What birthday party do 16 year olds want?

[TooOldToBeCool]

I have a younger sister who will be turning 16 in a couple of months. Unfortunately her mum passed away nearly a year ago, very close to the date of her birthday. We are all still of course struggling with this, and we want to make her birthday as good as we can. My older sister wants to plan a party for her, and has asked for my help.

Their current plan is around 35 teenagers in a hired room (think a newly built, quite nice, village hall) which has a capacity for 200. With a DJ, some food etc. Our dad is also very certain that no alcohol can be anywhere near these kids (fine).

At 16 I'd have hated this. So much.

What do you think your 16 year old would like? What could I suggest instead?

I'm a mum to a much younger kid, and as I head towards my mid 30s I just don't know what's cool any more!

just ask her, at 16 (and still now) that would be my nightmare, 10x more if it was a surprise

The obvious answer is to ask your sister. I think most of that age tend to go for a house party type event, but she may or may not want to do that.

also she might not even want to celebrate so close to the 1 year anniversary of her mother

My daughter will be 17 in December and would hate the current plan. Also, no alcohol, are you sure 😂 I promise there will be, you can hardly search them!

Basically, most 16 year olds are too old for organised birthday parties. A better bet is book them and 3-4 friends a table somewhere nice and cover the bill. Nando’s will do!

Why is no-one asking the most important person in all of this?

Sounds like a lovely idea but actuallyIRL would be cringe.

Escape room followed by a Nando’s would be much better. Or something like that!

Sorry, yes she has been asked (admittedly not by me yet) and that plan was reached. But I'm not quite sure how much she was led to it... It doesn't feel like something she'd suggest.

I guess I'm looking to have another good suggestion before I go in and wreck the existing plans!

I was thinking private (ish) dining area somewhere. Or yeah like Nandos. That's what I did for my 16th (followed by a joint birthday house party at another friends a few weeks later).

I too think that a hall party would be cringe! Especially with so few of them!

35 people in a hall built for 200 will be echo -y, cold and visibly disappointing, imo. It's too big.
I have a 16y old myself and she'd find that utterly mortifying, but yours might be different. Definitely ask, it's a tricky age. Something that was acceptable a year or so ago might well be completely inappropriate for their street cred now.

I think a smaller room might work better, but maybe a house party? How sociable is she?

I hosted a 16 year old party last year. She requested 6 friends to come for a sleepover. I provided pizza and snacks, as well as a cake. I bought 2 bottles of Bucks Fizz - I thought they would have alcohol anyway so this would mean under 1 unit each, with me having some as well. I think they did smuggle in some stronger alcohol. They went to MacDonalds for lunch the next day before going home.
There was lots of running round the house and giggling, like younger children. They all said it was great and they should do it more often (though that didn't happen).

My teens wouldn't like that but maybe your sister will.
Mine have had/been to sleepover house parties for about between 6-10 girls.
Also been to dinner for about 6 people in smart restaurant without adults and birthday girls mum just turns up to pay the bill.
With one friend the girls met at her house first and then had limo ride to the restaurant

Gosh at 16, I remember having a nice family restaurant meal, cake at home. Then going out with my friends. I’d say ask her.

literally had one yesterday - 4 girls had sleepover Fri, then 6 boys & girls turned up at 11.00 stayed all day 'til 10.00 pm.

We provided supermarket pizza for meal 1 and fishfingers and chips for meal 2. its what we had in - weren't expecting that. cakes, crisps, biscuits, drinks. Non alcoholic, Im not against it, they just aren't drinkers.

Some random teens they say they don't know turned up at door smelling of weed at about 9pm. Dad answered door they said polite happy birthday to DD and left.

Teens did all the cooking (and clearing up) - they did some sponatneous baking in afternooon. They played board games, console games, watched horror films.

We left them to it.

My 15 year old has recently been invited to - escape room + pizza, VR place + pizza, board games place + pizza, ... all groups of about 5-7 kids and fairly low key but fun.

DD has been to a few lately - one was actually quite similar to what you have planned but on much bigger scale, must have been quite a big family as DD said it was packed with friends DD age and the girl's fam - disco etc, food. No alcohol.

About 10 girls piled round to the birthday girls house and played loud music, ordered pizza, watched a horror film or two and there was alcohol (although not tonnes as the mum was hiding out somewhere in the house).

Dinner party with about 6 friends and a sleepover, parents went out for the evening - was alcohol, lots by the sounds of it. Started out quite politely and ended with someone (not DD) crying and vomiting in a bin.

Number 2 was DD's fave.