How to Throw a 50th Birthday Party
Throwing a 50th Birthday party for a friend or loved one is a lot of fun for all. There's some work involved, but then, hey, you get to have a party! Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Decide if you want to have a surprise party or not. It will be a lot of fun either way. If you can get neighbors or family to join in the preparations, it helps a lot and gets them all involved. I recommend have a neighbor host if possible, then the birthday boy (or girl) gets surprised by all the work you went to, even if its not a surprise party.
-
2
First item is decorations. Any Party store has lots of 50th birthday items. Balloons, paper plates and cups, napkins, signs, gag gifts. Don't go overboard on the black "Over the Hill" theme. Make it a fun celebration.
-
-
3
Music is a key to the party also. Play music from the honoree's year of birth. Just Google "top 100 hits of 1959" or whatever year is applicable. (keep the quotation marks in your search). Then go to Itunes and listen to 30-second clips of songs on the list from your search. Download 10 or 12 and load on a CD that you can play at the party.
-
4
If possible, collect up old photos of the honoree from their old photo albums. Spouse or family can help with this part. It's easy to scan them into a computer and crop them as necessary. Load on a disc and get prints from a local drugstore or photo store (you can order them online at CVS (see Resources). I recommend 4x6 prints, they only cost 19 cents a piece. Get a cheap cardboard stand at any stationery store that kids use for science fair projects (Only costs a dollar or two, is hinged on each end so it stands by itself). Cut out colored squares of construction paper and paste each photo to a square so the color makes a border behind it. Post the photos on the board and stand it up on a table against the wall at the party. You can label each one also (1963 - first grade), (1971 - first date) and that helps make it more special. This is a good job for any scrapbooker in the planning group.
-
5
Costco has the best cakes, they have pudding in the middle. Get a nice big sheet cake that says Happy Birthday. Also, Costco sells big bunches of flowers pretty cheaply. Two dozen roses costs about $12 or 15. Get 4 dozen (it's 48 but it looks like 50). Stick 2 more in if you're a perfectionist. This really knocks someone over to receive in a big vase.
-
6
Have some fun by doing a trivia contest about the person's birth year and when they were growing up (What year and model was the person's first car; what job out of 4 has the person not held; the person was popular in High school for - and give 4 funny options, only 1 of which is correct). You get the idea. Mix in some (this song was #1 when the person was born; this was on the front page of the local paper when this person was born, etc). This may sound corny, and it is, but it's a lot of fun. Print out individual sheets of the trivia quiz and pass out so people can work on it during the party, then get together and someone go through it and announce the answers.
-
7
Have a party! This can be a lot of fun. Hope you get some good ideas here. Let me know how it goes!
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Little kids love oldies from the 50's or early 60's. They automatically dance to it. Join in!
Make the trivia multiple choice so people can discuss the options. Many will be from the same generation so they'll remember this stuff.
Designate someone to take random pictures with a digital camera. You can post them online or email them around afterwards.
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
FrazzledNanny
Feb 19, 2009
Great tips. I'll be planning this before you know it. lol 5*
