Birthdays in college are super fun, but they can look a lot different than birthdays at home. In college, most students end up having a dorm party or pregame or going out to dinner with friends. While these are both good birthday options, sometimes it’s fun to mix it up and do something out of the ordinary. Here are a few birthday ideas that are a bit more exciting than a normal night-out:
1. Have a Karaoke Night at the Boombox:
The Boombox is Providence’s resident karaoke spot and is such a fun birthday idea, especially if you’re inviting a big group. At their lounge, you can request songs for $1 per song, or you can rent a room for $40-$80 and have unlimited songs. One of my friends had her birthday here recently, and it was such a fun time. You should note that underage guests are only welcome before 9pm.
2. Take a Paint-and-Sip Class at the Muse Paintbar:
The Muse Paintbar is a gorgeous studio on College Hill that would be perfect for a birthday. If your group is on the small side, you can sign up for a class (usually ranging from $35-$50). For bigger groups, Muse Paintbar offers private parties as well. Muse has a stocked bar and kitchen so fuel your creativity as you paint. As an added bonus, all of your guests get an amazing party favor (their painting!) to take home.
3. Plan a Sweet Treat Crawl in Providence:
While this option requires a little bit more effort to plan, I think it would be such a fun way to celebrate your birthday. Birthdays are all about delicious sweet treats, and there are so many good ones in Providence. This would be great with a big group of friends because everyone can socialize through the crawl and split all of the treats they want to try. If I were doing this for my birthday, I would definitely stop at Madrid European Bakery and Patisserie for the tarts, Brown Bee Coffee for the croissants, and Zinnekins for the waffles.
4. Have a Catered Picnic:
This option definitely requires warmer weather, but one of my friends did this last year and it was so fun. He picked up catered tenders, bread, sweet tea, and fries from Raising Canes in Seekonk, and we all hung out on Patriot’s Court, listened to music, and ate our delicious dinner! You can do this with any restaurant, or you can even do a potluck. If you have a car (and the weather is warm), it would be super fun to go to the beach and do this as well.
5. Host a Game Night:
This is another option that would require some more creativity and planning, but I think it would be super fun if you can pull it off. If I were to host a game night, I would make a friend group jeopardy game or some twist on a classic game that makes it fun and unique. You could even get Cards Against Humanity or Buzzed to keep things simple. This would work well as a chill night in or as a pregame to a fun night out.