52 Totally Inspired 50th Birthday Party Ideas

1. Go Out for Brunch with Your Besties

Stock up on orange juice and bubbly and start perfecting your baked eggs, or just set up a bagel bar and enlist someone else to do the fancy cooking (and the clean up). Either way, an intimate, (preferably boozy) brunch with a few of your besties is a wonderful way to celebrate your fiftieth trip around the sun.

2. Host a Backyard Barbecue

Gather your nearest and dearest for a fun afternoon of delicious food, great music and socializing. Make it as casual (burgers and franks) or epic (roast a whole pig) as you like. But again, asking friends and family to help out is essential.

3. Enjoy a Tea Party

Go on and host your own tea party. (Yep, you’re a real class act.) The event can take place indoors or alfresco, depending on your comfort level. Plus, the mini sandwiches, warm scones and pretty pastries can all be prepared or bought in advance and assembled just before guests arrive. There's also the option of attending afternoon tea at your favorite five-star hotel.

4. Throw a Fondue Party

A little bit retro, a lot delicious. Here are five cheesy ways to get started. (And don’t worry—your vegan friends can join in on the fun too.)

5. Try a Tasting Menu at a Fancy Restaurant

If there was ever a time to splurge on a Michelin-starred dinner (or a meal at any chichi locale), it’s on your 50th birthday. Gather your friends and family for celebratory dinner, which some restaurants can create pre-fixed menus depending on the size of your party.

6. Hire a Personal Chef to Cook at Home

Want something a little more low-key (but still totally delicious)? Get a chef to prepare a mouthwatering meal for you at home for an intimate and stress-free soirée that’s sure to make you feel extra special.

7. Check out a Brewery

Chances are good that a local brewery near you gives tours—and offers tasty eats. Call ahead to book your spot and ask about other perks (e.g., many are dog- and child-friendly and some even have live music).

8. Visit a Vineyard

If wine is more your speed, visit a vineyard with a couple of pals for a regular (or private) experience. Explore some of the most breathtaking wineries across the country, from Napa Valley to Charlottesville to New York City. Try out different wines, take in the spectacular views and be surrounded by good company.

9. Take a Food Tour

Calling all foodies: Check out some of your town’s best eats by going on a food tasting and cultural walking tour. Most big cities offer them, and they’re usually themed by neighborhood or cuisine, but you can also research your own route if you prefer.

10. Throw a ’50s-Themed Party

Go all in on turning 50 with a decade-inspired bash. Think diner food (like burgers and root beer floats), sock-hop decor and Elvis Presley or doo-wop on the record player. Bring on the poodle skirts and saddle shoes, all you T-Birds and Pink Ladies.

11. Have a Birthday Roast

We’re not talking about the kind you eat. Yep, you’re the one who’s going to get roasted. Our advice? Be sure to invite everyone to the party, pour yourself a big glass of wine and get ready to swallow your pride…and do a few spit takes. This will be a birthday bash (pun intended) to remember.

12. Plan a Murder Mystery

Why go to a regular old dinner party when you can enjoy an evening of murder and mayhem instead? Whether you host your own (you can get a murder mystery kit here) or book a professional party, this whodunnit evening will be an unforgettable birthday experience.

13. Make It Black Tie

Take things up a notch and celebrate in style by asking guests to don their most sophisticated attire. Whether you hire a private space or turn your living room into a ballroom, formal evening wear is required.

14. Try a Tailgate

Does your birthday coincide with football season? For mega fans, a tailgate can be a fun way to celebrate—especially with elevated recipes like spinach artichoke squares or spicy glazed popcorn chicken. You can even recreate the sporting event experience at home with a driveway tailgate and home viewing of the game, if you so choose.

15. Throw a Casino Party

Bring Vegas to you by hiring a card dealer, dimming the lights and betting for cash (we’re talking pennies or quarters). You can even buy a felt poker table top to add to the ambience. For those who don’t want to learn how to play poker, keep things simple with a game of blackjack.

16. Arrange a Dance Party

Because you still got it.

17. Have a ‘Favorite Things’ Bash

It’s your party and you’ll eat cacio e pepe and watch Golden Girls if you want to. Make a list of your favorite things to eat, see, play or do and put them all together in a fabulous event.

18. Make It a Costume Party

Dressing up isn’t just for Halloween, you know. Pick a theme (your favorite film, a moment in time, whatever) or let your guests dress up however they choose.

19. Organize a Golden Bash

Fifty is known as the golden jubilee year, so go all in on the theme by getting shimmering decorations, serving sparkling wine, donning your finest gold gown and whipping up these champagne doughnuts. (And if someone wants to gift you a gold necklace, well, who are you to stop them?)

20. Host a Cocktail Party

Throwing a dinner party is a lot of work. But a sophisticated cocktail soirée, on the other hand, can easily be thrown together with the help of some day-before planning.

21. Do a Virtual Wine Tasting

OK, so you can't make it to Napa Valley and sample the region’s finest offerings in person. However, there's another way to enjoy it without needing to book a flight. Check out top-notch wine professionals around the country, who are offering virtual wine tastings right from the comfort of your couch. All you need to do is rope some friends together and 'travel' through the selections.

22. Have a Bake-off

Host your own Great British Baking Show spin-off featuring all your nearest and dearest. It goes something like this: You share your vision for the perfect birthday cake—keep it vague and supply no recipe—and your friends compete to see who can best approximate your dream dessert in the allotted amount of time. As for you…just sit back and watch the chaos unfold while sipping on a cocktail until it's time to swing by for a sample of each slice.

23. Have a Trivia Night

A lively trivia night is everyone’s cup of tea, so why not recreate the event with a group of friends right at home? Pro tip: Plan ahead and pick a theme if you wish (and yes, the theme can totally be about you).

24. Have a Game Night

There’s no need to learn the rules of bridge overnight. Instead, bring out the board games (we’re partial to Catan or good old-fashioned Trivial Pursuit) and play the night away.

25. Check out a Virtual Comedy Show

Grab your friends and laugh your way into a new year with a virtual comedy show. The best part is you won’t even have to worry about being seated in the first row.

26. Take a Cooking Class

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make sushi? Or marveled at those delightful macarons in the bakery window? Or maybe every time you carve a roast chicken you curse yourself for not knowing the proper method. A quick Google search will reveal numerous virtual cooking classes, as well as professional culinary educators nearby who will teach a class for you and a group of friends to attend in your very own home.

27. Take an Art Class

Whether you’re a budding Picasso or your talents peaked in the third grade, getting in touch with your artistic side is fun and relaxing all at once. We’re especially fans of sip-and-paint events that allow you to sample chardonnay as you color, but you can easily take care of that yourself if you opt for a virtual art class.

28. Dabble in a Drawing Class

If you're really into the fine arts, attend a drawing session. Practice your figure drawing with a live model, visit your local museum and recreate your favorite sculpture or take a beginner's class with a couple of friends. You can even consider hosting a drawing class right at home and attempt to draw each other to the best of your abilities.

29. Learn How to Whip Up Your Favorite Cocktail

Take an online mixology class or hire an expert for an in-person lesson—either way, you’ll be able to impress friends and family with your newfound bartending skills. One Manhattan, coming up.

30. Go Gallery Hopping

Discover the local art scene with a group of friends and see if you can find a piece to bring home to commemorate the occasion.

31. Take a Museum Tour

You don’t stop learning just because you get older (but you knew that already). Call ahead to see if they offer private tours or try a virtual experience instead for an afternoon of learning and culture with your closest friends.

32. Try Your Hand at Glassblowing

Get crafty and learn how to make your own tumblers, trinkets and more with a glassblowing class.

33. Go See a Show

Whether theater, ballet or opera, a night enjoying the performing arts is sure to be a night to remember.

34. Go to the Movies

Rent out the theater to make it a big event…or not. Watching a double bill at home also sounds like a great way to spend an evening. Pass the popcorn.

35. Arrange a Fetching Floral Bouquet

Flower design is an art form, but luckily, you can master it with a helping hand. Research classes near you and get ready to transform your home with your beautiful handiwork.

36. Enjoy a Spa Day

If you want to make it a social event, invite a few friends to your pad and either a) hire a professional aesthetician or masseuse to do their thing, or b) go the DIY route with a pre-party shopping spree for new products that you and your besties can test (while sipping on bubbly in bathrobes, of course). Feeling low-key? No problem—just enjoy the pleasure of your own company at a local salon instead. Either way, a few hours of pampering is on the menu.

37. Go on a Yoga Retreat

Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or a novice, both your body and mind will thank you for stretching your muscles with some yoga in a beautiful destination.

38. Run (or Walk) a Race

We’re not talking about a marathon here (unless you want to, of course). Even a fun run will be, erm, fun. A slice (or two) of cake will definitely be deserved.

39. Go for a Hike

Make a weekend of it and trek to the top of a mountain or just enjoy a leisurely stroll in nature. Either way, you’ll definitely deserve a piece of birthday cake when you’re done.

40. Enjoy a Staycation

You don’t need to hop on a plane to go on vacation. Book a five-star hotel nearby, order room service and—ahh—relax.

41. Purge Your Closet

Organizing is fun. And so is shopping for a new wardrobe. Get inspired to find a new look here.

42. Volunteer for a Good Cause

In lieu of gifts, ask your loved ones to give up their time to a cause that’s dear to your heart instead. It could be volunteering at an animal shelter, tutoring kids or helping build a home. You can even volunteer virtually these days. It’s a great bonding experience that you—and others—will be sure to remember. (And you can still go out for brunch after.)

43. Set Sail

You’ve been busy these past few years—take some time and relax. And what better place to do exactly that than aboard a sailboat surrounded by friends and family? Whether you go for the morning, evening or entire weekend, you’ll be ready to start the year in a tranquil frame of mind.

44. Go for a Weekend Getaway

Get out of town for a mini-break to check out some new sites, enjoy the local cuisine and feel inspired by being in a new place—physically and figuratively—even if it’s just a few hours away by car.

45. Chill Out on the Beach

Spend the day soaking up the sun and then make a fire pit at dusk.

46. Spend a Day at the Races

Whether you're prepping for the Kentucky Derby IRL or gathering a group to watch it on TV, mint juleps and outrageous hats are required.

47. Go Glamping

It’s the best way to enjoy Mother Nature. Research glamping sites near you that offer luxurious rooms (toilets and showers are a must) and upscale amenities.

48. Go Bowling

This throwback activity just might become a new favorite with friends and family. Up the fun factor by making personalized bowling shirts to celebrate the birthday gal.

49. Ride a Hot Air Balloon

A champagne toast at 3,000 feet? Now that’s how you celebrate turning 50.

50. Root for the Home Team at a Sporting Event

If you can spring for it, score box seats and avoid the crowds. Also, we’re not saying your companions have to pay for a special message to appear on the scoreboard, but send them this list and they just might make it happen.

51. Get a Tattoo

A fun—and perhaps totally unexpected—way to celebrate this milestone. (Just imagine the look on your kids’ faces when you show them.)

52. Just Go for It

Skydiving? Snow tubing? Adopting a puppy? Whatever’s on your bucket list, take the plunge!