Birthday Party Ideas

While there are many people who treat the 40th and 50th birthday as a time to mourn there are others who elect to use this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate. Life goes on and there is no better way to celebrate that fact than with friends and family. An “Over the Hill” birthday should be one that brings together both in a roaring fashion. Hopefully some of the ideas below will get your wheels turning for a grand plan for your own over the hill birthday celebration or that of someone you love.

My favorite idea for a great Over the Hill birthday party bash is a roast. You see them on television all the time. They are irreverent and quite hilarious. This only works if you have the type of friends and family to pull this off and not be offended by the things being said but can be a ton of fun with the right audience. Have a great meal and allow all the guests, who are interested at any rate, to get up and deliver their ‘toast’ to the guest of honor. If you want a night of laughs this is definitely the way to celebrate your life and the friends you have (at least those that you had yesterday anyway).

You could do an AFI sort of theme in which you have films or slides showing of various events throughout the guest of honor’s life. This is a great way to pay tribute to someone that has meant a great deal to you when planning a birthday bash to be remembered. Have a red carpet sort of theme and allow guests to pay sincere tribute to the birthday girl or boy by extolling their virtues. This is another great celebration that is a lot more sentimental in nature than a roast but along the same lines when it comes to decoration and meal planning. Read more »

If you want a very happy child, considering throwing a birthday party worthy of the big top. A circus theme for a birthday party is sure to thrill and excite your little one and guests alike. Be sure to make the event one worthy of its title though and keep the action lively and moving throughout the event so that little minds with short attention spans do not have an opportunity to move on to more mischievous pursuits.

The first thing that is an absolute must for a circus theme is a big top. This may run a little high on the decoration dime but can be done quite nicely without booking a huge back yard with a tent. In fact, you can create a tent in your very own living room if you are so inclined to do so. Helium can be rented quite inexpensively and you can create the illusion of a tent top by filling the ceiling with brightly colored balloons and streamers to match. In addition to this you can have the entrance of the room made to look like tent flaps. Push all the furniture along the wall and allow the little ones to seat themselves on the floor along the “center ring” where all the action will be.

Now, you really should make an effort to have some sort of entertainment for the kiddos with an event of this nature. It can be a clown act, magic show, or simply someone making balloon animals for the birthday boy or girl and his or her guests. Face painting is another great activity to include on your list of events and shows and a lot of fun for the little ones. Be sure to include several great games (ring toss, pin the nose on the clown, and corn hole are great games worthy of a circus theme) and a craft activity or two in the running so that the little ones do not sit idly very long. It is always a good idea to keep them occupied and having fun.

The big top provides some excellent dining delights that carry over quite well into the birthday party theme. Hot dogs are an excellent lunch for a room filled with excited little ones. Candied apples, popcorn, and peanuts are also a great and fun addition to birthday party food that work well with the circus theme. Be sure to enlist serious muscle for the clean up when all is said and done.

Goody bags can be a lot of fun for this particular event by using popcorn bags for the bag and filling them with circus animals, bubbles, glow bracelets, circus themed stickers, and other nifty little items. Oriental trading and local party stores might prove to be an excellent resource for goody bag gifts. Don’t forget to include a photo frame with a photo of each child with his or her face painted or balloon animal as a keepsake.

The main thing to remember when planning a party worthy of the big top moniker is that the most important thing is that everyone has a good time. Don’t sweat the small details so much that you aren’t able to enjoy the event. Other great ideas to make this an even bigger event include things such as renting a moon walk for kids to jump and play in, renting a cotton candy maker, and having a real popcorn popper rather than relying on microwave popcorn. There’s something about the smell that just makes it feel like a circus.

Another thing you need to do when planning a big top or circus themed birthday party is plan for contingencies, such as rain if the party was to be held outside. The show must go on whether it is storming or whether the sun is shining brightly so be sure to have a back up plans in case things go awry.

While girls dream of parties with “jammies” and pillow fights little boys often dream of sleepovers that are held beneath the stars. There are many ways this can be incorporated into a birthday theme for your little man’s big day. No matter what age, there is something that boys find fascinating about sleeping in the great outdoors and a camping birthday party is a great way to do this, even if the great outdoors go no further than your own back yard.

A favorite theme among those holding camping birthday parties is that of a trail ride. With this you can bring your gear along with you, ride horses, cook, eat, and sleep under the stars. If you don’t have a trail ride, horses, or long trails in the wilderness nearby don’t despair. With a Dutch oven, an open fire, a few sticks, and little bit of imagination you can have your very own cowboy camp out birthday bash celebration. Don’t forget the fixin’s for some s’mores while you’re making plans and be sure to have a camera handy as you create an unforgettably fun birthday bash and camping party for that special guy in your life. Be sure to include a few tall tales to share around the campfire. Now might be a great time to brush up on your Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill stories.

A military camping birthday party is another great camping party idea. Right now boys need good solid heroes and the military is a great place to find them. If you have friends or family that are serving over seas this might be a great way to help your little guy bring them closer to home for an evening and could be the best birthday memory he’ll ever have. Set up pup tents, visit your local military supply or surplus store for MREs (meals ready to eat), have everyone wearing their favorite camouflage, and have an army green face painting contest before bed time.

A safari camping theme is another great theme for a terrific camping birthday party. Begin by having everyone dress appropriately for a day underneath the hot African sun, khakis, and an appropriate hat work well. Create a safari pack (goody bag) for all the kids including really chip binoculars, a net for catching stray bugs (really great for lightening bugs at night), safari themed stickers, and a picture frame that is worthy of a fearless safari adventurer (you’ll definitely want to send them home with photos of their safari attire). Set up camp for the evening and serve animal crackers for dessert. You can populate the tent with stuffed animals of favorite safari animals and supplement the adventure with a trip to the zoo for even grander effect and more fun.

If none of these are getting you very excited you could always go with a Rocky Mountain sort of theme for your camping birthday party. Be sure to have plenty of stuffed black bears and have everyone wear red flannel and denim. This is a great and fun sort of adventure for the little men in your life and a great fun party idea. It also presents a few wonderful photo ops for souvenirs and your very own memory book. Have the tents pitched in the backyard and the grill should be set up to feed your hungry mountaineers. If you are fortunate enough to have a creek on your property or live very near one you could even have your ‘adventurers’ go panning for gold.

A camping birthday party presents endless opportunities to put your imagination to work creating a new and wonderful theme. Even if the weather, for some odd reason, doesn’t want to cooperate you can bring your great outdoor adventure inside and still have a grand time. If you live in an apartment or an area in which you are uncomfortable having a camp out, there’s no reason you can’t have a wonderful camp “in”.

There are many great types of birthdays for kids to have but one of the most exciting; particularly the first time is the pajama party. Girls especially love to have pajama parties, slumber parties, sleepovers, and any number of other names you can come up with to say the same thing. The point is they love having their friends over to spend the night and cause all manner of mayhem and mischief.

There are many great ways you could pull off the perfect pajama party but you must remember at all times that a house full of giggling girls requires a good humor and a huge bottle of your favorite head ache remedy (non-alcoholic on this occasion of course). Once you have a nice supply of aspirin on hand you may begin hashing out the details. One important detail however is when during the sleepover cake and ice cream should be eaten and gifts should be opened. Most children prefer sooner during the event rather than later so that they can play with their haul of loot with their friends.

If this is the case, you need to have the decorations in place ahead of the party, which is probably a good idea anyway. If you’ve decided on a particular theme great, if not there’s really nothing wrong with a pajama theme for the cake and decorations. You can even have fuzzy bunny slippers if you want and no one will complain. Read more »

A princess birthday party is what almost every little girl dreams of at some point in her childhood. Make your little princess’ dream a reality by planning the perfect princess party for her. There are so many things you can do with the princess theme that will be both fun and incredibly memorable. Regardless of what you decide to do be sure that there are plenty of cameras on hands for lots of fantastic pictures.

There are all kinds of great party games that can be played at a princess party and the best place to look for inspiration is your favorite childhood fairy tales. Instead Read more »

The 16th Birthday for most young girls is a very special birthday. It is one that should be made memorable and there are many ways in which this can be accomplished. If you are like many moms and dads out there you might be a bit challenged is to exactly how to make that birthday stand out above and beyond the rest, especially in light of what seems to be competing and often escalating birthday celebrations. Keep reading for some excellent birthday party ideas to make your daughter’s day shine.

While there are many friends that your daughter will have and many Sweet 16 parties she will attend you want to make her birthday party a little bit unique. For this reason there are several party ideas that will be mentioned below. You can elaborate on one theme or mix and match a few themes that capture your attention. Regardless any of these themes should be a little something special to make the day, or evening, a special event full of fond memories for your teen.

Throw a masquerade ball. This allows everyone to dress in costumes, dance, drink punch, and have a ball, figuratively of course. This can be a lot of fun and you can even have those in attendence make their own masks for the grand event even if you choose not to use costumes and go a little less formal. Use plenty of balloons to set the stage and make the evening quite an event.

You can have a spa event for an all girls sweet 16. This event would include having facials, pedicures, makeovers, and a great chick flick for the evening, followed, of course by copious amounts of Haagen-Dazs(r). Read more »

Teens are often the most difficult among us to impress. Too old for many of the theme party ideas that often appeal to younger children and not quite old enough to appreciate some of the more entertaining adult party themes there seem to be very few options available for awesome teen birthday parties that will go down in record books. If you are looking for something a little new and different to do this year, try an Amazing Race sort of scavenger hunt for your teen’s birthday. Be sure to have interesting prizes and a gift for the birthday boy or girl to give in the name of the winners.

This is a party that needs to be planned ahead of time as permission may need to be given by parents for some of the more exciting scavenged items. It’s also a good idea to discuss this with other parents as they may have a few great suggestions for items that must be obtained in search of the holy birthday party Amazing Race grail. Keep the prizes simple and fun and keep the goals for each leg of the race challenging enough to be entertaining but something that can be accomplished without risking life and limb. Make sure that there is a little more to the challenge than having to go from one house or store to the next and buy, beg, or borrow items. Make some of the items things that must be carefully considered and well planned on behalf of the winning team. This makes the entire process more fun for everyone and a birthday party theme that will be remembered. Read more »

Boys and girls of all ages have a deep and abiding love of trains. From Thomas the Tank to The Little Engine that Could, trains make an excellent theme for a birthday party for your favorite youngster. The great news is that there are plenty of great party favors and decorations on the market to make your train theme carry through all aspects of the birthday party.

You can purchase invitations that are shaped like a train and appropriate for the specific train theme you have in mind. Even old-fashioned steam engines make a fascinating setting and theme for little ones who are filled with imagination. You do not need to go overboard on the decorations for a train themed party in order to get the theme apart but there are some great goody bags that can be made in keeping with the theme.
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For pirates of all ages, shapes, and sizes there is little better than a Jimmy Buffett themed birthday party for fun and play. Much more than good music Jimmy Buffett has created a lifestyle all his own through his music and with the enthusiastic support of his fans. His music isn’t limited to one genre and doesn’t appeal to one specific culture, instead the appeal is nearly limitless, which makes this a great theme for a birthday party that is open to an audience of all ages though a firm favorite for celebrating the big 4-0 as the result of “A Pirate Looks at 40.”

To pull off an excellent Margaritaville party blenders and ice are a must. The next thing you need to worry about is food. Some great food ideas for a Margaritaville themed party would be boiled shrimp, build your own cheeseburgers’ (in paradise of course), complimentary finger foods and fixings, and a little bit of sponge cake and/or fruitcake probably wouldn’t hurt things at all. They would definitely work wonders to the Jimmy Buffett approved theme of the party. If you are in serious need of inspiration for menu ideas check out the menu at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Café. Read more »

If you are like most adults in the world you search far and wide for a somewhat unique theme for the next great birthday bash. If you are at a bit of a loss this year, how about going with a classic movie theme. You can either choose one movie or let guests come dressed as favorite characters from individual movies and have a hodgepodge collection of music and DVDs available to set the theme for the party. You can also elect to have movie posters from the movie (if going with a specific movie theme) or a variety of great classics if going with the flow and letting everyone become their favorite classic movie characters. If you want to get really creative you can assign characters to guests and make an adventure of having guests try to guess the character and the movie.

The sky is the limit when planning a classic movie birthday party. If you are considering going with one specific movie however, please feel free to select from some of the excellent themes and ideas below.

1) The Godfather. I can’t think of a more appropriate birthday party for a good many of the men I know. It’s a great classic movie and the guys will have a great time going over their favorite Godfather lines all night. Have some great Italian music, Italian food, and plan for a night of fun. Don’t forget to have the movie on hand so that arguments over infamous lines and old scores can be settled. Read more »