Party Like Your Exams Are Over!
So your a-level results or GCSE results are in, how will you celebrate or commiserate?
So, it’s that time of year. Whether you’re a college leaver or you’ve just finished school, August is the time for the dreaded exam results – that time of year when newspapers are stuffed with photos of young, beautiful looking people jumping for joy over the contents of their exam results envelope. Whether you’re equally excited about your results or just want to forget about them and move on, there’s nothing that a good party won’t fix! If nothing else, you’re probably glad that chapter of your life is over and now you’re starting a new life in college, university or the big wide world. Whatever you’re doing, you might as well start it off with a bang!
How To Celebrate Passing (or Just Finishing) Your Exams…
How you plan to celebrate finishing your exams and getting your results will differ from person to person. Some of you will no doubt want to find a metal bin or good bonfire spot and set light to all your textbooks and old note pads. But please only do that with parental supervision! But getting that sort of cleansing out of the way and moving onto more sensible things like partying means giving some thought to planning. Think about the sort of party you want to throw and the sort your friends would like to attend. There are plenty of options for you party from the subtle and under-stated slumber party/sleep over to the slightly more loud-and-proud fancy dress party. Here are a few things to consider before you get started:
1. The Venue – you might be excited to throw your own party, but your parents might not feel the same. Will they be happy for their home to be host to a bunch of excited teenagers letting it all hang out? Is there room? Will they leave you unsupervised? And if not, do you really want your parents keeping a beady-eye on proceedings? Perhaps renting out your local community hall or village hall might be a preferable alternative – but that will require some funding. Get everyone to chip in or go and beg your elders for a helping hand. If the weather’s nice, why not take your party to the beach? The beach can be a great party venue, just be sure to check with the local council on the rules around bonfires, BBQ’s and littering on public beaches!
2. The Attendees – who will you be inviting and how? Take care to not let the list get out of hand, but you’re bound to find not everyone you invite will turn up, so that that into account too.
3. Theme – will your party have a theme? Obviously you’re celebrating your results, but you might like to turn it into a full-blown fancy dress party to remember or forget your success. Other party ideas might include slightly more subtle party theming like just having a video games marathon/mini competition.
4. Food – you can’t go wrong with keeping it nice and simple. Prepare some finger food for everyone to eat and ensure there’s something everyone can enjoy – pizza, chips, sausage rolls, cake, cheese & pineapple on a stick, jelly and ice cream? Keep it simple or just keep your local pizza place on speed dial. Paper plates and plastic cutlery will help keep mess and damage to a minimum, though there’s bound to be a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards anyway.
5. Drinks – we certainly won’t be the ones to encourage under-age drinking, but whatever age your invitees you’ll need to keep them well lubricated, so whether it’s lemonade, coke and shandy or something stronger – ensure you have plenty for everyone to drink and get plenty of paper cups to prevent all your favourite glasses from being broken during the night. Some funky drinks coolers will help add to the vibe of the party and let everyone know where they can acquire a beverage.
6. Decorations – streamers, banners, balloons, party hats and bunting will help everyone remember it’s a party and a celebration, even if they aren’t all that pleased with their exam results. Decorate your party venue to ensure everyone is in the party mood. If you don’t mind cleaning up the mess afterwards, stock up on confetti, streamers and party poppers to keep people entertained.
7. Organisation – sending out party invitations by snail mail might be far to old school for your generation. So why not create a closed Facebook group and a private event, and then invite only those you want to attend. Send them the venue details by private message to avoid unwanted guests and ensure the whole thing goes off without a hitch. A closed group will also be a great place for all the memorable photos of the night and a great way for people to pitch in with ideas beforehand.
8. Party Playlists – tunes are an essential element to any party. But whether your musical taste is going to be popular with everyone else is debatable. Luckily, there’s always internet radio – things like Spotify now have a party playlist mode so you can ensure the good tunes keep coming. Alternatively ask guests to help you put together a playlist and spend your spare time putting together a one everyone can enjoy.
9. Keeping Cool – it is August. It’s warm – why not stick a swimming pool or over-sized paddling pool in your back garden to give everyone somewhere to chill out. If you really want to your party up a notch, you can even hire a hot tub or Jacuzzi for everyone to relax in – though they will have to take it in turns of course.
10. Something to Treasure – invest in a hardback note book and leave it at the party for guests to leave messages. No doubt all your friends will have some pearls of wisdom to leave behind. Just don’t forget to tell them about it!
Entertainment & Something Different
You’ve got the music, food and drink sorted, but have you given any thought to the possible entertainment at your party? Getting and keep everyone in the party mood can be taxing. But there are plenty of things you can do.- Bouncy Castles – you’re never too old for a bouncy castle. No matter how much you might like to claim that you are. And there’s no better way to relieve frustrations over poor (or slightly inadequate) exam results than a good bouncing session.
- Bubble Wrap Wrestling – purchase a large roll (or several rolls) of bubble wrap and get friends to wrap themselves up from head to toe, then organise some wrestling matches. All that bubble bursting will help relieve stress and worry and create plenty of giggle from fellow guests.
- Velcro Wall Running – you’ll probably need a big garden and plenty of room for this one, but you can hire those large Velcro walls and special suits then run, jump and stick all day long. Great fun and a good way to keep guests entertained.
- Slip & Slide – if it’s warm, grab some washing up liquid, Polythene sheeting and a hose pipe and you’ve got a great slip & slide. Just remind guests to bring their trunks or costumes and a towel.
- Pinatas – there’s plenty of reasons why these are the perfect addition to your party. Sweets and a good hard bashing being the main ones. Buy a few and encourage guests to take out their exam frustrations on these sweet-stuffed party pieces.
