- Celebrate your birthday by seeing a play, having a picnic in the park, visiting an escape room, or just chilling at home.
- Or go the traditional route and have a birthday party. Either do the planning yourself, or have friends or family plan the shindig for you.
- Whatever you do for your big day, don't stress too much: just relax and enjoy the ride. You deserve it!
Ways to Celebrate Your Birthday
Go to a concert or play. Live performances, be they comedy, ballet, music, or stage plays, are a great way to make an outing special! Get a gang of your best pals together, or see a show with your significant other for a romantic birthday date. Make the outing really special by stopping for drinks or dinner beforehand, or grabbing dessert (did someone say birthday cake?) at your favorite restaurant afterward.
Have a picnic. A leisurely afternoon sitting on a blanket outdoors is a perfect way to enjoy your day. Take a blanket, some drinks, snacks, and pals, find a scenic spot, and celebrate your big day with a picnic. If you’re feeling a bit fancy, bring wine, cheese, and fruit. For a more festive feel, bring cake, balloons, and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner (or not-so-subtly hint to your friends to do it) and turn your picnic into your own magical outdoor birthday party.
Go swimming. Whether you dive into your local lake or you suit up at the Y, swimming is a fun and refreshing birthday activity. If you want to make it a really special day, gather a gang of besties and go to your fave water park for a day of games, cotton candy, and water slides!
Check out an escape room. See how much smarter you’ve gotten in the last year by going to an escape room! To “win,” you and your team must find clues, solve puzzles, and complete tasks in the escape room within a certain amount of time. So gather up your most Sherlock Holmes-y pals for a birthday you’ll never forget. There are escape rooms centered on all kinds of themes, from ancient Egypt to Harry Potter. See what cool escape rooms there are in your area, or make an adventure of it and road trip to your room of choice!
Go bar-hopping. If you’re a fan of fancy cocktails or craft beers, why not take your friend group out on an all-night adventure to the best bars your city has to offer? You can test out that cool new tiki bar you’ve been meaning to try, or visit your favorite cozy pub. Some places may even give you free shots if you tell them it’s your birthday. Picklebacks all around!
Have a spa day. Your birthday is the perfect day for a mental detox! Make an appointment at a spa in your town and prepare to be pampered. Go with a bestie or have a solo relaxation day. You deserve it! From facials to cucumber water to mud baths to much-needed massages, a spa day is a great way to show yourself some self-love! Going to a spa can be pricy, but you can have your own special spa day at home. Buy a few face masks for everyone, light your most fragrant candles, pour everyone a glass of champagne or hot tea, and you're guaranteed a fun, relaxing birthday. Buying spa products can get expensive quickly, but asking everyone to bring their favorite lotions, masks, and nail polishes is a great way to save money and make your guests feel more involved.
Buy yourself a present. You’re a savvy spender and you diligently tuck away money with every paycheck, right? Well, your birthday is your time to splurge on yourself and buy that special thing you’ve been wanting, whether it’s a divine-smelling perfume or a first edition of your favorite novel or a new video game.
Do nothing. Who says birthdays have to be filled with activity? Many of us want to have a birthday that’s filled to the brim with adventures, but there’s nothing wrong with just relaxing and taking it easy on your birthday. Sleep in. Have a big breakfast and relax. Cook a favorite meal, or watch those rental movies you haven’t had the time for. Invite friends or family over for a casual hang, or enjoy the alone time!
Planning Your Birthday Celebration
Look at your bucket list for inspiration. Most of us have specific activities we want to do in our lives. Things on your bucket list likely range from the large to the small, from traveling to a particular place in the world to eating at a particular restaurant. Your birthday is the perfect opportunity to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten around to. Not only will picking something from your bucket list guarantee the day will be memorable, but checking an item off your list will also help you feel successful and more accomplished! And why shouldn’t it? You’re getting things done!
Set a birthday budget for yourself. While your bucket list no doubt has a plethora of awesome activities to choose from, realistically, some of those ideas won’t be in your budget right now. Think about what you can do for your birthday that won’t break the bank. Consider activities you can do without leaving your hometown or spending less than $100. Create a total budget for everything—and we mean everything. For instance, if you’re planning a party, you’ll need to make a list of all the different vendors that you're going to need to hire: venue, caterer, florist, musicians, etc., and then make a budget for each particular category.
If it’s a big year, consider planning your celebration around it. Is it your 21st? Your 40th? 50th? Doing something really special on particular milestones is especially memorable (and no one will begrudge you the expense!). Consider checking off a big bucket list item for these special years; major milestones are good years to do the skydiving, or the trip to Paris, or the kayaking down the Grand Canyon. Give yourself permission to go all out if it’s a big year, but still keep to a budget. There are lots of helpful resources out there to make it easier (and cheaper) to take that trip around the world you’ve always dreamed of—for instance, if you want to travel on a budget, consider going out of season for cheaper flights and lodging (even if it means putting off your trip until your birthday is over).
Throwing a Party
Plan your party. There are so many unique ways to celebrate your birthday, but sometimes you just want to go the classic route and have a party. Make sure you have the necessary items, the right venue, and all the guests you want to invite. Decide what you’ll serve. Are you having a full dinner or just drinks and appetizers? Think of who’s coming and consider what they might like. Are your guests more carnivores? Vegetarians? If you know your guests’ preferences, use that knowledge. Consider the climate when planning your party. If it’s cold, warm dips and hot bread can be a relatively simple path. If your birthday falls in the warmer months (or if you live in a hotter region) cool drinks, fruits, and cold dips are great. Consider your guests’ enjoyment, but don’t overthink it: just plan a party that you would want to attend, and good times will be had by all.
Get close friends and family involved. If you’re hosting a house party or a shindig where you will be doing some of the legwork, enlist family and friends to come early to help with the preparations. This way, some of the party-planning burden will be lifted from your shoulders. If you want to lift even more of the burden, don’t have the party at your house: have it at someone else’s house, an event space, or even a hotel room or Airbnb.
Ask guests to contribute to the party. In lieu of gifts, ask guests to provide drinks, snacks, particular dishes, plates, or even music or games. This will lessen the economic burden on yourself as well as help guests feel involved, which can really contribute to a sense of camaraderie. Potlucks are a great way to make your friends a part of the cooking. Ask everyone to bring a dish, or create a signup sheet with an online invite service for coordination of dishes. Know anyone who is known amongst friends for a special dish or dessert they make? Ask them if they would like to make it for your birthday: they’ll feel appreciated, and so will you!
Going with the Flow
Be flexible. As with any event planning, don’t expect every bit of minutiae to happen exactly as you envisioned it down to each minute or birthday candle. Remember: it’s about having a good time and celebrating, not about accomplishing a task. When things don’t go exactly as you planned, go with it—it’s your birthday, and, well, you can cry if you want to, but there’s really no need. Everyone will have a good time if the host or guest of honor is relaxed and enjoying themselves, so that’s all you need to worry about. Things not going according to plan often makes for a great story. So if the dog gets in your cake or your BFF gets drunk and dances on the table singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” roll with it (and take pics).
Let yourself be pampered. If you have family or friends around that express a desire to help make your birthday memorable, let them! Trust that the people who care the most about you will make sure your day is special. Pamper yourself also: sleep late, wear your favorite outfit, get some quality spa or massage time, or have a luxurious bath followed by chocolates.
Put aside your responsibilities for a day. If possible, allow yourself to “check out” on your birthday. Don’t let that big deal at the office go awry, of course, and make sure your kids have a ride home from school, but your birthday can be an annual guilt-free opportunity to not worry about the dishes or that wall that needs painting or other minor tasks that you have on your plate. If possible, get your birthday (or the day after if you’re planning on being up late) off from work. Take the day and enjoy it.
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