You only turn 30 once in your life, so why not make the day as fun and exciting as possible? You can focus more on your birthday and having a great time than getting a year older or falling over the hill. No matter what you like doing with your loved ones, you’ll find some amazing 30th birthday party ideas here.
#1: The Amazing Birthday Race
The Amazing Race is a popular reality show on CBS that serves as a fun 30th birthday theme. You can come up with clues that send guests to spots around the city that remind them of important moments in your life. This theme also works if you want to let someone else plan the event and let you race.
#2: Flashback Party
What could be better than celebrating your birthday and taking it back a few years? Plan a party around a decade that you love, such as the 80s or 90s. Your guests come dressed in period-appropriate gear and dance the night away to the decade’s most popular songs. Take things a step further with a club rental.
#3: The End of the Roaring 20s
Give your guests an experience that they won’t forget as you say goodbye to your 20s with a roaring speakeasy party. Create a few drinks named after yourself, with bonus points for serving the from a bathtub. As guests to come dressed in roaring 20s style fashions for a special touch.
#4: Jump Into Your 30s
Celebrate your 30th birthday with a skydiving experience. Many places across the country offer indoor skydiving, as well as packages that let you jump from a plane in tandem with a trained pro. Taking that jump is symbolic of jumping into a new decade in your life.
#5: Thirty Candles
While Sixteen Candles was a popular 80s movie with Molly Ringwald, you can celebrate with a Thirty Candles throwback party. Ask your guests to get their 80s clothes out of the closet as you listen to George Michael and other famous voices on the stereo. Bonus points if you have a Jake Ryan to recreate the final scene of the flick.
#6: Ultimate Survivor
Turn your 30th into a Survivor party to see who is the ultimate survivor. You can use gummy worms to recreate some of the creepy eating challenges from the show and ask guests to make a fire in your backyard. People can compete in teams or tribes and even vote each other out.
#7: Thirty Won’t Hold Me Back
Let your family and friends know that turning 30 won’t stand in your way with a trip to an amusement park. Hit the fastest and steepest roller coasters early in the morning to show that you still have your sense of adventure before hopping on the Octopus and all the rides you loved as a kid.
#8: Beer Tasting
Have you ever walked through the store and looked at all the beers on display and wondered how they tasted? With a beer tasting party, you have your chance to try all those brews. In addition to those that you provide, ask your guests to bring their favorites. Shot glasses are the perfect size for trying those beers.
#9: Golden Girls Celebration
Though the age of retirement is 61 in the US, you can still get your Golden Girls on with a party that announced you’re one year closer to retirement age. Play games such as shuffleboard and treat guests to pudding shots to mimic the dishes served in nursing homes. Guests can come dressed as their favorite older folks too.
#10: Treat Swap
Those who live sweet treats might enjoy a treat swap themed party. Ask all of your guests to bring a tray of desserts to share with the ground and a second tray to swap. Not only will you get dozens of treats to enjoy after your birthday passes, but your guests will have some to take home to remember you.
#11: Dirty Thirty
One of the more popular 30th birthday party themes is Dirty Thirty. This is all about showing that you can still thrive when you hit 30. You’ll want to wear your hottest outfit and have lots of fun things for guests to do, including posing in a photo booth and drinking games.
#12: Be a Kid Again at Field Day
Let your inner child come out to play with a field day event at home. You can set up all the games and challenges that you loved, including the long jump and tub of war. Guests can compete as individuals and in groups. You’ll have even more fun if you have ribbons or small trophies that you hand out to the winners.
#13: Murder Mystery Party
Thanks to Netflix and other streaming apps, people today love dark thrillers and shows about serial killers. A 30th birthday murder mystery party gives you the chance to solve a crime and find the culprit in just a few hours. While you can head to a hotel or resort that lets guests stay the night, you’ll also find kits that let you host these events at home.
#14: Pub Crawl
Recreate the fun that you had in college with a pub crawl for your 30th birthday. Make a list of the pubs or bars that you want to hit in advance and let your guests know where you’ll be all night. You may want to rent a limo or have an Uber on standby to keep everyone safe too.
#15: Go Camping
If you love the outdoors, take your 30th outside with a camping party. Guests can spend one night or the whole weekend with you or just stop by for a few hours. You can bring coolers to keep drinks cold and make smores to replace the standard birthday cake.
#16: Fishing Fun
Both men and women who love fishing will like having an excuse to grab their kits and head outside for your birthday. Fishing trips can last for a few hours or a whole weekend, and you can combine the trip with a camping adventure. Guests can bring fishing supplies, including bait and new reels, as birthday gifts.
#17: 30 Reasons Why
Remind guests that it’s your 30th birthday with a party based all around you. You can hang signs that list your favorite 30 things, including songs and movies. Guests can write down the top things that they love about you at the beginning of the night. After you pick out your top 30, you can share them later.
#18: Postcards from Friends
When guests arrive at this party, give them a postcard and ask them to write a special memory they have about you and then put it in a keepsake box. Years later, you can go through those cards at a future party and remember those moments. To make this party even better, narrow your guest list down to just 30 people.
#19: Make a Wish
Though releasing balloons is dangerous, you can release paper lanterns and similar items to celebrate your big day. Ask your guests to write a wish on a piece of paper that they attach to the lanterns before letting them into the air.
#20: Bring Vegas Home
You don’t need to head to Las Vegas for your 30th birthday because you can recreate Vegas at home. This involves loads of red and black decorations, as well as table games and fun drinks. You can tone things down with a simple poker night or go all out with a blackjack dealer and waitresses.
#21: Game Night
Celebrate your 30th with a night of classic board games. This is the time to bring out all those games you loved as a kid, including Girl Talk, Fireball Island, Twister, and Mall Madness. Your inner child will have even more fun when you serve popcorn, cupcakes, hot dogs, and other kiddie foods.
#22: You Look Hot for 30
Show the world that you’re still hot with a party based around hot and spicy foods. Guests can challenge each other with a spicy pepper eating contest or bring their hottest dishes to share. You can even opt for a birthday cake made from Mexican chocolate and hot spices.
#23: Karaoke Fun
You don’t need to rent an entire bar or share your birthday with strangers because you can rent a karaoke machine to use in your home. Try to narrow down the song selection to tunes that were popular during each decade of your life. Have lots of drinks on hands to give guests the liquid courage they need to perform.
#24: Guess the Age
All you need for this theme is 30 pictures of you, one from each of the previous years. Hang those photos on easels with envelopes beneath that have a piece of paper inside. Guests need to figure out which picture goes with each year. You might reward the winner with a small gift.
#25: DIY Food Bar
Treat the foodies in your life to a DIY food bar based around your favorite food. You can opt for hot dogs, burgers, steaks, cupcakes, tacos or anything else that you love. Just make sure that you have plenty of toppings on hand and encourage guests to mix and match their dishes.
#26: Kiss Your 20 Goodbye
For this party, you’ll want to have Hershey kisses out for guests to snack on and as many lipsticks as you can find. Put large photos of yourself around the room that you encourage guests to kiss after applying lipstick. Every time they kiss you, you can remind them that you’re kissing that part of your life goodbye.
#27: See What the Future Holds
See what your 30s have in store for you with a psychic birthday party. You can buy a box of tarot cards and take turns reading for each other. If you have more funds available, hire a psychic. He or she can tell you everything you want to know about the coming decade.
#28: Tiki Bars
For a night that you won’t forget, turn your home into a tiki bar. You’ll find tons of torches, idols, and other decorations that you can place inside and out. Go all out with a pig roast or keep things simple with teriyaki chicken served on sticks with a sweet punch.
#29: Escape Room
With nearly 3,000 escape rooms around the world, it’s easy to find one close to you. These rooms are great for small groups who can work together and overcome obstacles. Some even have birthday-themed rooms that you can book ahead of time.
#30: Adult Slumber Party
You don’t have to give up your inner child just because you turn 30, which makes an adult and coed slumber party a fun idea. Let guests play classics such as Truth or Dare and tell ghost stories or give each other makeovers later in the night. You might give out prizes to those in the most unique pajamas too.
