Things to Do to Organize the Best Birthday Party Ever

Tips to organize a birthday party that's unforgettable

A birthday is always a time for celebration and, unlike most others throughout the year, a birthday party focuses on one special person. Whether it's a child, parent, spouse, or anyone else important to you, a birthday party is your golden opportunity to celebrate their life and show them just how much they mean to you.

How to plan a birthday party

Organizing all the details is the inherent challenge for event planners. Ensuring that you know what needs to be done; when it needs to be done by; and how to best get it done is the foundation to successfully organizing a birthday party.

That’s why we’re providing a snapshot of tasks that will form the foundation of your party planning checklist for any age:

1. Choose a date and time early

Best practices for organizing birthday parties suggests that the sooner you choose the date to celebrate, the sooner you can get started with planning the best birthday party ever. And that will make your life

2. Pick a theme that elevates the fun

One of the first steps in your “To-Do” list is determining a theme. A fun, unique theme that aligns with the individual’s interests or favorite activities will increase the overall enjoyment and lasting memories for attendees and the focus of the day.

3. Determine a smart and realistic budget

Create a sensible budget based on the numbers you have, not emotion, which will help ensure that you cover your costs, while delivering an engaging experience for attendees.

4. Choose a venue that fits

Determining the best venue relies a lot on knowing the guest of honor, which enables the organizer to better understand where they most likely want to celebrate their special day.

5. Create the guest list and send out invitations

When building the birthday party guest list, it’s important to answer the following questions—to help cover all the bases:

• How many guests does your budget allow?
• Can the birthday party venue accommodate the number of guests you are considering inviting?
• How much do you need to account for no-shows and/or attendees bringing others to the party?

Surprise birthday parties: how to prepare them

One of the most exciting theme parties to organize is a surprise birthday party. While it’s sure to deliver more excitement, it will also deliver more pressure (and stress) for organizers.

How to plan a surprise birthday party

Because pulling off a surprise birthday party is no easy feat. There are so many dynamics to consider, in addition to the planning checklist detailed above. Keeping the party a secret from the guest of honor throughout the entire process is not as simple as it may sound.

An intimate familiarity with the guest of honor is going to be a key ingredient to success. You are planning a celebration of that individual without the benefit of input from them (or perhaps even those close to them) on any level.

And don't forget, you'll need to create communication channels with your guests that can be kept secret. Routine tasks like sending invitations (and receiving responses) will need to be kept confidential.

Kids' birthday parties: what to take into account

Kids’ birthday parties provide lifelong memories. That’s why it’s important to leverage expert guidance and learn from the best. Here are some proven best practices from fellow parents who are true thought leaders in the party planning space:

• When it comes to securing your event venue, think outside the box. Inventive party atmospheres produce the deepest memories.

• Analyze the invitation numbers carefully. With young kids, it’s a good rule of thumb to have around three engaged parents per child in attendance.

• Consider planning some of the party activities with your child. Soliciting direct input when they reach a certain age (as opposed to putting all responsibility for the agenda on you) will help drive participation and engagement of all attendees.

With so many different factors to consider when planning a birthday party for young kids, we want to help simplify your organizing, and save you money at the same time, with these tips and tricks:

• Purchase party decorations that can be kept and re-used for future birthday parties, year after year.

• Consider baking your own custom birthday cake, as opposed to paying a premium price for one from the bakery. You can decorate it with colorful frosting designs for your party theme.

• Explore hosting the birthday party at a local public park. It is most likely free or very inexpensive to reserve and offers built-in entertainment options for your younger attendees.

Adult birthday parties: what to take into account

We think it’s well-established that adults enjoy birthday parties as much as children do. Sometimes more so.

When organizing how to plan a birthday party for adults, whether it’s a celebration of a friend or family member turning 30, or turning 80, there is a lot to take into account.

When you realize that you’ll need to plan for two completely opposite groups of attendees—children on the one hand and adults on the other—it’s easy to see how adult birthday parties can be much more complex than your child’s. So, a comprehensive party planning checklist that accounts for a different set of requirements is a must-have.

How to plan a birthday party for adults

Here’s a short list of key components for every adult birthday party to get you started with confidence in your planning process for the milestone celebration:

1. Guest list, including the children of every invited guest
2. Venue—if hosting in a public place, take the inclusion of young children into consideration
3. Food menu and beverages for the adults (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
4. Food menu and beverages for the kids
5. Decorations
6. Games and activities
7. Party favors
8. Music and entertainment

How to plan virtual birthday parties

While it’s obviously not the same as a traditional in-person celebration, virtual birthday parties can still be just as fun.

When hosting an online event of any kind, there are unique considerations that organizers need to keep in mind. Choosing the right online platform to host your event and the event management technology that addresses all of your needs top the list.

Advanced tools and technology for virtual events from Eventbrite and its network of partners make it possible for event organizers to deliver the same level of engagement and fun. You can choose from a wide range of video hosting platforms seamlessly integrated with Eventbrite, including Zoom, Facebook Live, FaceTime, or YouTube to elevate the interactive experience for attendees.

Here are some helpful tips and best practices on how to plan a Zoom birthday party that produces unforgettable memories for everyone logging in for the celebration:

1. Choose the right platform

When researching the right online event platform to use for your birthday party, take the time to properly analyze the pros and cons of each. Consider your budget, the platform’s features (especially ease-of-use for guests of all ages), the number of attendees that will be joining the online party, and recording capabilities. We suggest testing out the online platform in advance. Being proactive will help expose any potential issues ahead of time and also ensure you are prepared to run the show.

2. Pick a visually engaging theme

When choosing a theme for the virtual birthday party, we suggest engaging with the guest of honor. You want to build the party around something he or she loves and embraces their favorite things in life. Make sure to send all party guests an early communication about the theme you’ve chosen well ahead of time. Setting up Zoom backgrounds, wearing costumes, and decorating the spaces behind them are all great ways to get in on the fun.

3. Schedule the party via an online video messaging program and calendar tool

We suggest checking in with the guest of honor’s closest friends and family on their availability to help confirm the best date and time. Once you have that secured, you can send out a digital invitation via Zoom, for example. This will have a greater impact than the same old email invite you’ve been sending for years.

4. Send each attendee detailed instructions on how to join the fun

You cannot assume every birthday party guest has the same level of skill when it comes to navigating virtual event platforms, such as Zoom. Create a detailed list of instructions that will guide all users step-by-step through the process of finding and logging into the virtual birthday party.