50th Birthday Party Ideas
Time to start planning for the big day and the big party to see the next phase of your life in with a swing.
Here are a few ideas…
1959 Party
A great theme for the year you (or your partner) were born. You could have a rock and roll party playing songs from 1959. This could include Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry.
Surprise Party
Obviously you can’t do this one on your own, but a surprise party is a great idea. To make it really effective you have to let your partner know that a party is planned - with just a few close friends, but you keep the number of people a secret.
Hire a boat
A great party venue is to hire a boat. This could either be on a river or on the sea. (Watch out for the sea as some people may get sea sick). My brother hired a boat from Central London down to the Thames Barrage.
Hire a castle
A castle is a great venue for a party. Many castles have a banqueting hall. Even better you could also combine it with a Medieval Banquet. This would make an unmissable event.
Hire a hotel for the weekend
A great one to keep the festivities going. This was one that my sister-in-law Chris did for her 50th birthday.
Beach party
A nice thing to do in hot weather is to have a party on the beach. You may need to pick a location where you are not likely to get told off. In the middle of winter you could plan an indoor beach party where you wear hawaian shirts and spread sand on the floor. Jo went to a great 50th beach party recently. They even managed to get a boat in the marquee! We have built a page specially for Beach Party Ideas
Themed party
There are lots of other types of themed parties that you can try.
- Caribbean
- Pirates
- Vicars and Tarts
- Film Stars
- School Dinners
Hire a big villa
Hire a big villa for a week or two abroad. Share the cost with your close friends. (sent in by Salli)
Hire a steam train
Nothing quite like a bit of nostalgia. 50 years ago steam trains were still in everyday action. Many railway preservation trusts will hire out a steam train for a party.
Party like Philip Green
For the ultimate of 50th Birthday Parties - if you had £5 million ($10 million) - to spare could could not do much better than emulate Philip Green.
He hired a Boeing 747 to fly 200 friends to a 50th birthday party in Cyprus. He paid Rod Stewart and Tom Jones to perform for his guests. Michael Aspel surprised the party by arriving on stage for a version of This Is Your Life.
It ended with a toga party in a mock Roman amphitheatre.
Any other ideas?
If you have any other ideas - why not add them in the box below.
For the man with a stout heart, take an aerobatic flight.
A look back on your life a slide show of the person celebrating their 50th and go thorough all the good and bad times in their lives.
OR hire a jukebox and they can listen to all their favourite tunes in the era they were born in, get way to have fun with mates and have some fun it is your special day after all.
you could have you and your partners family over for a meal at your house , get caterers to do the cooking so that you can be with your guests
You could send a singing telegram to a party.
No one ever forgets receiving a singing telegram, especially one featuring a song or character that has special meaning .
islander theme
hire a BARGE FOR THE NIGHT
a 1958 cd with rock and roll music or either classic and peaceful
make love all night
Get a group of friends together & go camping. Have a big bonfire, plenty of wine etc, marshmallows to toast, stories, go on a night walk, BBQ.
get the invited guests to write a note of a special event they remember of the birthday person and compile them before the party then have someone read them and get the birthday person to try and guess who wrote it. put them into a memory book and present it as a gift
tina
everyone goes dressed as the host
a small dinner party for 20 followed by a marquee in the garden for the rest of your friends the next day
a beer bus “Black Country Tours” west midlands
a children’s tea party theme for your 50th cake jelly, balloons pass the parcel, musical chairs!
A Famous five theme with the five go on a holiday book as the atmospheric set up.
play snooker
strum your guitar
for a relaxing fun night everyone wears pyjamas. and there cheap
get a limo pick up in the morning and then drive to the perfect spa
Everyone arriving at the surprise party bring a picture of the birthday person that they don’t mind that person to keep. Just for a for a keep sake.
think of a time she nade you laugh and tell her in person at the party
have a spanish themed party and do that as a theme
Book a capsule on the london eye and have a champane party followed by dinner.
Theme Attraction Spookers (Auckland) great laugh with family and friends
Have a 50years in the life of ….. (Birthday Person) printed by sourcing pics from the invited guests; speaches, copies of interviews; special moments - like births; weddings; 1st steps etc. Have the book printed and bound for the birthday person on his birthday.
If you have people of all ages
Simple mask party include the people young & old with little cost
Combine your 50th with your first primary school class reunion. Project a scanned 1964 class photo on the wall and get everyone to group in the same order for a 2009 photo. Everyone come to the party in school uniform!
get all guests to send a picture of themselves approx 40yrs ago and then make up a pin board with the photos.All guests try to match the childhood ohotos with the party guests on the night.
Put sand on your lawn - HAVE A BEACH PARTY !!
ask groups of guests to make up a verse to Happy Birthday to you and then go round the room singing them.
Have a Karaoke Party…….or have guys dress as girls and girls dress as guys! I’ve done both and they were GREAT!
have a party in the street for a laugh
have a barby at the sandy beach and then let off some fireworks
Ideal for any 50th Birthday, how about having the birthday guy or girl appering on the cover of a magazine. Of course, it fake, but so much fun. Take a look here for some ideas: My Cover Pics
These are designed and personalised for you and are affordable, with fast delivery.
have a dogde ball party great fun
Launch 50 lanterns and make it a day for all to remember.
They can also be personalized.
“Hawaii Five O” Theme Party, Book it Dano !
I am 50 in November 2009. I,m organizing a pipe and slippers party.
men:
have a Hawaiin theme BBQ with beer,burgers and cake
Women:
Girls night in, or out, go for dinner and maybe bowling or a sleepover with your friends
or you could just beat it
invite family and friends over, shoot off fire works, BYOB of course, and party like its 1999.
Hire a large room and throw a”Strictly Come Dancing” party, with tunes from the 1950s.
There will be quite a number of guests that can waltz and quick-step etc. and the other guests will have fun trying to copy them.
I had a lovely dinner dance party for about eighty people - I hired the local community centre,hired caterers and hired someone to play cds with tunes from the 1950s and 60s. I asked the guests to dress to impress (Tux & Tiaras)and what a night that was! Years later my friends still say it was one of the best parties they have been to. Not only did they enjoy the ballroom dancing but the sing a long was great fun too.
Scottish/Country Dancing - with a caller telling you what to do. Suits all ages. Fantastic fun.
50th birthday party ideas for the Richest people.
These ideas are for the super rich, not for your average celebrity with a few dollars.
1. Contact the Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s tallest building and hire the top floors. Arrange for the Red Arrows to do a flyby, followed by 50 hot air balloons floating pass the building with your name on each balloon. Your DJ jumps out of the last balloon and carefully parachutes onto the building, enters and starts the party.
2. Hire 3 or more luxury yachts, depending on the number of guests and make an enclosure in the middle of a deep bay. A triangle or circle shape would be best. For your grand entrance, you surface from the middle of the enclosure in a military submarine. A helicopter then airlifts you onto the main yacht. The submarine dives, followed by a 3 aircraft flyby and the party begins.
If you successfully adopt any of the above ideas, or variation on the same theme, you are welcome to send a gratuity to Big Sand with some photos from the event.
Stay in
50th Birthday ideas for the Celebrity.
Hire a script writer and production team to create a documentary or drama based on your life.
It must only last for 50 minutes, so you’ll have to focus on the key aspects. For the party, you will arrange to show the film to your guests immediately after the champagne reception. Try to cast some of your guests in the film so that they are also keen to see the final cut and have some fun watching it.
If it went down well, you may be offered a proper deal by one of your celebrity guest. So make sure that you invite the right people.
After the film and the applause, you immediately go up a gear and let the real party begin. No speech, it drains too much energy from the party. Incorporate it into the film.
For your champagne reception, you could hire a 5 piece steel band to perform some lively music to show your guests that you can still shake it. They will then be happy to relax and watch a film after that introduction.
For the rest of the party, focus on providing great food, drink and entertainment. If this works, you are welcome to send a gratuity to Big Sand and a copy of the film.
Heard of a good 50th party from a friend. Everyone went in the fancy dress of their choice but it had to start with B (the birthday girl’s initial). There were Barbies, babies, butterflies, batman and Bertie Bassett even put in an appearance!
For my husbands 50th we had a mexican theme, we all got dressed up in mexican costume the men all had a false tash on , we hired a rodeo bull, we had mexican music , 8 of us learnt the mexican hat dance ,and perfomed it on the night ,pin the tale on the donkey , not a real one of course,lots of mexican food ,chilli nachos,fajitas and nibbles , we made vodka and lime jelly shots,plenty of tequila and sol, played What’s the gist?
1. Grab the camera, a cheap one set the self-timer and the game begins.
2. Each player must hold the camera at arm’s length and point it at themselves for a second or two - before passing it on to their left.
3. Keep going, until the camera goes off with a flash of light, a startled face and much laughter.
4. If the flash goes off, that person must do a quick forfeit (you decide!) before the game continues. Of course, random forfeits can also be awarded for not holding the camera long enough…
Who wins? Anyone lucky enough to avoid the flash.
we had a fantastic time and a good laugh.
How about a tramps party cheap and easy to do catering was hotpot table covers were news papers.
I came back from China recently, loved the Chinese Lanterns over there.
It’s my 50th but a number of my friends (who are in 20s, & 30s) don’t know I’m 50. Those that do know my age are saying I must do something and I’m feeling pressurized. I’d like to do something (and pretend I’m 45) but my friends are so diverse in age and background, I don’t know what do do. I actually am depressed at the thought of being 50. I’m single, fat (which makes me really feel old), unemployed - what’s there to celebrate really?
Cheer up Veronica! Just because you’re coming up 50 you don’t have to look it or act it if you don’t want to. Have a Plastic Surgery Party where everyone has to try and look 10 years younger.
I am having a rock and roll party for my 5Oth really looking forward to it, fancy dress easy for everyone especially as legins are back in fashion
Stay in and forget about the fact
Party Party Party ………… Its great being 50.
For my husband’s 50th I hired a caricature drawer who drew an individual picture of all guests on the night… It was a wonderful keepsake for my husband.
Make it a night to remember.Have a garden party in the summer with lots of fairy lights and candles in jars hanging around the garden. Music from all 5 decades, plenty of food and drink and invite everyone that is special to you. Lovely.
For the more socialite ! I will turned 50 next year. I am a classical trained musician and will give a recital for about 80 guests followed by a buffet reception afterwards.
I am having my 50th birthday in August, I am having a “Uniform” theme, which means you can go to as little or as much trouble as you like to dress up.
I am having guests bring a memory of me written down on paper and will make a book of memories.
There will be heaps of food, drink and music and around 100 guests - I can’t wait!!!!
i am having a 50th in july, i have yet to firm up the theme but like the idea of childrens tea party, as i am having ice cream van come and dish out ice creams - cant wait.
I have read all of your submitted ideas and love all of them. thank you for helping me compose a combination of a bit of it all….!!
Have a scottish caleigh
Bollywood party with guests dressed in glam clothes, with food n decor from Indian movies
i need more ideas. I can not fine my dress