Key Takeaways:
- High school is a unique time to create lasting memories with friends—getting involved in fun events that foster connections and experiences you’ll cherish for years.
- The best activities create conversation and connection, putting your phone down and participating in hands-on activities.
- Some engaging high school activities include trivia nights, outdoor adventure days, international food fests, and any other events that encourage students to interact, try new things, and share their talents.
There is no better time than those high school years spent in your hometown to create wonderful memories with friends and classmates. After all, you’re going to be looking back on these days in a few years, so why not live it up to the fullest with some fun events?
20 High School Event Ideas
Here is a list of twenty great event ideas that your high school could use to turn these four years into the experience of a lifetime.
1. Outdoor Movie Night
Movie nights are a classic and amazing way to have fun on the weekend. What better way to watch your favorite movies than with your friends under the twinkling stars? All you need is a big screen, some cozy blankets, and a projector. For the ultimate viewing experience, be sure to have popcorn and snacks at the ready.
2. Karaoke Night
Blast some music and sing along with friends to your favorite songs. A karaoke night is a great way to showcase talent and have fun with it. You can rent karaoke equipment, hire a DJ, or use free apps or websites to put this event on. For added competition, create teams and awards.
3. Outdoor Adventure Day
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, this event idea is tailor-made for you. Get together for an outdoor adventure day, filled with thrills like hiking, rock climbing, and maybe even a little friendly competition. You can also include team-building games to strengthen community bonds—It’s a great way to get some fresh air and create memories.
4. Carnival Extravaganza
Step right up, the carnival is in town. At your school, that is. A carnival-themed event is a great way to fundraise for the school and create a fun and friendly atmosphere. Set up booths with games, face painting, cotton candy, and even a dunk tank. You can open it up to the community so that there’s fun for everyone.
5. Costume Party
Who says Halloween is the only time you can dress up? A costume party is an exciting way to show off imagination and individuality. Pick a theme, whether it’s superheroes, the ’80s, or your favorite movie characters, and get ready to dance the night away in your awesome costumes. Create prizes and awards for some friendly competition.
6. International Food Festival
This one is for the foodies: Organize an international food festival where you and your peers can showcase your cooking skills. Each booth could represent a different country, offering delicious dishes from around the world. This is especially fun if your community is diverse and can reflect everyone’s vibrant backgrounds. It’s a tasty and educational event that lets you explore new flavors without leaving the school campus.
7. Trivia Night
Showcase your smarts with a fun trivia night. This one generally starts off more relaxed, but can quickly pick up speed with the right energy. Form teams and answer questions on a wide range of topics. You can have different rounds with categories like history, pop culture, and even school-related questions. Remember to grab some buzzers, too—they add an extra layer of excitement to the game.
8. Art Show
Flaunt your artistic side with an art show. Whether you’re into painting, sculpture, photography, or anything in between, this high school event idea allows you to express your creativity. You can display your work and even sell some pieces if you’re comfortable with it. It’s a great way to showcase your talents and support your artistic friends.
9. DIY Craft Fair
Are you a crafting enthusiast? A DIY craft fair is a fantastic event idea for those who love getting creative. Set up booths with handmade crafts like jewelry, candles, and custom t-shirts. You can offer crafting workshops, too, so everyone can get in on the action. It’s a great way to fundraise, if you’d like, and it quickly builds connections through passion.
10. Sports Day Showdown
If you’re someone who loves high-energy games, here we have an active sports day showdown. Gather your classmates and organize a day of friendly competition with games like tug-of-war, relay races, and dodgeball. It’s a great way to get excited with your team and to bond with your classmates. You can even have a picnic afterward to celebrate your victories.
11. Rube Goldberg Machine Building Competition
This is a great way for young problem-solvers and innovators to build an eye-catching system from household recyclables through chain reactions. The goal of this project is to engineer the most complicated way to do the simplest task. It’s imaginative, has just the right amount of competition, and even better when it’s team-based.
12. T-Shirt Sign-out Day
A true classic and heartwarming way to get a souvenir from your high school years. Make sure everybody has either their own white t-shirt or a supplied one, bring an array of different marker colors, and get signing. Celebrating the last several days or weeks of high school can easily be fun and conversation-filled with an activity like this one. As a bonus, everybody keeps their new or upcycled shirt.
13. Sidewalk Chalk Art
Showcase your wonderful chalk art skills with a beautiful array of sidewalk masterpieces made by you and your friends. Grab a bucket of chalk from your local store and spend some time outside making fun designs. Pro tip: bring some water with you to hydrate the chalk—this brings out the chalks’ vibrancy and makes the colors blend smoother.
14. Scrapbook Making
Looking for a fun and artsy way to celebrate the memories made in high school? Organize a scrapbook making get-together with friends. Look back on good times and create something special to remember these four years. You can find or make your own unique patterns arranged to honor your favorite school dance, all the all-nighters you may or may not have pulled, or anything in between.
15. Nature Walk
For the nature-lovers, a wonderful group experience is taking a walk in the woods and looking at the greenery all around us. You can chat, draw your favorite flowers, and look at birds. It’s a great way to get to know new people and get some fresh air at the same time.
16. Presentation Night
Everyone brings in their own presentation, either digitally made or done in person, on any topic of their choosing. This event can be however open-ended or theme-based the host wants, and it supports teams, too. Example topics include an in-depth fruit ranking, someone rating all the movies they had seen in the last year, or a presentation explaining someone’s newest invention.
17. Paint Night
Fun for any talent level whether guided or not, a group paint night is a fantastic way to get creative and to make something beautiful. Painting is flexible with the seasons and provides a wonderful space to laugh with friends. Lay out some good snacks and drinks for everybody and begin putting paint on canvas.
18. Beach Day
For those who love beautiful scenery and calming waves – this one’s for you. Bring vibrant beach towels, a bottle of sunscreen, and your favorite pair of sunglasses. Having your classmates with you adds even more fun to spending a day at the beach, and this comes with the opportunity for games and picnics.
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19. A Dessert as your Ticket Party
Who doesn’t crave something sweet every once in a while? The Dessert as your Ticket party is an exciting social gathering where you and your friends each bring in something baked from scratch beforehand. Themed or not, the designs will be original, and can come in the form of cakes, pastries, ice creams, and many more. The best part is that you get to try everyone’s creative desserts.
20. Vision Board Night
As your K-12 years are nearing the end, it’s important to figure out the kind of person you’re aiming to be in the next few years—a fantastic way to do this is with an inspiring vision board. Get some friends together and with craft supplies laid out, begin to reflect and collage your most ideal future with images. Reminisce in conversation and look toward these next several years with your head held high.
High school is a time to make memories, have fun, and try new things, so these event ideas for high school students are just the tip of the iceberg. Absolutely feel free to get creative and come up with your own unique ideas for school events.
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