Graduation Pool Party Ideas

It’s all over – high school, college, graduate school – and now it’s time to celebrate! Make a splash with your family and friends, and take advantage of the warm weather by having a pool party. Use our ideas for a graduation pool party and everyone will be happy. Male or female, old or young, this is a party that everyone will love and can easily be customized to your crowd.

Graduation Pool Party Invitations
Your bash will be a splash with a personalized graduation invitation or a more specific personalized pool party invitation. Or use one of these great invite ideas:

Personalized photo ticket invitations are really hot this year. What better way to showcase your grad's accomplishment than with a pic right on the invite?
Want a really unique invitation? Let us design a caricature invitation of your graduate – maybe wearing a bathing suit? Or in their cap and gown (and flip flops)? This wonderful caricature can become a sign-in board, photo opportunity or even thank you notes. It’s the perfect way to easily take care of all your decorating needs.
You can even make your own invitation using a flip flop or beach ball. Write your party information on them with a permanent marker. It may cost a bit more to mail these invitations but it’s definitely worth it – your guests will be talking about your party before it ever starts!

Make sure to choose the perfect wording for your invite. The grad will love one of these options:

Splish splash! Join us for a graduation bash!
Cool down with Nate cause he's about to graduate!
Let's make a splash at Ashley's grad party!

Whatever you decide, make sure to throw a few silk lei flowers or confetti in each envelope, and you are good to go!

Graduation Pool Party Decorations and Party Suppliessw
Guests will dive right in once they arrive at your pool party! Make sure your entrance is decorated with a 2019 graduate cutout to greet family and friends and send them on back to the pool. Add a speech bubble that says, "Time to make a splash at my graduation party!" Try a few more of these fun ideas at your entrance and sign-in area:

Have a graduation sign-in board for guests to leave well wishes and congratulations to the guest of honor.
Hang a graduation banner near your entrance, or use this graduation pool party banner to match your invitations.
Create a giant beach ball arch over your driveway with 36" beach balls!
Have a bucket of flower leis for guests grab with a sign that says, "Take a lei!"
Take the flower lei look even further! Cut out the grad's name in cardboard letters and cover them with flowers (cut the necklaces and use hot glue). Hang the grad's name behind the sign-in area for a colorful backdrop!
Of course, you'll need plenty of pool floaties! Have a pile of beach balls, inflatable crocodiles, and pool noodles nearby for people to grab.
Guests will appreciate a bucket filled with flip-flops in case they forgot. Flip-flops make great favors, too!
An inner tube makes an adorable door wreath. Add a sign telling guests to head to the backyard to swim!

The swimming pool is both the main destination and decoration for this party, so deck it out with a few of these colorful extras:

Attach balloons in the grad's school colors to the tables, trees, and fence. This will really help define the party space, and it's an easy way to decorate a large open area like a backyard.
Make sure you have lots of extra towels for your guests. You can even make them part of the décor by hanging colorful beach towels on the chairs or laying them on the grass as picnic blankets. And don't forget that shade is important on hot summer days as well! If you don't have a covered porch or shade tree, set a up a few beach umbrellas on the lawn.
Make a pool noodle garland! Cut pool noodles in 1-inch disks using a serrated knife. String them on twine to make a colorful garland decoration to hang on fences, decks, and more!
Hang twinkle lights on the house, in the bushes, or on the fence surrounding the pool.
Decorate your sign-in table, buffet and even your trash can a grass table skirt!
If your party goes into the night, add a few glow in the dark beach balls to your pool!

And don’t forget the hanging palm trees and beach balls. Scatter them around the pool and patio; your guests will feel like they’re in a tropical paradise! They also make great backdrops for photos.

Graduation Table Decorations and Menu
We love colorful beach theme paper goods for a pool party. You can set them by the buffet along with silverware bundles. Add a few more of these decorating ideas to finish off your look:

Cool everyone off by serving frozen drinks in light up cups (and don't forget the umbrella stirrers for your drinks)!
Serve snacks like chips and pretzels in plastic beach buckets. They're colorful and match the theme!
You can dress up any buffet area with a grass table skirt and balloon bouquets with a mix of blue dolphin balloons and latex ones.
On a hot summer day, nothing tastes better than cold drinnks! Fill an inflatable kiddie pool with ice, sodas and water with pool themed personalized bottle labels. Or choose a graduation bottle label – whichever you like better.
Make a quick and easy centerpiece for tables by filling vases with sand and seashells.
Want a more dramatic look? How about tiki torches surrounding the pool.

With all that splashing around, your guests will be hungry and thirsty. Food that’s easy to eat is definitely the way to go. A barbecue with hamburgers and hotdogs or even delicious hot pizza is all you need to satisfy your guests. (Make sure to use fabric food covers to protect from outdoor pests!)

For dessert, go for favorites like ice cream, ice cream sandwiches and personalized graduation lollipops. You can rent an old fashioned ice cream truck and have it arrive right at dessert time. Guests will love the frozen novelty treats!

Pool Party Games and Activities
Your guests will probably spend most of their time in the water, but it’s nice to have a few additional activities for them when they're out of the pool. After all, they may get cold and need a break:

Who doesn’t want to be a “beach babe” or “muscle man”? You can help your guests realize their dreams with this perfect photo opportunity. Or choose one of our graduation cutouts (the possibilities are endless). Set up a camera, and print the pictures as favors before guests head home.
Limbo is a perfect way to keep the kids entertained after the sun goes down.
Of course, party wearables are no-hassle entertainment! Beachcomber hats, leis, sailor caps, and neon sunglasses can be piled in baskets around the pool for easy fun.
Give each guest a super soaker and watch the fun that ensues! A water balloon fight or a slip n' slide are a great way to keep the grad's friends occupied, too.

Check out our long list of summer party games. There's bound to be something that will keep everyone entertained!

Graduation Pool Party Party Favors

The sun will be shining brightly, so be sure to have sunglasses for all your guests. There are tons of choices but how about colorful 2020 glasses? They’ll be wearing these long after the sun has gone down.

Here are a few more of our favorite graduation party favors:

Personalized Pool Party Candy Bar Wrapper - A great way to thank your guests for sharing your special day with you.
Personalized Graduation Mint Tins - Choose one that fits your graduate the best.
Personalized Graduation Lollipops - A delicious treat for your guests.
Mini Beach Balls make a fun little favor to hand to guests as they head home. Personalize by having the grad write a thank you note on each one in permanent marker.

Don't forget a personalized graduation favor bag, so friends and family have somewhere to put all of their goodies!

Your pool party will make a huge splash with everyone. If you take the Party Girl's advice, everyone will be talking about your party long after the pool has closed for the season.