18th birthday celebrations with underage friends

Celebrating your 18th birthday can cause headaches when some of your friends haven’t yet reached the same age. An eighteenth birthday is a huge affair, usually associated with a raucous party and an awful lot of alcohol. But how do you plan your perfect 18th birthday celebration when you have underage friends to consider?

If your heart is set on having a party then there are a couple of things you should be aware of. House party rules should be set in advance of the first guest arriving and a ‘bring your own drinks’ policy is probably best. If you’re hiring a venue the law says that underage drinking is illegal in licensed premises and anyone over the age of 18 attempting to buy alcohol for anyone underage can be prosecuted. The last thing you want is for your big birthday bash to end up in a court case! If the majority of your friends are over 18 then perhaps organise two nights out (more fun for you!) and go to a club with those old enough and arrange a day out with the younger crowd.

Of course, there are other ways of celebrating that don’t involve any alcohol. If you’re looking for an evening with a bar atmosphere take a look at the restaurants in your local area. You can eat, have a great night out and enjoy a bar-like ambience without needing ID or alcohol to get you through the evening. Venue hopping is another great way of getting the most out of your celebration; start in one restaurant for appetisers, move to another for the main, go elsewhere for desert and then perhaps back to a friends for an evening in.

Make a day of it by organising something that involves a trip away for a football match or other sporting event perhaps. Go paintballing. Organise an activity evening rather than a night in a bar, go bowling or to a roller disco. Relax, revitalise and refresh yourself with a day at the spa. However you want to celebrate turning 18, cut loose and have fun, but most of all be respectful of those still underage.