How to Sneak out at Night to Go to a Party

Co-authored by Amber Crain

Last Updated: October 22, 2022

If there is a party coming up that you desperately want to go to but your parents won’t allow it, there is another option - sneaking out and going to the party anyway! As long as you know what you’re doing and plan out every possible detail ahead of time, you can totally get away with it. Parents don’t exactly appreciate it when you sneak out, so weigh the pros and cons carefully before you make the decision to do it. If all systems are go, it’s time to start planning your escape!

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Minimizing Suspicion Before You Sneak Out

1
Act a little tired on the afternoon or night of the party. This may help fool your parents and keep suspicion minimal. Don’t overdo it, but yawn a bit and mention that you’re feeling tired.
2
Confirm your plans. If you want to sneak out successfully (and you do!), you’ll need to prepare and plan as much as possible in advance. Give yourself a couple of days to coordinate everything and confirm with your friends via text that the plan is still the same.
- When is the party? Where? How are you going to get there? Is there going to be drinking? Is it an all-nighter or will you have to leave after a while? Is there any chance of the police showing up? Are your friends going? How? Are their parents okay with it? This is all vital information!
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3
Follow your usual evening routine. Shower, get into your nightclothes, eat dinner, watch television, do your homework - just act normal. Chill out at home until it's almost bedtime. Maybe watch something fun to get you in the party mood (without being obvious).
- When bedtime comes around, act sleepy. Say goodnight to your parents. Act normal and be believable. Go to bed as usual and turn off the lights.
4
Wait patiently until it’s safe to start getting ready to go. While in bed waiting for your parents to retire, you may want to listen to music with your headphones or read a book to pass the time. Whatever you decide, make sure to have as little light showing as possible. Once you know your parents have gone to bed, wait at least a half an hour to make sure they’re sound asleep.
- If your parents check on you before they go to bed, make sure that you pretend to be asleep when they come in. If they don't, then you're lucky and you can probably start getting ready earlier.
5
Put a decoy in place. It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it wouldn’t hurt to put a couple of pillows underneath your blanket to represent you, just in case a parent does wake up and comes to your room to check on you.
- Fluff the pillows and arrange them a little so that everything looks believable. If your room is dark and someone pops in for a look, they should be fooled by this.

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Sneaking Out of Your House

1
Get dressed to go out. Do your makeup (if applicable) and hair first. That way if your parents come in while you're getting ready and they see you in your pajamas with your makeup on, you can just say that you couldn't sleep so you decided to practice make up techniques or something.
- Prepare your outfit all the way down to the accessories and hairstyle at least a day in advance. Stow it somewhere safe so you can grab it quickly on the night of the party.
- Get dressed quickly and silently, using as little light as possible. Carry your shoes and just wear socks so that you step quietly.
2
Work around your siblings. If you share a bedroom with a sibling, it will probably be easier for you to take your clothes and makeup to the bathroom and get dressed quickly in there. Check to make sure they are asleep before you leave your bedroom.
- Bring everything you need with you down to the bathroom so that you won’t have to re-enter your bedroom. The less movement, the better.
- If a sibling does wake up while you’re getting ready to leave, you’ll have to deal with that situation. If your sibling can keep a secret, get them up to speed on your plan. Then you are probably safe to go ahead.
- If the sibling threatens to tattle, try bargaining with them. You will do their chores for a week – something along those lines. If you don’t trust your sibling and they see you, you might have to cancel your plans.
- If you want to avoid the hassle of trying not to wake up your siblings you can let them know about your plans beforehand. Only do this if you trust them.
3
Sneak out of your room. Don’t turn on any lights in your bedroom and once you get out into the hall, keep everything dark. If you want to confirm that your parents are asleep, walk quietly past their door and assess the situation.
- Listen for snoring, talking, and whether or not the television is on. You probably know exactly what to look for – everyone’s parents are different.
- If closing your bedroom door doesn’t look suspicious, definitely close the door quietly behind you when you leave. If you never close your door at night, don’t do this, since it will only arouse suspicion.
- If you leave your bedroom door open, make sure to check that your decoy is in place and looks believable from the doorway before you leave.
4
Use your bedroom window if you can. If you are able to sneak directly out of your bedroom window, you are lucky! Quietly open the window and slip out. Be careful not to slam it closed or lock yourself out.
- A few days before the party make sure you test the window and familiarize yourself with how it operates and what sounds it makes. Ensure there's nothing underneath it that will hinder your escape.
5
Avoid windows if you're on the second story. If you are sneaking directly out of your bedroom window and your room is on the second floor, you might want to reconsider that plan! Unless you have done it many times before, it’s probably too risky. Also, it’s dark and you could get hurt.
- Sneak downstairs and leave that way. If you are sure you are able to get out of your bedroom window easily and there’s little chance you’ll slip up, go ahead and do it.
- If you don’t have a sure way in place to get from the roof to the ground relatively easily, this is a really risky move.
6
Stick to the shadows and avoid any parts of the floor that you know are squeaky. Try to be a quiet as possible and follow the entire plan that you put into place beforehand.
- Check frequently behind you to see if any lights come on in your house. Look around to make sure absolutely no one is around before you exit the house.
- Ensure that all of your pets are asleep. A majority of dogs will make noise if someone leaves the house or moves around a lot when they are awake. If you don’t have a pet, you are in luck, you can skip this step! Though, if your dogs bark when you leave the house, you may have to have them sleep away from the door leading outside.
- If your house has an alarm system that will go off when you leave the premises, the only way to safely get around that is to know exactly what the code is to bypass the alarm. You need to be able to pull that off as silently and quickly as possible.
- Be certain that you know how the system works beforehand so that you can get in and out with no trouble.

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Leaving for the Party

1
Find your ride. Walking or catching a bus late at night, especially on your own, is dangerous. Avoid this if at all possible. Taxis and Uber’s are an acceptable choice, but those can be expensive and as a teen, you should never catch a ride late at night on your own. Always try to go there with other people if possible.
- Your best choice is getting a lift from a friend who drives. Organize in advance a place for them to pick you up; usually around the corner from your house or a short distance down the street from where you live is ideal. Have them park at a nearby parking lot if you are worried that your parents will wake up easily.
- If someone is picking you up, tell them beforehand not to have any loud music playing in their car when they are arrive, just to be safe.
2
Be cautious if you plan to drive yourself. Avoid turning on your headlights in your driveway because they likely will shine into your house. Switch your headlights on once you get on the street.
3
Drive safely. The last thing you want is to be pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation when you are in the middle of sneaking out! Follow all speed limits and be extremely cautious in everything you do while on the way to the party.
- Avoid very loud music that might draw attention when you’re in the middle of a red light.
- Of course, always wear your seatbelt.

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Arriving at the Party

1
Scope out the situation from a distance once you arrive. Your best bet is to stay in the car and drive by the party slowly, checking out the place as you go past it. Look for red flags that could draw attention to the house, increasing the risk of neighbors complaining and getting the party busted by the police.
- Check for police officers (parked nearby or already approaching the house), extremely loud noise, or any number of belligerent people standing in front of the house.
- Try to gauge attendance by looking at how many cars are parked in the street and in the surrounding neighborhood.
- Park safely and correctly on the street so you won’t draw any attention to your car and so that you eliminate any chance of being towed.
2
Plan accordingly if alcohol is involved. If you plan on drinking, make sure to have a designated driver. Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, ever.
- If your friend drove and both of you plan on drinking, see if someone at the party who won't be drinking can drop you off.
- Have cash on you in case you have to call a cab. It’s better to be safe when put in this situation. The extra money you have to spend on the cab is completely worth it.
3
PARTY TIME! You did it! Have fun at the party because if you end up getting caught, at least it will have been worth it.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Sneaking Back Into Your House

1
Approach your house quietly and from a distance if possible. Get dropped off a few houses down and walk the rest of the way. Don’t act suspicious in any way and walk normally, don’t run. Stick to the shadows if you can.
- If you drove your own car, switch off your headlights right before you pull into your driveway.
2
Retrieve your hidden waterproof bag (optional). The bag is something you would need to plan one day in advance. Stash a spare pair of PJs and a bottle of makeup remover somewhere outside of your house in a waterproof bag. Hide the bag in a garage, bush, under a deck – anywhere you know it will be safe. Do this so that you can change back into your pajamas and clean off your makeup before going past your parents’ room or in case they wake up and see you elsewhere in the house.
- Go behind a tree or around to the back of your house to slip back into your PJs and remove your makeup. Put your party clothes and accessories into the waterproof bag and hide it in the same place as before. You can safely retrieve it the following day.
3
Sneak back in quietly. Go via the route you planned ahead of time. Even though you might be nervous and twitchy, try to move slowly and carefully. The finish line is in sight and you don’t want to blow it now! You’re almost there.
4
Return to your bedroom. YOU DID IT! Get in bed and reflect on how awesome that was, then get some rest.

Community Q&A

Question

What do I do to prevent my parents from walking into my room when I am not back yet?

Community Answer

The only thing you can really do to prevent that once you've left the house is to close your bedroom door so that it looks like you don't want to be disturbed.

Warnings

Make sure you're back before your parents wake up. Try to be back at least an hour before they wake up.

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Make sure you check the time every so often at the party, so you know when to go home.

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