Things to Do After Prom: Your Planning Guide

Aug 31, 2023 Prom
Things to Do After Prom: Your Planning Guide
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Prom is one of the biggest nights of high school, and it’s an event that many individuals anticipate year-round. Once you’ve danced the night away and spent all evening with your friends, you might want to keep the fun going – this is where after-prom planning comes in.

Our planning guide gives you some of the top ideas to enhance your evening after prom and make your night the most memorable it can be.

What Should I Do After Prom?

Sherri Hill Blog

Prom night entails formal dresses and suits, a night on the dance floor, and plenty of pictures of the good times you are having with your friends or prom date. Many individuals find that they want to keep the fun going after prom, but it can often be hard to decide what to do, especially if you are trying to organize a larger friend group.

In most cases, individuals leaving prom opt to get food with their friends, spend the night in a hotel or at a friend’s house, or simply go home and relax after their big night. What you do after prom depends on your comfort level, who you are planning to be with, and your personal preferences – remember only to do what you feel comfortable with, and don’t let yourself be pressured into activities that aren’t right for you.

After Prom Themes - Do I Need One?

If you are interested in throwing some kind of after-prom event or participating in activities after prom, you are most likely wondering if you need to have a theme for your after-prom event. It’s generally not expected or socially required that your after prom ideas stick to a certain theme, though some individuals may find it fun and exciting to keep their activities in line with the theme of prom.

For example, if your prom is themed “Starry Night,” you may choose to watch movies about space or book a late-night showing at a planetarium. Alternately, if your prom has a Hollywood or old-school theme, a 1950s-style diner might be just the place to visit after prom has ended.

At the end of the day, choosing a theme for your after prom party or activities is totally up to you and what you feel most comfortable with.

Prom After Party Ideas

The following post-prom ideas help give you some inspiration for what you and your friends or date might want to do to keep the fun going after prom is over.

Visit a Diner

Prom events typically have an assortment of light refreshments or dinner, but if you’ve been too busy dancing to eat or you’ve worked up an appetite during the evening, planning to visit a local diner or restaurant after prom is a great idea. Diners and fast food restaurants are typically open late, making them a perfect choice for dinner with your closest friends after prom.

Go Bowling

Sherri Hill Blog

A fun way to keep the memories going is by visiting a local bowling alley. Many of these places are open later, so you can be sure to find a lane after prom, and you can all take turns trying to get the best score. Just remember to switch out your formal prom shoes for bowling-appropriate shoes before you get started!

Have a Sleepover

One of the most classic post-prom ideas is the sleepover. Choosing a friend’s house to stay at or renting out a home like an Airbnb (with your parent’s help and a chaperone, as needed) is a great way to talk about everything that happened at prom, watch some classic prom movies together, and keep the fun going until you all fall asleep.

Check Into a Hotel

Checking into a fancy hotel completes the formal prom night vibes, and if you and your friends are willing to split the cost of this, it’s a great way to make your night memorable. You may need a parent’s help making a hotel reservation, but once you have one secured, you can get ready for prom and head back to your room after prom is over to continue the fun.

Host a Game Night

If you’re into board games or card games, a game night at your home is an easy way to keep the fun going. Invite your friends or date back to your place and have games set out so you can all choose which ones to play.

Complete the evening by ordering food or providing snacks, and you’ll have a great after prom game night setup.

Visit a Skating Rink

Visiting a skating rink after prom is a great idea for individuals who aren’t done dancing and getting their energy out. Trade your formal prom shoes for roller skates or even ice skates, and consider bringing a change of clothes for safety reasons. Once you’re ready to skate, have fun zooming around the rink with your friends or date.

Watch a Movie

Renting out a movie theatre for your friends or simply gathering at one of your homes to watch a movie is a low-key way to spend your time after prom. You can choose a newly released movie that everyone wants to see or a classic prom-themed movie to round out your prom night.

Have a Photoshoot

With all the rush of getting ready for prom and making sure you’re organized, you may have forgotten to take pictures. If you want to make sure you get the best shots of you and your friends dressed up in your outfits, make plans to host a photoshoot after prom.

You can scout out some fun locations and have fun posing for pictures with your friends. Make sure that any location you go to is safe for visiting after hours, as it will likely be later in the evening by the time your prom is over.

Visit an Arcade

If you want to try your hand at laser tag, play arcade games, or even challenge your friends to a round of minigolf, find a local arcade to visit after prom. Arcades are another venue that is typically open later, and you can take lots of fun pictures as you attempt to putt a golf ball or run around a laser tag arena in your formal prom outfits.

Try an Escape Room

For individuals who are up to the challenge, escape rooms are an exciting way to complete your prom night. These rooms offer individuals the chance to try and piece together clues that let them out of a room, and they typically have fun themes such as horror, espionage, and fantasy.

Choose a room that your whole friend group is excited about, and head there after prom to see if you have what it takes to escape.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re still unsure of your post-prom activities or have some more questions about how to plan them, read below for answers.

Do I Need To Do Something After Prom?

After prom planning is something that many individuals do, but you don’t have to do something after prom if you aren’t enthused by the idea. Simply taking the night to yourself, saying goodbye to your friends, and going home to relax is also a great option.

As we mentioned above, only participate in after prom activities that make you happy – don’t stress yourself out trying to keep up with planning if you want a quiet night at home instead.

What if My Friends Don’t Want To Do Things After Prom?

If you want to do something after prom, but you can’t get your friend group on board, don’t worry. You may need to schedule an event for the next day so everyone feels refreshed, or you may need to change the focus of your post-prom activities altogether.

Careful and considerate deliberation with your friend group or date is the best way to settle on ideas that suit everyone’s tastes after prom.

How Can I Prepare for an After Prom Activity?

No matter which after prom idea you’ve decided to go with, you may be wondering how to prepare. We recommend taking a bag with you to prom that contains touch-up items you may need through the night. We also suggest that you bring a change of shoes and a change of clothes if you know you are going somewhere like a skating rink where you will need to be out of your formal clothing.

Consider the after prom activity you are engaging in before packing your bag with essential supplies that you might need throughout the night.

What Are the Best After-Prom Party Ideas at Home?

There are dozens of different after-prom party ideas, and while many take place outside the home, plenty more can be done from the comfort of your own home. Our recommendations for easy and fun at-home after-prom parties include slumber parties, movie parties, and spa parties. 

If you have access to a safe outdoor area at your home, you could host a campfire and roast marshmallows after prom, or you could camp outside in your backyard. For individuals who love board games or video games, you could host a game night at your home with plenty of themed snacks and drinks to keep the fun going after prom.

Making the Most of Your Prom Night

Sherri Hill Blog

Prom is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events that many individuals remember fondly, even decades later. The months and weeks leading up to this event can be stressful as you try to get your outfit organized and ensure everything is ready for your big night, and adding after prom planning on top of this might seem impossible.

Fortunately, you can take your time to think about what you’d like to do with your friends or date after prom and review our planning guide for easy ideas that will help you make the most of your prom night.

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