Fun Games for a 21 Year Old Birthday Party

Drink responsibly so your friends can celebrate with you again next year.martini image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com

There are many events in your life that become memorable occasions; your first date, your first kiss, your driver's license and the day you turn 21 years of age. The celebratory party that goes with the 21st birthday may or may not be centered around drinking but it is the age when drinking and gambling become legal in the United States. Drinking games at a party often result in a morning hangover and selective memory loss. Keep the party a pleasant time for everyone by incorporating many different games during the festivities.

Break the Ice

A large guest list may include people with a diverse background. Let the crowd learn about each other with a simple game of "I once..." where the host states "My name is John Doe and I once streaked through the school" or some other action. The guests raise their hands if they ever did the action or a similar one. The host then chooses someone who raised their hand to come up with the next "I once..." action. Each guest must open with the phrase "My name is and I once..." so everyone learns each others names. Explain that the more outlandish or wild the action, the more fun the game becomes and also the more questions the guests will need to answer during the party.

Find out how daring your party guests are by playing a game of "Clothesline" where teams are given clothes pins and a section of clothesline which is marked every six inches with black tape. You can decide how long the length of line is for each team. The object of the game is to have each team member take off an article of clothing and hang it on the line at the marked intervals. The team with the longest line of clothes is the winner. For a more modest version, you can provide plastic baggies and have guests hang their accessories like scarves, hats and jewelry on the clothesline in the baggies.

Choose a drinking game in which everyone at the party can partake. For instance, a game of "Whenever..." allows the game to last all night and not have guests drunk or passed out in the first hour. The rules of the game are simple. Select a specific action that must take place for everyone to take a drink. For example, whenever the word "love" is said in a song on the radio everyone takes a drink. You can make the action whatever you like, such as whenever someone says a particular word or references a particular movie or television show. You can even play a movie and state that whenever the actors curse or run or use a gun your guests must take a drink. If you allow the television to play a local station during the evening, you may want to choose a favorite commercial as the chosen signal.

Send your guests home with simple reminders of the occasion with door prizes they can win at the blackjack table. Set up a card table and have someone act as the dealer throughout the evening. You can change dealers as frequently as you need to so everyone gets a chance to deal the cards. Tell the guests that as the evening progresses they can stop at the table for chance to score "21" and win a token. At the end of the night, the guests can turn in their tokens for simple prizes like a candy bar, chewing gum or other party favors.