17 Fun and Unique 17th Birthday Party Ideas

The Sweet 16 has come and gone, but that doesn’t make 17 any less exciting! Make the night unforgettable with one of our favorite 17th birthday party ideas. From dance and art to sports and hiking, there’s an option on this list to match any 17-year-old’s interests.

17 Memorable 17th Birthday Party Ideas

Go beyond the expected with these unique 17th birthday party ideas that will be remembered for decades to come. We’ve also included some matching digital invitations throughout. They can be sent out in a snap via email, text, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or a shareable link.

1. Dance Class

Is the b-day celebrant a performer who loves to move and groove? Find a one-hour drop-in dance class through a workout or dance studio, and invite everyone to come learn some moves. Often these classes teach a short choreographed dance in the allotted time, and the participants get to perform it a few times in small groups at the end. It’s a satisfying way to spend an hour!

2. In-Home Hibachi

Benihana is a classic restaurant for a celebration, but for a fun twist, bring the hibachi grill to you by hiring a chef to cook dinner at your house. They’ll bring their entire setup and treat the birthday honoree and their high school pals to an entertaining dinner performance and delicious grilled meal.

3. Get Active

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Matching Invitation: Ballpark Bash Invitation

If the nearly-17-year-old is into sports or physical activities, gather their friends to do said sport, like baseball, volleyball, rock climbing, or soccer. If it works for the activity, host a friendly competition with team shirts, prizes, and some old-school orange slices and Gatorade. 

4. Cake Decorating Class

In lieu of making a birthday cake, have the almost 17-year-old and their friends decorate their own! A cake decorating class provides individual cakes and all the needed supplies, plus an instructor to guide students on decoration methods.

5. Craft Night

Design: Jen Montgomery

Matching Invitation: Pastel Party Invitation

Get the besties together for a 17th birthday party craft hang! Doing hands-on, social-media-free activities is refreshing for Gen Z. Here are some DIY ideas that would work well for a teenage girl’s birthday party:

• Use air-dry clay to make mini food-shaped magnets.
• Get tote bags and embroidery floss, and stitch stuff on the bags.
• Use indigo dye to make shibori tie-dye patterns on socks, T-shirts, and totes.
• Learn punch needling or tufting.
• Use beads to make phone charms or earrings.
• Make candles using fun-shaped molds.
• Make vision boards or collages with magazine cutouts.
• Use alcohol-based markers to color in coloring books — they look way cooler than traditional markers.
• Paint jewelry dishes or mugs.
• Make trending charm necklaces.

6. Ceramics Class

Bring guests to a pottery throwing class and let their creativity come to life through the clay. An instructor will walk the group through the basics of building a small vessel. Everyone will get their hands dirty right away shaping the clay. Then, pick a glaze color, and leave it for the studio to fire in the kiln. The pieces will be ready to pick up in a few weeks. This birthday party idea gives everyone a handmade memento they can keep forever!

7. Top Golf

Want to hit some golf balls for an hour or two? Top Golf, the popular driving range franchise, has over 100 locations in 37 states, so you might have one near you. If not, mini golf or batting cages could provide just as much fun — particularly for a teen boy’s birthday party.

8. Arcade

Design: Raven Erebus

Matching invitation: Retro Arcade Game Invitation

Visit an arcade for a free-for-all birthday bash full of skeeball, Dance Dance Revolution, Mario Kart, and Pac-Man. Everyone will love competing against each other in video games, winning tickets, claiming prizes, and getting snapshots from the photobooth to take home. Top the night off with a visit to an ice cream shop.

9. Murder Mystery Party

One of our favorite birthday party themes for teenagers is a murder mystery party! Host a whodunit night using a pre-made party kit or by going to a murder mystery escape room. There are also murder mystery board games that take game night up a notch. Everyone will have tons of fun hunting for the murderer and getting into character.

10. Micro Shopping Spree

Design: Jen Owens Illustration

Matching Invitation: Whimsical Daisy Frame Invitation

Go to a gift shop, mall store, craft store, or thrift store and give each of the guests a small amount of cash. They have 10 minutes to buy anything they want with their money! If you’re at a mall, tack on a movie night at the theater or go to dinner nearby.

11. Go to a Musical or Concert

Enjoy a night out on the town for the birthday celebration by going to a special show. Maybe the guest of honor would be into the big bash musical rolling through town or maybe an indie concert in a small venue is more their vibe. Get a few tickets for close friends (this can double as a birthday gift!) and the party is planned!

12. Cooking Class

Design: Mint Parcel

Matching invitation: Cooking Essentials Invitation

A cooking class is an enjoyable way to bring a group of friends together and learn some skills while preparing a yummy meal. Sur La Table offers cooking classes if there’s a location nearby, or look for boutique cooking classes or instructors.

13. Sleepover at a Hotel

Invite a few close friends to spend the night at a reasonably priced hotel for some fancy fun. Do things like have a pool party, enjoy a DIY spa day with face masks, dress up and get dessert nearby, make TikToks, settle in for a movie marathon, and spend a night feeling like adults (with a trusted parent chaperone)! If an adult has credit card points or is part of a loyalty program, this 17th birthday party idea could be done for a very low cost.

14. Hiking

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Matching Invitation: Outdoors Adventure Invitation

If the birthday person would rather be outdoors than anywhere else, embrace it with a hiking b-day party. Bring their buds to their favorite trail, and enjoy the great outdoors. You can even camp at an easily accessible campsite. A night roasting marshmallows around a bonfire under the stars will be one they’ll never forget.

15. Karaoke Room

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Matching Invitation: Playful Pink Invitation

Book a karaoke room for a showstopping 17-year-old birthday party. These venues put just your group in a room where you can queue up your playlist and sing to one another all night, complete with a server bringing you appetizers and mocktails. For a fun twist, have everyone sing one song by the guest of honor’s favorite artist.

16. Dinner Party

Does the birthday honoree obsess over cooking shows and love experimenting in the kitchen? Give the foodie a real challenge and let them host a dinner party for their friends. Have them plan their own menu and decorate the table.

17. Hometown Tourist

It’s so “cringe” it’s fun — play tourist in your own area by visiting a popular spot that you may not go to much (or at all). Maybe it’s an amusement park, a botanical garden, a beach, or a nearby town that attracts tons of people. Sometimes we miss the stuff in our own backyard!

That’s So 17!

Now it’s time to begin the party planning process for the big bash. When you’re ready to make the guest list and send out invitations, we can help.

We have hundreds of handcrafted birthday party invite designs to choose from, so you’re bound to find one that matches your party theme. Plus, you can customize the text, colors, envelope, and more to make it a perfect fit. Not to mention, it’s a breeze for guests to RSVP.