If you’re looking for Project Graduation event entertainment ideas, here are our top ones! From night-club-inspired parties to nostalgic throwbacks, our Safe Grad party ideas will be a hit with your high school students.
Safe Grads are an amazing alternative party to keep high school students safe on their graduation night, but did you know they originated in New England? Launched for the first time in Oxford Hills, Maine in the 1980s, it’s since become a national movement to keep kids safe after graduating high school while celebrating their accomplishments.
As a proudly New England local event entertainment company that services CT, MA, RI, NH, and parts of ME and VT, these are some of our favorite events to do of the year.
Here’s our definitive list of our favorite project graduation ideas!
8 Perfect Project Graduation Entertainment Ideas
UV & LED Face Painting & Balloon Twisting
Number of Students Entertained Per Artist:
- UV face painting: 10-12 faces per hour
- LED simple balloon twisting: 15-20 designs per hour
Number of Artists Available: Up to 10 per type of entertainment
At a Glance: Make your safe grad glow with a “night club” inspired remix on these childhood favorites! The perfect blend of silly fun and eye-catching interest for tweens and teens.
Special Notes: UV face and body painting does require ultraviolet / blacklights. You can provide them for your event or rent them for the duration that our artists are at your event.
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: If it feels like your teens are growing up too fast, this is the perfect entertainment that mixes little-kid-nostalgia with something more “grown up” that feels like it should be at a nightclub.
Logistical Considerations: UV paint and LED balloons work best in dark places. If an area of your event is dark except for ultraviolet / blacklights or decorative lights, that’s the perfect spot. If you’re using our light rental services, just make sure we have access to 3-pronged outlets. (And just note that artists will need tables and chairs.)
LEARN MORE ABOUT UV & LED ENTERTAINMENT HERE!
Caricatures
Number of Students Entertained Per Artist: Up to 10 guests drawn per hour
Number of Artists Available: Up to 8 per event
At a Glance: Our caricature artists will draw fun cartoons of your students. To maximize speed (a constant consideration since we specialize in large events), we limit our caricatures to black and white busts to get more heads drawn per hour.
Special Notes: Want to add a pre-printed design with your school’s logo, mascot, or graduating class? Ask our office about adding custom printed paper to your order!
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: Caricatures are the PERFECT keepsake for your students’ once-in-a-lifetime event. They’re perfect for this age range and one of the most popular things we provide at graduation parties.
Logistical Considerations: Each caricature artist needs 1 table at dining-height (no high tops or children’s tables) with 3 chairs for them and guests.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CARICATURES HERE!
4 Types of Temporary Tattoos
Number of Guests Entertained Per Artist:
- Glitter tattoos: up to 30 tattoos per hour
- Airbrush tattoos: up to 30 tattoos per hour
- Flash tattoos: up to 25 guests per hour
- Henna (single finger designs): up to 25 guests per hour
- Henna (full hand designs) 10-12 guests per hour
Number of Artists Available:
- Glitter tattoos: up to 20 artists
- Airbrush tattoos: up to 15 artists
- Flash tattoos: up to 10 artists
- Hennaa: up to 5 artists
At a Glance: Mix and match any temporary tattoos you want! Students will line up, pick a tattoo from our menus, and have it applied to them. Tattoos last anywhere from a few days (glitter, flash) up to a week (airbrush, henna) but most can be easily removed with rubbing alcohol (except henna).
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: Students can lay on the tattoos as few or as many as they want. Temporary tattoo stations are the perfect quick-drop-by activity, or students can get a full sleeve from one of our artists. They’re a fun mix of nostalgia and feeling grown-up!
Logistical Considerations: Temporary tattoo artists need 1 table and 2 chairs per artist. Airbrush tattoos additionally *require* a 3-prong electrical outlet near their station. (Glitter, flash, and henna are self-contained.)
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR TEMPORARY TATTOOS HERE!
Glitter Looks
Number of Students Entertained Per Artist: Up to 15 students per hour
Number of Artists Available: Up to 20 artists available
At a Glance: Like with face painting, students line up to get a custom look. Great for all genders!
Special Notes: Can’t decide between face paint and glitter looks? Talk to our office about how you can combine them for your event.
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: Teens and young adults who often feel too old for face painting love our glitter looks! They’re fun for all genders and an “adult” spin on something classic as your students see off their childhood at your Project Safe Grad!
Logistical Considerations: Glitter looks artists need 1 table and 2 chairs per artist. For indoor events, you should check with your school or venue to make sure they allow glitter in their venue.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GLITTER LOOKS HERE!
Strolling Mentalism
Number of Students Entertained Per Mentalist: About 6-7 tricks per hour, up-close with groups of up to 10 people per trick
Number of Artists Available: We have 1-2 mentalists available at any given time, and they can work in pairs for your event
At a Glance: Our mentalists will walk throughout your event to perform up-close mind-reading using mystical objects like tarot cards, crystals, essential oils, and jewelry.
Special Notes: Mentalists use psychology, not any magic or witchcraft, and will work to keep your event feeling positive and uplifting.
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: While students are waiting in lines for other types of entertainment, we love mentalism as a strolling experience that can make every part of your Project Graduation fun–even the lines!
Logistical Considerations: Our mentalists need a small spot to stash extra items, but if they can park close to where they’re strolling, they can always leave things in their car. This is one of our most flexible types of entertainment!
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MAGICIANS HERE!
Tarot & Palm Reading
Number of Students Entertained Per Artist: Up to 10 per hour
Number of Artists Available: Up to 6 psychics available per event
At a Glance: Students drop by our psychic station for tarot or palm reading. They’re invited to ask any questions and bring their personal beliefs to the experience. Our psychics will do quick 3-card or 4-line readings if there is a line, or can do longer readings if there is time.
Special Notes: Students of any religion or skepticism are invited to this experience! Our tarot and palm readers want to create a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone and will not challenge any students’ beliefs; predict the future; talk to the dead; or give advice. Our readings are open-ended and optimistic with the belief that we all have the ability to shape our lives and futures 🙂
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: Tarot and palm reading are extremely popular with teens and young adults. It’s one of our most sought-after experiences for Project Graduations, but sells out very quickly in June every year because of this.
Logistical Considerations: Tarot and palm readers need 1 table and 2 chairs placed far away from the loud chaos of the rest of the event so we can have a quiet conversation with your students.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PSYCHIC PARTY PACKAGES HERE!
Karaoke Station & Party DJ
Number of Students Entertained Per Station:
- Karaoke station: up to 20 songs per hour with up to 4 microphones per song
- Party DJ: we can bring speakers for up to 600 students
Number of DJs Available: For your event we will only need 1 DJ, but if you want to add things like games with prizes, photo booths, or other DJ services our DJ can bring assistants.
At a Glance:
- Karaoke station: Put aside a separate room or area. Our DJ will provide playlists, screens/projectors (as appropriate) and up to 4 wireless mics so students can sing their hearts out!
- Party DJ: Our DJ will set up with speakers for your entire event! From playlists to requests, our DJs can make sure your students hear the music they love at their Safe Grad night!
Special Notes: Party DJs and karaoke stations are separate packages. If you want both, please specify with our office while booking. We will either need to create a schedule of set up / break downs to run one station after the other, or provide 2 DJs for your event.
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: Karaoke is another great example of an “adult” feeling entertainment that’s just as fun for high school students as when they were in elementary school.
Logistical Considerations: Our DJ will need access to power very close by to their station. Please give ou office as many details about your party’s size and venue when booking so we can make sure we bring the right equipment.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DJ SERVICES HERE!
Tie-Dye Make-and-Take
Number of Guests Entertained Per Artist: For teens and young adults, one tie-dye artist can assist up to 10 at a time and up to 40 high school age per hour. (For younger children, this number is much lower as they need more help.)
At a Glance: Our tie-dye artists help guests band, spray, and bag tie-dye apparel! This low-mess solution is the perfect make-and-take station that, if there’s no line, takes guests about 6 minutes to move through and complete.
Special Notes: Want to turn tie-dye into a great keepsake? Pre-order shirts with your class year, school logo, or mascot on it for students to grab and custom-dye!
Why We Love it for Safe Grad / Project Graduation: We love any activity that emphasizes hands-on play as an alternative to screens. And this is our favorite make-and-take station!
Logistical Considerations: Tie-Dye needs at least 2-3 long folding tables (we will provide drop cloths). Students should either plan to take their tie-dye with them in a bag, or you should prepare another 1 long folding table per 15 guests as a drying station. (We will provide gallon bags with name tags.)
LEARN MORE ABOUT TIE-DYE HERE!
Categories: Party Ideas (CT MA RI NH)