A common tradition among high school seniors in the Tampa Bay area and around the country is the rite of passage that is having a graduation party to celebrate with friends and family, and the journey of going to college.

Many high school seniors pair up with friends to plan their parties as a way to ease the process and financially make the party more manageable.

The first step to a good grad party is figuring out the basic logistics of who the party is for (if the party is for more than one student), where it will be held, and if it will have a theme.

“I’m doing my grad party with my best friend from Tampa Prep and we’re doing a garden party/vintage theme, and including a photo booth station with Polaroids,” senior Haley Hansen said.

Students utilize Pinterest and social media for ideas on planning their parties out and choosing unique themes that will be memorable and fun. Some of the themes have been formal, tropical, brunch and more.

“[Haley Hanlon and I’s grad party] theme is welcome to college/gameday,” senior Peyton Patillo said.

Some students, however, do not pick a theme for their party, and instead host it on their own and do an open house style party or a brunch.

“I’m just excited about reliving all of my memories with my family and friends. I just figured I would invite all the people I like and enjoy being around,” senior Josh Davis said.

The next step is figuring out catering based on the theme of the party. If it is casual, it is common to see buffet style serving whereas if it is a dressier event there are sometimes servers and more staff involved.

The planning process of graduation parties is difficult since seniors must coordinate a guest list, stay within a budget, plan food, and find a location to host the party at.

“The most difficult part is compromising with the girls I’m having my party with and dealing with what our mothers expect too,” senior Allison Voiland said.

Another step to creating a good graduation party is figuring out a guest list that incorporates family and friends. Most seniors who are having larger grad parties invite around 100 students from the grade, which grows the guest list and makes going to the parties a social event.

“We tried to pick a theme that we can be the most creative with and then our guest list includes our closest friends and their friend groups,” Patillo said.

Graduation season includes many events but the graduation party aspect draws the grade closer together before it is time for everyone to part ways. It is a great way to share memories from the last four years and enjoy the seniors’ accomplishments.