of people to participate in that all-important volleyball game.

Uniqueness
The best grad parties are always unique. There are plenty of grad parties every year, and they can start to get boring after a while. By making your grad party unique and memorable, it will be successful. One way to make your party different is to plan the party’s food and activities around a theme.