Celebrate your grad this season with 39 of the best graduation party decorations | CNN Underscored (2024)

Add a personalized touch to your party with this college banner. Customize it by adding your graduate’s school colors and letters. Whether your grad is on their way to a large university or a smaller college, you’ll help make sure every guest knows exactly where they’re headed next.

Sometimes all you need is a simple balloon display to make a regular get-together feel more like a celebration. This shiny set of balloons spells out "Congrats," the perfect message for your grad, and comes with an included string for easy hanging. Plus, you can pair it with this additional Grad Cap and Balloon set from Spritz for an even more festive display.

Alternatively, you can opt for the same shimmer Spritz balloon display but this time in a “Class of 2024” version.

Give your graduate a sentimental send-off with this photo banner cataloging each year of their schooling journey from kindergarten to senior year. Make use of school yearbook photos or personal favorites from each year for a display that is sure to have guests giggling.

Maybe your grad got a yearbook at their high school graduation, but this memory board will let their family and nonschool friends join in on the fun too. It’s not only a cute activity for your party guests; it'll also make a nice keepsake you can have framed and displayed.

Spruce up your walls or entryways with this set of 10 13-foot long strands of star garland. Choose from a selection of colors for whatever best matches your grad party theme.

Complete with colorful felt pom-poms, graduation caps and tassels, this adorable garland comes in four sizes up to 10 feet in length.

Balloons are an easy and affordable way to jazz up any celebration space. Pair these confetti balloons — which come in gold, pink, blue, red and silver color options — with your grad wall decor, spread them around the space as table decor or tie them down around the room.

A balloon arch can be used as a focal point to your space, a cute photo area or a welcoming entryway as your guests arrive. This kit will help you bring your balloon arch vision to life with an included hand pump, arch pole and weight bags. Just be sure to grab some balloons in your party’s colors to fully fill it out.

If balloons aren’t quite your style, go for this burlap graduation banner. With a more rustic feel, this banner will fit into any daytime grad party and is great for hanging across your fireplace mantel, entryway or even somewhere in your backyard.

These college pennants can double as decor and as party favors for your graduate's friends. Whether your grads are all headed to similar schools or spreading out across the country, you’ll be sure to find everyone’s school on College Flags & Banners Co.’s site. From HBCUs to state schools, military schools and private colleges, celebrate where all your scholars are headed next and let them leave the celebration with their own banner, which will look great displayed in their freshman dorm room.

Your party might be one of the final times your grad gets to see all their friends and loved ones in one place before the school year starts. A photo booth will help to make sure your celebration is not forgotten. This personalized photo booth frame will help everyone remember your grad’s special day and give you tons of fun photos to look back on.

And for photos your guests can take home as soon as the party ends, consider an instant camera like this Fujifilm Instax Mini. It also makes a great graduation gift to take to school once your grad’s party ends and will ensure they capture all the crucial campus memories of their first year.

If you’re having an indoor celebration, grab this gold foil fringe for a more festive photo backdrop. Maybe even add in some 2024 number balloons to hold in the photo or pin up to the wall.

String lights are great for adding a whimsical touch to your event, and they look especially nice if your grad party is taking place in the evening. These curtain lights can be added in as part of your photo backdrop or just hung around to add life to the general party ambience.

For outdoor parties that plan to continue after dusk, the bulbs on these outdoor string lights are just the thing to help keep your guests illuminated while they drink, eat and chat.

Let your guests share college wisdom and well wishes with this keepsake guest book, which you can have personalized with your graduate’s name and class year.

Having a designated place for guests to drop graduation cards or other notes will help prevent them from getting misplaced once the party ends. Available in four finishes, this glass card box will help keep your cards secure and beautifully displayed at your event.

No one wants to do dishes after a party. Save yourself some of the cleanup hassle with this dinnerware set of 125 pieces in cheerful white and gold. Enough to serve 25 guests, this set comes equipped with two different plate sizes, napkins, cups and cutlery.

Table covers will help protect your tables from spills, scratches and other misfortunes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also be festive. This disposable cover is adorned with mini grad caps, so whether you're outfitting a picnic, a folding table or a living room table, the reason for celebration will be loud and clear.

If you’re looking for a tablecloth that doesn’t scream “grad," grab one of these Folkulture tablecloths, which come in a variety of brightly colored patterns perfect for summer or garden-style outdoor parties.

To make your snack table look more cohesive, dress it with a table skirt. Not only is this a great way to keep extra party supplies stashed out of view, but it will also help your party look a little more polished, even if you threw everything together last minute.

For dinnerware that feels a little more upscale than traditional partyware, try this green and gold set. Perfect if you’re planning a sit-down-style party meal, this set can accommodate up to 30 guests and can be hand-washed for extra uses or disposed of after the event ends.

If you don’t enjoy the mixing, matching and planning of party decor, you can always grab this Party City kit. Complete with plates, cups, napkins, confetti, a table cover, balloons and banners, this kit will cover all your party and decorating basics to make sure your grad knows this celebration is specifically for them.

For a glassware-free grad party, plastic cups are a must for serving drinks. This pack of 50 cups is designed with a subtle glitter shimmer and a 14-ounce capacity that's perfect for water, soda, mocktails and more.

Whether you're making a cake from scratch or picking one up for the party, this graduation cake topper will add an extra flair of decoration and pizzazz to your dessert.

For personalizing cupcakes or other celebratory sweet treats, these edible diploma toppers are an excellent addition that will really wow your guests and take your treat table to the next level. Customize them for high school or college graduations with your grad’s name, school, degree and class year.

And of course you’ll need something to help beautifully display your cupcakes and treats. This cupcake stand is made of sturdy acrylic plastic and comes with LED string lights so you can make your display truly dazzle.

If you’re looking for a stand that’s specifically graduation themed,grab this three-tiered cardboard version that can be wiped off and stored flat until you need to use it again.

If cupcakes and cakes aren’t really your thing, then how about a donut wall? Prop up this donut wall, which holds up to 16 standard sized donuts and can be personalized with a saying of your choice, and let your guests feast their eyes on this mouthwatering display before grabbing a treat for themselves.

You’ll definitely need something on hand for your guests to keep their hands and faces clean while they snack. Pick up a pack or two of these adorable napkins to keep on your snack table.

Flowers make a great decor choice for any of your spring and summer gatherings and are also a great way to bring some vibrance and life to indoor events. Before you pick up your bouquets, grab this set of 10 colorful vases. Scatter them around your event space, display them as a group or even use them as table centerpieces.

While you probably have some loose kitchen and mixing bowls on hand, having dedicated serving bowls will help your graduation party feel a touch more polished. This set of five serving bowls is ideal for setting up snack bars of candy, fruit, chips and more.

If you want to go the extra mile with your serving setup, these letter and number trays are a great addition. Spell out classics like "grad" or "2024," or use your graduate's initials or the letters of their future school. They also stand on their own if you’d prefer to use them simply for display instead.

Spikeball Standard 3-Ball Kit

Keep your energized grads entertained during the party with this Spikeball game. Easy to set up, the game can be played on any terrain, making it great for parties and for breaking out on their college quad or during a weekend tailgate.

While your grad might not quite be of age to hit the real pong tables just yet, they can get some practice reps in early with this supersized backyard version.

If your grad party is in a backyard or park with a lot of outdoor space, setting up a game of cornhole is perfect for getting grads, parents, friends and even siblings involved in the festivities. These American Cornhole Association boards are made with a weather-resistant finish, so you won’t have to worry about them getting ruined by dew, dirt or other light outdoor elements.

Another backyard favorite, KanJam is a Frisbee-throwing game that will have the competitive spirit of your grad and all their friends dialed up to a 10.

Whether your event is outdoors or inside, you’ll definitely want some music playing to set the right vibe. The UE Boom 3 is our pick for the best portable Bluetooth speaker, and its long battery life will make sure your party is never without some jazzy tunes. If you have more than one UE Boom speaker, you can connect them all together via the Ultimate Ears app so that no corner of your party lacks good music.

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