Why You Should Have a Graduation Party

Written by Ali Baldwin

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Graduating from high school, college or grad school is a major (no pun intended) milestone in anyone’s life. After dedicating years of your life to academic, professional and personal growth, you can finally say goodbye to late nights spent over coursework, toss your cap into the air and celebrate your success with friends and family.

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Or, are you celebrating?

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I spend a lot of time researching parties at Evite, and I was genuinely taken aback by the amount of people online who post that they 1. Don’t want a graduation party 2. Don’t see the point of a graduation party and 3. Think graduation parties are an expensive waste of time. Maybe I’m biased. I didn’t have a graduation party for either high school or college, and it still makes me a little sad every graduation season when I see people planning and posting theirs. At the time, I also scoffed at the idea of having a grad party. I, too, didn’t really believe it was something that merited a party. But if Memory Of Missing Out is a thing, I def have it.

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Given the at-time-of-publication status of time traveling (not possible), I can’t go back and tell past-me to celebrate my graduation(s). So the next best thing is to share why you should have a graduation party for yourself or your graduate!

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Reason #1: You’re Celebrating an Amazing Achievement

Graduates, just think how many hours, days, weeks, YEARS of your life you spent in pursuit of furthering your education and coming that much closer to achieving your life goals. Take a day to stop and reflect back upon it all! It truly is an incredible moment in your lives. 

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Reason #2: You’re Celebrating the Start of a New Era

There’s a reason “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” remains a favorite gift to give new graduates. As one phase of their life comes to an end, the opportunities to experience whole new ones are endless. Whether your graduate is going on to further their education, start a career or explore the world, celebrate what’s to come in their life. So many parties focus on the present. This is one occasion, like a wedding or baby shower, where you get to celebrate the past, present and future. Make the most of it!

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Reason #3: It’s a Celebration Shared by the Graduate and Their Family

Parents, just think how many times you were there at parent-teacher conferences. Or at the kitchen table trying to help your child with their homework (while questioning how on earth you ever handled algebra). Or driving your child to their soccer practice or high school musical debut. You, too, have experienced moments of immense pride, but you’ve also sacrificed and worked hard to help your child get that diploma. You’ve been on this journey together, so celebrate it together! Graduating takes years of hard work and dedication from both a graduate and their family—it’s important to take the time to commemorate that achievement together (and just relax and have fun)!

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Reason #4: It’s a Community Celebration in General

Think about it—unless you’re from an extraordinarily small town, there are dozens, hundreds or even thousands of other graduates all experiencing this moment at the same time. Graduates, you’ll want to remember this moment with your fellow degree holders and revel in it together. You and your parents will also have grandparents, siblings, cousins and family friends who remember when you were sweating it out over your ABCs and SATs. They all, in some way or another, likely influenced and helped you get to this moment. Share this moment with them (though be warned—they’ll spend a lot of time telling you how proud they are of you!).

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Reason #5: It Doesn’t Have to Be an OTT, Expensive Party

Remember—a graduation party is about celebrating a special moment with the family and friends who made it happen! While TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest are full of graduation extravaganzas, yours doesn’t have to be. Some balloons in your school’s colors and a fun photo backdrop/photo op area to set the tone (and lots of delicious sips, bites and treats to enjoy!) are all you need for a low-key grad party. BTW—Evite has a complete graduation party planning checklist to help you plan your party, no matter what vibe and size you’re going for!

Reason #6: It IS a Great Excuse for a Party

Not that you need an excuse for a party, amirite? Parties are fun, and graduations are a major life event, so really, why not celebrate?

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Reason #7: It’s a Chance to Mark the End of an Era

Okay, it’s time to get a little sappy here, so I have advice/messages for you all:

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Dear high school graduates,

You’ve spent nearly all of your life surrounded by the same group of friends and others in your community. Now, the time has come for you to venture out into a brave new world away from the familiar structure and environment of primary and secondary education. While what’s to come is truly exciting and will afford you the opportunity to evolve in ways you may have never dreamed of, you will be saying goodbye to an era of your life. There are close friends you’ll drift away from over the coming years (it’s okay, it happens!). There are casual acquaintances you’ll randomly remember 20 years later. There are people you maybe never talked to in school that you’ll connect with in the future and wonder why you weren’t friends in HS. And there are some lucky people you’ll still talk to regularly and reminisce about the good ol’ days with. But here’s the thing—you won’t know who is whom until much, much later. So before you head off to your future, embrace those in your present and take the time to celebrate your collective experience!

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Dear college graduates and postgraduates,

You made the choice to spend even more years in school to further your education and shape your future life. But, along the way, you evolved and discovered things about yourself that high school-you may not have ever known about. Both of these achievements deserve a celebration! Before you move on to your dream career or yet more educational opportunities, pause and go out with college friends to celebrate (in addition to becoming life-long friends, they may also become an important part of your professional network!) or have a dinner party with your family.

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Dear parents of graduates,

You probably already know how you’re feeling, so I’ll keep this short and sweet: Congratulations and kudos to you on helping your grad get to the diploma finishing line. They may be on to their next adventure, but they will still need your advice and support as they continue their journey. But before they (and you) take those next steps, enjoy this present state of joy and celebrate their academic achievements!

Congratulations on your graduation (and on making it to the end of this blog)! Now that you’re hyped for grad party season, check out Evite’s gold star-worthy assortment of graduation party invitations, graduation announcements and graduation eCards to start celebrating.