Planning the Best Birthday Celebration

Planning a special birthday celebration for your loved ones requires some creativity and thoughtfulness. So, if you want to step up the fun factor for this year’s birthday, it’s time to start planning now!

Here at Spacer, we’ve put together the ultimate 2020 guide to birthday party planning, from the theme to the cake to the people involved. Take a look at our list of birthday celebration must-haves!

1: A great birthday celebration theme

A good theme can make the birthday celebration planning process a breeze. Of course, choosing the right one is the tricky part. Here are a few popular themes that are easy to pull off:

The birthday person’s favorite color. Have everyone involved wear the same color and decorate the entire house with as many shades of the color as possible!

  • Country western. We’ve all got some well-worn jeans and a plaid shirt that we can tuck in for a fun western look. You might even make a ten-gallon hat with cardboard and decorate the walls with cutout cows and bales of hay.
  • Under the sea. Have some leftover silver or blue ribbon from Christmas? Or maybe a bit of blue tinsel or crepe paper? Then you have everything you need to decorate the house for a fun underwater birthday celebration! Pull out all of your beach-going chairs and sand castle buckets to place around the house, and have everyone wear their favorite beachwear. If the temps are still a little cool where you are, blast the heat and give the birthday boy or girl a tropical day to remember.
  • Slumber party birthday. We all had one of these as children, which makes them such a perfect birthday celebration theme for all ages. You probably already have all of the materials on hand: enough sheets, pillows, chairs, and blankets to make an epic blanket fort, the birthday person’s favorite movies and movie-going treats, and the coziest pajamas you can find.

2: An amazing cake (or cakes!)

It wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without a cake, so make sure that you put some thought into this year’s sweet masterpiece! You might have one delivered, or choose to make a cake right at home.

Or, why not take things in a new direction this year and include the birthday person in on the fun? You can set up a birthday cake decorating activity so that the birthday guy or gal can try their own hand at frosting and decorating. Go all out by ordering extra sprinkles, rolling fondants, piping sets, or edible spray paint.

If there are multiple people involved, you might make this fun challenge into a competition by giving each person a mini cake to decorate – just make sure to give the birthday person some special advantages like first pick of the supplies. At the end of the competition, the birthday boy or girl can choose which one will be adorned with birthday candles for the birthday song.

3: Fun birthday celebration activities

When you think about creating the perfect birthday, you want to try to make the day special from morning to night. And planning some fun birthday celebration activities is the best way to spread out the birthday magic.

Here are a few on-theme activities that will mesh perfectly with you birthday celebration decorations:

Favorite color birthday:

–        A game of Twister for some classic fun!

–        Crafts with the birthday guy or gal’s favorite color. For kiddos, you might set up a fun finger painting, collage, or paint-by-numbers activity. For adults, go for a paint-and-sip set-up, challenging the participants to paint a picture using only the shades of the birthday person’s favorite color. And don’t forget the colorful cocktails!

Country western:

–        Learn how to line dance on the back deck, your kitchen, or anywhere else in the house with a hard floor. That way, you can impress your neighbors with your new synchronized dance moves.

–        Become a lasso champion. All you need is a long piece of heavy-weight string and a stand in for bull horns. You can either make them yourself with paper-mâché, or tape a couple of paper towel rolls to the top of the back of a chair – follow your imagination! Then, have participants stand a few feet away and try out their lassoing skills!

Under the sea:

–        Beach-themed karaoke. There are so many songs dedicated to the big blue sea, so get those singing pipes ready! Extra points go to the most innovative dance moves and over-the-top costumes.

–        Beach games in the backyard. You may not get that sand-in-your-shorts experience in your backyard, but you can set up some of your favorite beach activities. Frisbee, beach volleyball, and maybe even kite-flying if you have the space. Make sure that you’ve got a cooler filled with your favorite beach beverages.

Slumber party:

Of course, this theme is all about relaxing, but you can only watch movies for so long before the birthday celebration element will fade. Break up the marathon with some fun slumber party games:

–        At-home scavenger hunt. Give that movie-watching brain a boost with some challenging puzzles. Hide clues throughout the house and have the birthday guy or gal and pals try to figure out where the hidden treasure is waiting to be discovered.

–        Pizza-making table. Put out an array of tasty toppings and have the birthday party goers roll out and bake their own pizzas – just make sure that they’re small enough so that you can fit multiple pizzas in the oven at a time.

Virtual birthday activities:

If you’re including birthday party goers from afar, you’ll want to tailor some of your birthday celebration activities to a virtual or distanced space. Some of the ones we’ve mentioned will be easy, such as beach-going karaoke or learning how to line dance, which can be done online. And here are a few more ideas for the ideal virtual or distanced birthday party:

–        Drive by birthday. Have the birthday boy or girl’s friends and family decorate their cars in line with the birthday celebration theme. Then, schedule a drive by birthday parade to wow the birthday person. Add music, invite the neighbors to cheer on the procession from their homes, and you’ve got an amazing birthday.

–        Online game or movie night. There are plenty of websites where the birthday person and all of their friends and family can log in and join in the fun!  

#4: Thoughtful gifts

With steps one through three, you’ve already given the birthday person a special day that they’re not likely to forget. But you might be able to make this birthday the best one ever with the right gift. Ultimately, you know the birthday person better than anyone, but here are a few ideas:

For kiddos,

–        Crafting kits. Boost their creativity and keep them entertained for hours with science, art, or other fun crafting kits.

–        Sports equipment like a backyard soccer goal or obstacle course

–        Family board games

Adults are a bit harder to shop for. They might like:

–        New supplies for their at-home hobby, such as baking equipment, high quality paints, beer brewing essentials, or yarn

–        Exercise equipment to stay active

–        A paid parking space with Spacer so that they don’t have to worry about parking fees or tickets for the next few months. In competitive parking cities like BostonSan FranciscoNew York City, or Seattle this is an amazing gift.

Congrats, you’ve planned an amazing birthday celebration!

If you’re really looking to make the birthday person feel special this year, you may just end up planning the best birthday celebration ever! Take the time to learn what the birthday guy or gal likes or wants, involve their friends and family, and don’t forget that decorations, activities, cake, and a thoughtful gift can go a long way!

Are you organizing an upcoming birthday party? Let us know all about your birthday celebration plans!

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