Turning 13 is a big deal in the life of every child. In many traditions, it is a milestone birthday that marks becoming a teenager. If you are looking for awesome 13th birthday party ideas and tips, you’ve come to the right place!
A Tween into a Teen Party Decor
Birthday party themes bring all the elements of your feast together, influencing venue choices, invitation card style, dress code, menu, and, undoubtedly, decorations.
Here is what you need to include in your 13th birthday planning checklist:
- Color coordination. Is your birthday party inspired by a video game, a social network platform, or a soccer team? Make sure decorations, tableware, and costumes coordinate.
- Entry decoration. Let the world know you are celebrating with party banners featuring ‘OMG you are a teenager’, ‘officially teenager’, ‘#13’, ‘HBD’, and other cute but meaningful stuff.
- Photo zone. Surely, you will want to create long-lasting memories with vivid photos. Create a booth, a screen, or a photo prop frame and buy or have kids DIY fun photo props.
- Balloons and Co. Balloons, streamers, confetti, tassels, disco balls, buntings, and other party paraphernalia instantly create an uplifting party atmosphere.
- Lighting. Black lights, fairy lights, disco lights, paper lanterns, and candles all help to up the ambiance of the party.
- Party favors. Your child is probably too old for goodie bags but a nice little something guests can take with them as a keepsake will positively delight every guest. If you are hosting a cooking or DIY class, your guests can create their party favors themselves.
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Fun Birthday Party Ideas for 13-Year-Olds
A good party starts with a good theme! We know, coming up with birthday themes for this age group comes with its challenges, but we have your back. To help you decide, we’ve come up with a list of the best 13th birthday party ideas.
1. TikTok Party. Your new teenager is sure to go crazy for a TikTok-themed party. Start with personalized invitations with a TikTok logo to get the teens enthusiastic about the upcoming celebration. To bring the party theme to life, use the platform’s trademark colors of black, white, aqua, and magenta.
Stunning balloon installs and tassel streamer backdrops are sure to be a hit. Set up a photo booth where guests can take endless photos and videos. Have the kids create GIFs and boomerangs, learn the newest TikTok dance, or try a challenge and record themselves.
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Use trending music as inspo for the party menu (we love the Chicken and Macaroni trend!) and add an assortment of custom cookies and TikTok-themed birthday cake!
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2. YouTube Party. Your budding YouTube blogger is about to turn thirteen? YouTube means so much for teenagers nowadays, and a YouTube-themed party is bound to become an overnight sensation. Get the party started with red, white, and black party decor. A custom-made YouTube screen or a photo prop frame will make your birthday boy or girl feel like the star of their own channel.
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Hit the play button and record all the fun activities, like commenting on playing a game or unwrapping gifts. More birthday party ideas include a YouTube play button birthday cake and YouTube icons sugar cookies.
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3. Dance Party. Dance and fun are what the occasion is about! Invite your kid’s friends to hit the dance floor and have a blast. Compile a list of music videos or call for a DJ and rent a powerful speaker system, disco lights, and a smoke machine. Alternatively, you can rent wireless headphones and have a silent disco your neighbors will be thankful for.
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Or step up the common theme and have a glow-in-the-dark disco. Hand the kids some glow sticks and plop a few black lights around the room to make everything glow and enrich the vibe.
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4. Scavenger Hunt or Escape Room. You are looking for unique party ideas to celebrate a 13th birthday party? Step up to the challenge and organize a problem-solving activity. In essence, a scavenger hunt is simple: guests need to complete fun tasks to receive a present. A scavenger hunt list might include things to find or things to do, or you can opt for variables like a photo, selfie, or virtual hunt.
Don’t feel like overcrowding your house with hunting kids? Take them to a local park, a shopping mall, or an escape room, which might have ready-made birthday solutions. Search for places that offer a birthday package.
5. Movie Night. A movie night is among the relatively inexpensive and stress-free 13th birthday party ideas. ‘Admit One’ ticket invitation cards will introduce your guests to the birthday party theme. Create a comfy movie theater atmosphere with a bunch of big cushions and blankets. Make snack trays serving popcorn, and nachos with an array of dips, pretzels, frozen fruit slushies, and refreshments. Hot food ideas to consider are hot dogs, burgers, and french fries with condiments.
If your teen is more of an outdoorsy type, simply set a projector and a screen in the back garden along with lounge chairs or bean bags. Or take the whole gang to the nearby movie theater for a memorable 13th birthday party experience.
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6. Pool Party. Splash parties are on top of our summer birthday party ideas list! They can be held in your garden and if you have a swimming pool, you are halfway there. But getting a large paddling pool is also an option.
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Instruct your guests to bring their swimsuits, towels, and a change of clothes and provide sunscreen that changes color to make UV protection fun. Pool game ideas could be water gun fights, octopus tag, or beach ball relay races. Embrace the under-the-sea magic with mermaid-themed party decor. Inflatable donuts and slip ‘n slide are a fun way to elevate the pool birthday party and they also make cool photo props.
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When everyone is wet and wild, round up the party with a barbecue or a pizza party followed by ice cream.
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7. Slumber Party. A slumber party opens up an opportunity to create some of the most memorable moments in your child’s life. Have party guests arrive in their pajamas and bring their sleeping bags with them. Keep the numbers small – a sleepover is not a good option for a huge bash.
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Create a cozy backdrop with balloons, buntings, fairy lights, lounge cushions, and throw blankets. Line up some beauty products to try and films to watch or hire a karaoke machine for the night. Make sure to have plenty of snacks and refreshments to keep kids full all night. After all, who sleeps at a sleepover?
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8. Birthday Brunch. If your daughter’s 13th birthday is in spring or summer and she is a calm, romantic type, hosting an outdoor brunch party with sweet girly decor is a great way to make the event fun and memorable. Natural lighting and lovely party decor are also fail-proof ingredients for a successful birthday photoshoot.
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Pay attention to detail and plan a delicious menu. Consider appetizing canapes, crepes, pancakes, and fresh fruit. The finishing touch will be of course a stunning cake with tangy flavors.
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9. Gaming-Inspired Party. Are you searching for thrilling 13th birthday party ideas that will exhilarate your soon-to-be teenager? Consider organizing a fun gaming experience they will never forget. You can book the gaming parlor for guests or a video gaming nook in the amusement park (be sure to check if the parlor offers birthday packages). Better yet if you have a fully equipped gaming room in your own home!
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Is your tween wrapped up in a Fortnite craze? Host a Fortnite birthday party at home. If you are worried about the amount of screen time, hold a real-life Fortnite battle in the garden. The guests are sure to enjoy game-themed food and drinks based on characters and items.
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10. Nerf Battle. Turn your child’s love for Nerf Wars into an unforgettable nerf birthday party. Transform your backyard or basement into a battlefield with DIY targets and bases. If you are throwing a big party, have the guests bring their own nerf guns with them. You may decide to buy the guns yourself if it’s only for a few friends. Definitely stock up on safety glasses to make the fun games risk-free. These would also make great a party favor along with a candy bag of Pop Rocks or Charm Blow Pops.
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In your decorations of the snack area use classic blue and orange nerf colors.
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11. Spa Party. There are no better 13th birthday party ideas for girls than a makeover spa party. As your little girl is stepping into her teenage years, it’s a huge milestone for your child and a ‘grown-up’ spa day will help her feel a part of this new life. Spa birthday parties can be organized in a spa parlor or a local hotel that offers spa treatment. Let them order room service and enjoy a day of pampering.
It’s also a perfect theme for a fun home birthday party. Get the guests to bring their bathrobes, and supply them with nail polishes, sheet face masks, body oils, and other beauty products. They will have so much fun doing each other’s nails, applying make-up, or just chilling with the cucumber eye pads.
12. Cooking-Themed Party. If you have an aspiring chef growing up in your family, here are some cooking 13th birthday party ideas they might enjoy.
Everyone loves pizza, so pulling off a ‘make your own pizzas’ birthday party should be a piece of cake. For ease, prep the utensils (baking trays, rolling pins, pizza cutter) and measure the ingredients. Stock up on pizza dough and toppings – tomato sauce, salami, mushrooms, olives, ham, onions, and lots of cheese, of course. Thematic pizza cookies and a pizza cake look super cute too!
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Other cooking birthday party ideas include a mocktail contest or cake, cupcakes, or gingerbread cookies (ideal for a winter birthday!) decorating parties. And custom aprons are great party favors to take home!
Pro Tip: Check with the parents for any dietary restrictions, allergies, or ingredient intolerance before planning the party.
13. Tie Dye Party. Show your true colors with a fun tie-dye celebration! Choose and set up a mess-friendly area, preferably outside, but if the weather forecast isn’t optimistic, a garage, a basement, or a playroom will work too.
Make sure each kid has at least one item to dye. T-shirts are a camp classic, but other fun ideas might include socks, tote bags, beanie hats, headbands, or scrunchies. Prewash the items so that they soak in dye well and lay out the supplies: rubber gloves, aprons, rubber bands, squeeze bottles of dye, and bulks of paper towels.
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Your guests will love swirl lollipops, cupcakes with tie-dye icing, and rainbow fruit salads and kebabs. A party to dye for!
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14. Emoji-Themed Party. Trending right now – emoji birthday party theme! Since teenagers spend hours texting on their phones, they would definitely enjoy a good time with best friends showing how they feel with emojis.
A photo booth with DIY emoji photo props or emoji masks gets our thumbs-up. Decorate the party space with yellow emoji balloons and keep the kids busy decorating emoji cupcakes, making emoji Oreo pops, French macarons, and marshmallow poop emoji cookies. After all, ‘every party has a pooper’!
15. The 80s or 90s Themed Party. Get nostalgic with a retro-themed party! Decorate the walls with that time movie posters, rent some arcade cabinets, and inform the guests about the 90s party dress code – neon clothes and scrunchies are a must!
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Hand out glow sticks and neon glitter pen bracelets and jam to your favorite 80s hits at a glow-in-the-dark disco. Throw lip sync battles and dance-offs, and Rubic’s cube-solving competitions.
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Or have a more relaxed celebration with board games such as Battleship, Connect Four, or Topple. Treat your guests to 80s-themed candy like Sour Patch Kids, Push Pops, Bottle Caps, and Abba-Zabas.
16. Sports of Choice Themed Party. If your birthday teen is an active one, there are plenty of sporty 13th birthday party ideas. From basketball to baseball, you can customize based on what your birthday kid loves to play. Deck the walls with festive decals of your child’s favorite athlete, team, or kind of sport. Create a sport-themed centerpiece – a basket of tennis balls, a baseball bat and a mitt, a golf club with a bowl of golf balls – let your imagination run free.
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Your guests will appreciate sweet and savory stadium snacks – hot dogs, tacos, burgers, kettle corn, and lemonade. Then again, you can take the party to a bowling alley, or an ice skating rink, or head to your local college for a game of baseball.
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Planning and hosting a party is important but remember that it’s even more important to bring family and friends together and have fun. We hope your teen-to-be will remember their 13th birthday party for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make turning 13 special?
One way to make turning 13 special is to plan an unforgettable birthday celebration. This can involve hosting a fun and festive party with friends and family, taking a special trip, or doing something meaningful that the just-turned teenager will always remember.
What can I do for my daughter’s 13th birthday?
The most popular 13th birthday party themes for girls are a disco, a movie or a slumber night. If you consider pulling off a backyard party, a brunch or a pool party would be amazing choices. If you want to focus on an interesting activity, consider a tie dye party, as well as TikTok and cooking party themes.
What can I do for my son’s 13th birthday?
Gaming and sport-centered birthday parties is something 13-year-old boys love most! Other unique and exciting ideas would be hosting a nerf battle, a paintball battle, or a YouTube party, where the birthday boy will be encouraged to comment on all the games.
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