You’re never too old to celebrate another trip around the sun! We have lots of great birthday party ideas for adults to make you feel like a kid again. Whether you prefer a low-key gathering or a huge soiree, read on for more inspiration on this year’s celebration.
Al Fresco Dinner Party
Being an adult means being able to throw a fantastic dinner party! Hosting your friends and family in your backyard keeps the celebration intimate and special. When thinking about backyard birthday party ideas for adults, an al fresco dinner party is a classy choice for almost everyone.
✨ Decor
For a laidback Boho vibe, set your table with layers. Include a runner layered with placemats, napkins, plates, salad plates, bowls, and silverware. The tableware should coordinate but doesn’t necessarily need to match.
Pull in warm and muted colors like teal, mustard, coral, and pair with natural elements like hemp or jute. String up party lanterns or bulbs to create an al fresco atmosphere.
🍽️ Menu
A dinner party is all about the courses! Plan a menu that begins with a fresh and colorful salad, followed by a small appetizer like shrimp skewers or bruschetta. The main course should be a savory protein paired with a vegetable or starch. For example, roasted chicken breasts with baby potatoes and asparagus look amazing on the plate and please most palates.
Draw inspiration from your favorite restaurant when planning your menu. If budget allows, you could also work with a caterer to have a pro lend a hand. Incorporate a wine tasting with a printed list for each guest that describes the choices and best pairings.
For dessert, you’ll need a birthday cake, of course! We’re partial to naked cakes because they’re easy to make, beautiful, and fit with most themes.
🍲 Read this: 17 Easy Dinner Party Recipes for Stress-Free Entertaining
🎻 Entertainment
Book a local musician like a cellist or string trio to add sophistication and class to your adult birthday party! For more upbeat options, try a singing pianist or guitarist to play all your favorite tunes. To really impress your guests, consider an interactive performer like a belly dancer or fire dancer.
Adult Slumber Party
As a kid, there was nothing better than inviting your closest friends over for pizza, movies, and late-night chats. For an out-of-the-box adult birthday party idea, get in touch with your inner teen! Just give all the kid-friendly options an upgrade, and you’re set.
✨ Decor
Since most of your time will be spent doing other fun things, the decor can be simple. Even a few bunches of festive balloons and streamers are enough. Instead, focus your attention on bougie party favors! We suggest matching pajamas and mini spa kits with face masks, nail polish, and scrunchies.
🍽️ Menu
Pizza is a slumber party staple, but an adult birthday calls for something a little classier than frozen Totinos! Set up a station with mini pizza crusts for a DIY pizza night. Include lots of quality toppings like Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, goat cheese, and more.
Offer other sides like a Caesar salad or toasty cheese bread to compliment your main course. Ask guests to bring their favorite wine or other tasty adult beverage to share! Serve cupcakes from a local bakery to include more interesting flavors and combinations than plain ol’ vanilla.
📽️ Entertainment
Hire a local movie screen company to set up a viewing of your favorite rom-coms! Cozy up in your matching PJs with piles of pillows and blankets, then pass around the popcorn and M&Ms. If movie nights aren’t your thing, book a mobile spa party for mani-pedis and masks instead.
Board Game Tournament
Some of the best adult birthday party ideas are centered around one thing: friendly competition! You may have outgrown beer pong, but hosting a gaming night with all your favorite people is a guaranteed great party. Before the event, take a poll and find out what games your guests would prefer to play!
✨ Decor
If you’re playing multiple games, create a large bracket on some posterboard to keep track of who’s winning! Use colors and items from your favorite party game to direct the decor. For example, navy blue and gold are a callback to Trivial Pursuit, while mint green and red are homages to Monopoly.
Ask guests to form teams ahead of time; then make matching t-shirts for everyone! They’ll make sweet party favors and get everyone into the competitive spirit.
🍽️ Menu
Who has time to eat when there are games afoot? Keep your menu simple with snackable finger foods like mini corndogs, sliders, taquitos, or vegetables and fruit and dip. An appetizer bar makes it simple for guests to self-serve in between their turns at the game.
For ongoing snacks that last into the evening, a popcorn or Chex Mix bar is an easy option. First, provide the basic popcorn and cereal. Then set up the seasonings and mix-ins like candy, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and more.
💃 Entertainment
Book a local drag queen to lead Bingo or other games for your group! Or try LED performers or hoop dancers for a dazzling “half-time” show for your guests.
A Few of My Favorite Things Theme Party
One thing that will always be true is that celebrating your birthday should be all about you! From the color scheme to the food to the entertainment, don’t be afraid to be a little self-centered. Think about a few of your favorite things and start planning!
✨ Decor
Your favorite color is an obvious place to start with your decor, but you can also incorporate other things that you like.
If you’re a gardener, decorate with pretty bunches of flowers. Is Barnes and Noble your favorite place to be? Use your book collection as bases for centerpieces. Can’t get enough of the beach? Focus on an under-the-sea theme. Get creative and find ways to tie your favorite things into a cohesive theme that will be unique to you.
🍽️ Menu
The food is the most effortless part of a favorite things theme party! Whether it’s platters of sushi or a feast of tacos and margaritas, set up a buffet of your most-loved eats. You can throw in a few crowdpleasers like pasta or salad, too.
Work with a bartender to set up a custom drink station to serve creative cocktails based on your favorite flavors. For dessert, go for a cupcake tower that lets you include all the combos of icing and cake that you want!
🎤 Entertainment: Book a local Roast Master for a light-hearted roast that’s all about you and your quirks! You could also hire a comedian who can tailor their acts around subjects that define your personality. (Maybe you’re a travel guru, wine snob, obsessed with 90s R&B music, etc.).
Flashback to Your Birthday Party
The year you were born is a perfect starting point for exploring some fun birthday party ideas for adults! It’s a hilarious and unforgettable way to embrace the music, clothes, and style of eras gone by. A flashback party is bound to start lots of nostalgic conversations about all the silly things you loved as a kid.
✨ Decor
The decor at a flashback party is all about what year you’re using. For 1970s birthdays, think psychedelic with tie-dye and bell bottoms! You could also shift toward Studio 54 and make things chic with lots of glitter and disco balls. A 1980s-themed party is all about being retro with neon colors and glam-rock music. The 1990s means getting in touch with your inner grunge (think flannel and how much you want your MTV).
Do a quick search of pop culture from your birth year to start. If something makes you say “Aww, I remember that!” then it probably belongs at your party!
🍽️ Menu
An era-themed food menu should focus on what was trending that year. For example, fondue parties were raging in the ’70s while everyone was embracing the microwave in the ’80s. At the very least, serve your refreshments in themed party dishes and decorate cakes and cookies with appropriate colors and throwbacks! You can even give them creative names, like “PacMan Pretzels” or “Rubik’s Rum Punch.”
👨🎤 Entertainment
One of the biggest ties to our childhood is the music! Book a local cover band or DJ to play all the best tunes from your birthday decade. For some party keepsakes, hire a photo booth with era-themed props to snap silly pictures all night!
🥳 You might also like: 21 Fun Birthday Activities for Adults Based on Interests
Whether it’s your 40th birthday or your 80th, you are always worth celebrating. Planning your party can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. Go all out with fun birthday party entertainment, or keep it low-key with your closest friends and family. Either way, you’re sure to create tons of amazing memories. 🎉
Book something awesome for your birthday party! Find the best entertainers, musicians, and more on GigSalad.
Megan is the Director of Customer Experience at GigSalad and has gained 9+ years of insight on what makes a great event on both sides of the booking process. Her favorite things include books, true crime podcasts, coffee, hiking, puns, and making people laugh.