Birthdays are exciting, and you should celebrate them — no matter your age. As we grow up, there are many different ways to commemorate the big day than just a party with pizza and cake. Our interests are a big part of our identity and can help us plan a perfect and fun birthday — whether planning your own party or surprising a loved one on their special day. Consider these 25 birthday activities for adults based on different interests to help you create a memorable day.
1. Turn Your Birthday Into a Fun Trip
Birthday ideas for adults don’t have to take place on one day , especially for milestone decades like turning 30, 40, 50, etc. While this type of birthday activity incurs a per-person cost, there are several ways to save money on travel to help manage expenses for the trip.
If your plans involve going on a cruise or out of the country, don’t forget to check your passport. Remember, many passports won’t be accepted if they expire within six months of your travel date, and you should renew them as soon as possible. RushMyPassport helps expedite your application so you can receive your documents and won’t miss the birthday trip.
2. Enjoy a Relaxing Staycation
If the birthday person has a busy schedule and doesn’t have much time off to celebrate, consider some staycation ideas to have fun and relax without the added stress of travel. A staycation can include booking a calming spa day followed by a nice dinner. You can even book rooms at AAA-preferred hotels , so your staycation feels more like a special and celebratory getaway.
3. Expand Your Culinary Skills
Whether the guest of honor loves to cook and learn new recipes or needs to develop their skills in the kitchen, a cooking class is a fun and interactive way to celebrate their birthday. You can book a class focused on a specific type of cuisine that the birthday person enjoys or a cooking-related skill — like making pasta or sushi. Either way, they’re doing something they already enjoy or are learning a new helpful skill to ring in their new age.
4. Have Adult-Only Fun on a Bar Crawl
Adult birthday party ideas often include adult-only experiences, like participating in a bar crawl. Book a party bus or ensure everyone uses ride-share services to enjoy responsibly and avoid substance-impaired driving .
If you’re near a region known for wine, like Napa Valley in California or the Finger Lakes in New York, you can venture on a wine-tasting adventure instead of a traditional downtown bar crawl.
Whichever option you choose, make sure to stop for food and hydrate!
5. Experience Elegance with High Tea
If the birthday person enjoys getting dressed up and having a classy gathering, plan a high tea for their celebration. All tea rooms offer a classic high tea, but some will offer themed parties based on either their brand decor or what’s happening in popular culture.
6. Enjoy the Outdoors at a Picnic Potluck
Picnics are a popular summer activity that can become a low-key and relaxing adult birthday activity. Bring yard games for some friendly competition and blankets to soak in the sun. Turn the traditional picnic into a potluck where everyone contributes a dish to take the catering pressure off of just one person. If you’re not much of a cook or don’t have a lot of time, consider preparing something delivered from Home Chef for a quick, delicious party contribution.
7. Celebrate at a Classic Brunch
Brunches are the perfect celebration activity. Make reservations at the birthday person’s favorite brunch spot to ensure you have space for your party since many restaurants are busy during brunch hours.
Or, for a more casual and relaxed setting, you can choose to have a birthday brunch at someone’s house. Order classic brunch pastries from Wolferman’s Bakery , fruit baskets from Sharri’s Berries and other food from a favorite restaurant so you can focus on enjoying the celebration instead of worrying about cooking and cleaning up.
8. Turn an Iconic Birthday Sleepover Adult
When thinking of things to do on your birthday, use nostalgia for activities from birthdays past to plan something fun for your adult party. An iconic birthday sleepover, like those we had as kids, can be transformed into an adult birthday sleepover full of fun, friends and plenty of throwback nostalgia. Make sure you’re stocked with plenty of candy, chocolate , snacks and fun adult drinks as you play games like Truth or Dare. Add personalized stemware and sleepwear from Personalization Mall for another fun touch!
9. Get into Character for a Fun, Themed Party
Themed birthday parties don’t need to end just because you’re an adult! Themes can become more fun and extravagant for adult birthday parties, and you could even request that attendees dress up based on your chosen theme to keep things fun. Decorate the location of your party to bring the entire theme to life; you can even order themed invitations, signage and more from Shutterfly to add an extra touch.
Some theme ideas include:
- Roaring 20s
- Barbie and Ken
- Pajama party
- Coachella
- Old Hollywood
- Murder Mystery
- Y2K
10. Sing Your Heart Out at Karaoke Night
Does the birthday person love to sing, or do they enjoy watching friends who don’t sing belt out a popular song? In either case, plan a karaoke night, at home or out, to celebrate their big day! Planning at-home karaoke is as easy as accessing YouTube on a smart TV and searching for the karaoke version of your favorite songs. If the guest of honor wants to go out for karaoke, many bars offer a weekly karaoke night and usually promote them on their social media pages.
11. Soak Up the Sun on a Birthday Beach Day
Spend your birthday sitting in the sand and soaking up the sun at the beach to experience true serenity. Whether you live close to a beach or have to drive a little bit to get there, ask your closest friends to join you for the day for an intimate gathering that’ll keep you relaxed while you lounge and listen to the waves crash against the shore. Consider renting a convertible from Hertz to help you enjoy the beach views on the way there.
12. Celebrate with Everyone by Having a Pool Party
Having a summer birthday means you can enjoy being outside for a pool party. This type of party is also a great way to include any kids in your life at your birthday party. Turn on the grill, keep a stocked cooler nearby and play your favorite SiriusXM station or Samsung Audio on speakers while you lounge on a float surrounded by all of your favorite people.
13. Keep it Casual with Movie Night
If you’re looking for a casual birthday activity for adults, host a movie night where you can watch all of your favorites back to back. This also allows you to keep things family-friendly and include kids or venture into the rated-R territory with an adults-only viewing party.
14. Host a Dinner Party with the Birthday Person’s Favorite Foods
Another casual idea when planning birthday activities for adults is hosting a dinner party. The guest of honor can simply attend, but all other guests can contribute appetizers, dishes or desserts. Even those who struggle with cooking can find charcuterie baskets, baked goods and even main course options through Harry & David .
You can customize the birthday dinner to have a selection of the guest of honor’s favorite foods. Plus, if you want the dinner to be less casual, you can ask guests to dress to impress.
15. Embrace Elegance at a Cocktail Party
If you’re searching for elegant birthday party ideas for adults, a cocktail party is the way to go! Cocktail parties allow all guests to get dressed up to sip on their favorite drinks and snack on hors d’oeuvres. Consider adding a featured specialty drink honoring the birthday person to make the evening more celebratory and special. Cocktail parties can also be themed, like having attendees all wear the guest of honor’s favorite color.
16. Cheer on Your Favorite Team at a Live Sporting Event
For sports fans, there’s no better way to celebrate their birthday than by cheering on their favorite team in person. Score cheap sports tickets to meet any budget so you and your friends can celebrate together at the game. You can even bring a cake or cupcakes to your pre-game tailgate for the full birthday experience.
17. Spend the Night Outside on a Camping Trip
If you’re limited in budget and need to come up with inexpensive birthday party ideas for adults, consider camping as an option. A camping trip is a great solution for the birthday person who loves spending time outdoors and a quiet escape. Plus, there’s nothing like taking in the starry night sky surrounded by the glow of a bonfire.
18. Spend the Day Soaking in Nature While Hiking
For the person who loves nature but also enjoys sleeping in a bed at night, consider spending your birthday on a hike with close friends and loved ones. This is another inexpensive activity option that you can include many people in without worrying about budgets. You’ll have the chance to immerse yourself in local natural surroundings, which will vary depending on the trails closest to you and your climate. This can include desert landscapes, rocky terrain, gorges and waterfalls or lush forests.
19. Relive Being a Kid at an Amusement Park
Just because you’re celebrating an adult birthday doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate like a kid and enjoy a day at an amusement park — especially if you love rides and are looking forward to the opening of Epic Universe at Universal . When figuring out what park you’d like to visit, remember that larger, more popular parks will be more expensive than smaller, family-owned amusement park.
If you want to go to a larger park for your birthday, consider different discounts and group rate options to help you save. For example, the cost of Disney World tickets varies depending on whether you’re a Florida resident, what day and time of year you visit, and how many days your trip is. Do your research by checking the prices of tickets and popular add-ons, like dining packages and fast-passes, to compare different amusement parks.
20. Host a Game Night
For a low-key adult birthday activity that can also include the kids in your life, consider hosting a game night for your closest friends and family. Include a mix of board games and other games like charades to keep things interesting and get people moving throughout the night. Keeping the group between six and 10 people will allow for good-sized teams and help encourage friendly competition.
21. Play Adult Games at a Casino Night
With the guest of honor who likes to live their life with a little risk, plan a fun casino night for their birthday celebration. There are two options: Take them to an actual casino or plan a low-stakes DIY casino night.
Going to a casino provides the right ambiance and other entertainment options, while a DIY version can be more fun and allows you to play games that the guest of honor likes without volatility. Let the birthday person decide which option appeals to them more, and begin your planning!
22. Attend a Concert to Celebrate the Music Lover
With the music-obsessed birthday person, plan a celebration that includes attending a concert. Whether their favorite artist of all time is currently touring or you’re able to see a newer artist at a more intimate venue, you can find discounted admission to many concerts through AAA tickets . Then all you have to worry about is dressing up for the concert and having a good time celebrating.
23. Plan a Scavenger Hunt Tailored to the Guest of Honor
If you’re looking for something interactive when planning birthday activities for adults, try tailoring a scavenger hunt around your hometown that’s tailored to the guest of honor. This can include significant landmarks throughout their lives and some of their favorite places/things as adults.
24. Exercise in a Fun Fitness Class
Plan a fun group workout with a birthday person who’s also a fitness fan to celebrate their big day. Some options include:
- Hot yoga
- Barre
- Goat yoga
- Pilates
- Line dancing
- Aerial yoga
- Rock climbing
- Pole dancing
25. Be Creative at a Paint and Sip
To celebrate the artist or art-lovers birthday, book a paint-and-sip party or host one at your house. If you book the paint-and-sip party at a studio, you’ll have a professional there to guide you along the way. However, the benefit to having a DIY paint-and-sip party is your freedom to have everybody create the same thing or freestyle your paintings. Again, you should make this decision based on the preferences of the birthday person.
Save on Birthday Activities for Adults with AAA
Whether you’re planning your own party or planning for someone else, there are many different options to celebrate a birthday as an adult. Tailoring the party to the guest of honor’s interests is a fun way to celebrate them on their big day. Plan birthday activities for adults with your AAA membership to access additional discounts to help you save and create more room in your party budget.
FAQs About Birthday Activities for Adults
Here are some answers to more questions about planning a birthday party or celebration for adults:
How do you celebrate your birthday as an adult?
Celebrating your birthday as an adult is all about your personal preferences and interests. If planning your own party or helping to plan your party, you have a little more control over the plans. However, if someone else is planning the celebration for you, give them honest answers to what you’re interested in doing and any expectations you have.
What kind of gift do you give at an adult birthday party?
When attending an adult birthday party, it’s easy to default to giving the guest of honor gift cards or money. However, another option is to give them an experience gift that matches their interests and that they can enjoy. A few friends or family members can even join together to contribute to purchasing an experience gift that’s a little pricier.
Should an adult birthday party be a surprise?
When deciding if an adult birthday party you’re planning should be a surprise or not, think about the guest of honor. Do they love surprises? Are they easily suspicious? Is it a milestone birthday? Does their schedule fill up easily?
Answering these questions can help you decide whether or not to make the adult birthday party or activity a surprise.
How do you make an adult birthday party interesting?
To keep the party interesting, plan one of the above birthday activities for adults that reflects the interests of the guest of honor.