15 Amazing Birthday party ideas
Birthdays don’t have to be fun only when you’re a kid. As adults, we should celebrate another year and have fun too. All you have to do is be creative and not be afraid to try something new to celebrate your birthday. Depending on what kind of party you choose, you’ll want to think about which decorations to use, what kind of food to have, and what you’ll want to wear. For example, why not buy a fun birthday T-shirt to wear to celebrate your big day? Not only will it make your celebration more fun but it will also be a keepsake to remember your special day.
Another thing you want to think about is whether you want to keep things simple or if you want to go fancier. It’s really up to you because you’re in charge. Here are some great ideas to celebrate your birthday along with ideas for decorations, foods and Birthday outfit. It’s your big day! It’s time to celebrate!
#1 Childhood Party
Take it back to how you celebrated your birthday as a kid. Give out homemade invitations to your friends. Make or buy a fun cake (maybe with your favorite childhood superhero or idol), serve finger food and punch, and decorate with streamers, balloons and confetti. Go all out! Wear a fun shirt like the “That makes me 40” Birthday T-shirt which explains the age you look, act, and feel like. It’s sure to cause some laughs! And remember to send each friend home with a party favor bag.
#2 Hobby Party
What are your favorite hobbies? Scrapbooking? Model building? Knitting? Gardening? Painting? Consider how you can turn your hobby into a great party! Invite some friends over and provide simple snacks and beverages. Dress appropriately for the activity, and get creative by decorating with scrapbooking, building, knitting, gardening or painting materials. Invite your friends to spend some time doing your favorite hobby with you.
#3 Spa Party
Meet your friends at a spa or create a spa at home to celebrate your birthday. Enjoy getting your hair done, your nails manicured, and your feet rubbed after a nice soaking. Don’t forget the face masks and cucumbers for your eyes. Healthy finger-food along with coffee and tea are perfect for this event. Because you’ll look so good getting all fixed up, be sure to wear the “It took me # years to look this good” Birthday T-shirt!
#4 Hiking Party
If you enjoy the outdoors and being in nature, arrange a hiking party for you and your friends. Pick the perfect location and enjoy the energy of nature and your friends. Be sure to dress comfortably for the conditions, and conclude the party with a campfire with s’mores and hot chocolate!
#5 Concert Party
Go see one of your favorite singers or bands in concert. If the concert isn’t close by, make a road trip out of it, stay in a nice hotel, and do some sightseeing too. Invite your friends to join you for a casual dinner at home or at your favorite restaurant beforehand, and enjoy the night. While you’re watching your favorite legend perform, you can wear the “Legends are born in (month)” T-shirt to make the event especially memorable and fun. Just choose the shirt of your birthday month.
#6 Dancing Party
If you enjoy dancing, arrange to meet some friends at your favorite bar or dance lounge. If you want to go big, see if you can rent the place out exclusively. Consider hiring your own DJ so you can choose your favorite music for the entire night. Cater in your favorite dinner, or pick up some snacks at your local grocery store to share. If you’re not allowed to bring food into the dance club, then meet at a local bar-and-grill restaurant before you arrive. Keep it casual or dress extra fancy – you choose – but either way, be sure to dance the night away!
#7 Theme Party
Whatever you’re into, make a party out of it! Whether it’s superheroes, hunting, Nascar, music, WWE, a TV show, or a country, design your decorations, food, and wardrobe around that theme. Consider a Hawaiian party (luau), Mexican fiesta, masquerade, or seasonal party. Encourage your guests to get into the theme too by dressing appropriately; maybe even give a prize to the person with the best outfit! It can be as simple or extravagant as you want. It’s your party -- party how you want to!
#8 Sporting Event Party
Design a party around the idea of sports or even a specific sport or team. If you’re into soccer, football or baseball, arrange your food, decorations and even attire around the theme. If you’re crazy about a certain college or professional team, invite your guests to participate by wearing that team’s clothing. If you’re into AFL, the “Oldometer #th birthday” T-shirt is the perfect choice along with your favorite team. When you schedule your party, try to arrange to have the party during a game or match so that you and your friends can watch it together. Pick up plates and cups to match your favorite sport or team, and serve traditional foods like chips and dip, miniature sausages, chili, chicken wings and the like. Soda and beer are no-brainers for beverages. Celebrate your birthday and your sport!
#9 Movie Party
Do you love movies? Arrange to meet some friends for a casual dinner then see a movie at a local theater. Then go out for a birthday dessert afterwards. If you have a home theater, arrange for friends to join you to watch your favorite movie. You’ll want to serve buttery popcorn, box candy and soda, of course. Search online or at your local dollar store for movie-themed decorations. Dress comfortably, or invite your guests to dress up as their favorite movie star, then guess which character they are. End the party with a game where people have to guess which movie a famous line is from (search online or develop your own game). Be sure to give the winner a prize – maybe a free DVD or Blu-Ray, or maybe a gift card to a movie theater.
#10 American Ninja Warrior Party
This party will take some time to prepare, but the fun will be worth it. Design an obstacle course in your back yard (or a friend’s back yard if you don’t have space) for participants. Begin by brainstorming and sketching out a preliminary plan for your course. Consider what materials you have on hand and what you’ll need to purchase. Recruit some friends to help you plan and construct your obstacle course. Search for ninja decorations, headbands, and party favors. Make or cater in Chinese food to serve your guests; be sure to provide chopsticks and fortune cookies too. When your guests arrive, provide them with a ninja headband and let the fun begin! No matter your age, you can have fun and be active while celebrating.
#11 Birthday Year Party
Focus on celebrating the year you were born. Search online for party favors and decorations for that year. Either download or create a game based on the year you were born; how much do your guests know about that year? It’s fun to think back to that time and remember how much things have changed. Keep your attire simple by wearing a “Life begins at #” T-shirt to continue with the theme of your birthday year. Do some research about what foods were common during that year and either prepare or buy them to serve your guests. Include a little “fact card” about each food and how it was popular during that year.
#12 Fancy Dinner Party
If you enjoy entertaining, then consider hosting a fancy dinner party. Create stylish invitations; have them professionally done if that’s not your strong suit. Be sure to instruct guests how you want them to dress. This is the time to break out the china or elegant dinnerware. (If you don’t have any, consider thrift shopping to find some unique, beautiful pieces. Or borrow some nice dishes from a friend.) If you enjoy cooking, spend some time in the kitchen preparing your best recipes. Choose the perfect wine and make a unique birthday dessert to share. Consider candlelight and just the right music for your special evening.
#13 Number Party
If you’re turning, 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70, you can celebrate by using that number as your theme. It’s not hard to find birthday plates, signs, and decorations with those numbers on them. You can deck out your house or apartment with your age number everywhere. Embrace your new age by wearing a “Keep calm it's my #th birthday” T-shirt. Reminisce about when you were born by creating a guessing game or a true/false game for your guests. (Be sure to award the winner!) Create simple snacks in the shape of your age (like arranging crackers in the shape of the number), and be sure to serve your favorite childhood foods like macaroni and cheese and hotdogs. Buy or bake cupcakes and arrange them in the shape of your age. Celebrate your new age!
#14 Barbeque Party
A backyard barbeque is a simple and fun way to celebrate. Plan to grill burgers, brats, steaks or your favorite grilled foods for your guests. If you’re not confident at the grill, invite one of your friends to do the grilling. Depending on the season, serve cider, baked beans and chips or watermelon, salad and corn on the cob. Don’t forget about birthday dessert and beverages too. Use plates and cups that are your favorite color. Dress comfortably for the weather sporting a “Happy birthday!” T-shirt. Consider entertaining with outdoor yard games like volleyball, kickball or bocce ball. And be sure to turn on some fun music too.
#15 Australia’s Got Talent Party
This is one of the hottest television shows right now, so if you’re a fan of this show, invite your friends to join in the fun and make a party out of it! Create invitations and let them know the theme; ask them to prepare their best talent to showcase at your party. Buy or borrow a karaoke machine, decide who will be judges, and let the entertainment begin! As far as food and decorations, you can search online for or make decorations that go along with this theme. Food and beverages can include anything the birthday person prefers.
From the decorations to the food, from what you wear to what activities you do – make it memorable. You only turn this age once, so go all out so that you don’t have regrets and wish that you had done things differently. Buy the fun birthday T-shirt. Go all out on the decorations. Make the special dessert. It will all be worth it when you have the fun memories to look back on. Which reminds me: don’t forget to take lots of pictures of your special day too!