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According To TikTok, It’s Time For A “High School Summer”
“I want to have the most juvenile summer — and I’m 30.”
Once you’re an adult, summers tend to get serious. As the warmer months approach, you have to plan ahead if you want a vacation. That means booking a hotel, looking up travel costs, and consulting your budget. It’s a lot of work to get away for a week, and sometimes even that isn’t feasible. Cut to you sitting in your office in the middle of August.
In comparison, imagine spending the summer acting like you’re 16 again. On TikTok, that’s what creator @babykathh is all about. “I want to have a high school summer so badly,” she said in a video that now has over 200,000 views. In the past few years, summers have taken on themes. See: brat summer of 2024 and rat girl summer 2023. Could this be the vibe for 2025?
To grasp the vision, think back to what you did when school let out in June. Did you drive around with friends for hours? Go to parties in the woods or in someone’s backyard? Eat froyo while wandering around with nothing to do? That carefree feeling is what @babykathh is trying to recreate.
“I want to go to a country fair, I want to be at the beach, I want to be driving in the car with the windows rolled down and the music blasting with my friends ... I want to have frozen yogurt. I want to have the most juvenile summer — and I’m 30,” she said. Here’s what to know about this high school summer trend, including a bucket list.
How To Have A “High School Summer”
There’s something so perfectly nostalgic about having a “high school summer.” According to @babykathh, who has dubbed herself the class president of high school summer, it’s all about going back to basics with simple activities that feel refreshing and affordable.
“Alright, class of 2025, here’s our bucket list for high school summer,” she said in a follow-up video. Here are some of the highlights:
- Go to a county fair
- Have a beach day
- Drive around at night
- Have a summer romance
- Go on the swings at the park (bonus points if it’s at night)
- Go camping
- Have a bonfire and make s’mores
- Eat froyo and soft serve on the regular
- Have a backyard sleepover
Commenters chimed in to share other must-haves for the list, like swimming at night, going to a water park, blasting “Roses” by The Chainsmokers while driving with the windows down, and painting your bedroom.
All of these activities perfectly capture what it felt like to slowly get through the summer without any worries or cares. They’re also easily accessible — at least compared to a European vacation — and many feel very relaxed and grounded, too. It’s the simplicity that’s striking a chord, as well as the fact that many of these activities allow you to be unplanned and adventurous, two things that are tough to come by as an adult.
If you’re looking to fill a Saturday this summer, grab a friend and go to a drive-thru. If you’re bored on a Friday, grab a froyo, aka the staple mid-2000s treat. You could also bob around at your community pool, paint your nails in the sun, or eat cotton candy at a carnival. It’s all so teenager-coded, in the best way.
In her comments, many people said they’re on board for a high school summer, too. One person wrote, “I started making summer bucket lists like this last year and had the best time.” Another said, “Girl, yes. I just turned 30 and [it’s time to relive] our teens.”
Of course, your summer experience as an adult in 2025 won’t be exactly the same as a high school summer in 2005 — or even 2015 — but it’ll still be fun to look for little moments here and there where you can bring back the younger version of you.
