6 Ideas for Birthdays At Home

Quarantine has changed everything, especially how we commemorate major milestones and celebrate special occasions like birthdays. But instead of dwelling on all of the things we can’t do right now, we’re determined to make lemon martinis out of lemons by sharing exciting adult birthday ideas. Get ready to make your space the place to be as we walk you through what to do on your birthday.

1. Make a Special Meal

When it comes to party ideas for adults, one of the best things you can do when you’re stuck at home is put together a festive birthday feast. The key is distinguishing it from your everyday fare with food that’s elevated and maybe even a little exotic. All you have to do is search for recipe inspiration on Pinterest, Instragram, even Facebook, and you’ll be able to cook up a bevvy of birthday goodness.

2. Let the (Board) Games Begin

Perhaps one of the most fun birthday ideas involves a little friendly competition, because once the board games come out, all bets are off. You can break out the classics - which everyone is sure to love - as well as introduce new favorites that will keep you all entertained and on your toes. Just set up shop in the living room, and prepare for battle.

3. Have Outdoor Happy Hour

No list of birthday party ideas at home would be complete without a shout out to the outdoors. Your backyard may be your only escape right now, and with just a little creativity, you can transform it into a happy hour hotspot. All you need to enjoy cocktails al fresco is a bar and stools that help get everyone in the party spirit.

4. Host a Virtual Birthday Party

Our new reality may be a physically distant one, but the beauty of technology is that we can see our friends and family whenever we want to. Invite your loved ones to a Zoom birthday party and have everyone do a fun interactive activity, like trivia. You can even plan ahead and have treats delivered to your party guests to share a sweet moment together.

5. Spend All Day in Bed

One of the benefits of a social distancing birthday is having the option to be lazy and spend all day in bed. If you’re a homebody, you may love the prospect of doing nothing but watching TV, reading good books and magazines and delighting in the comfort of your private, personal retreat with absolutely no guilt.

6. Bake Yourself Happy

Home party ideas that sound great even when you’re not quarantining include baking. After all, what better time to indulge in a little flour, sugar and butter than a birthday? No celebration is complete without sweets, so go ahead and concoct your own confections, then decorate them in an over-the-top fashion with frosting, sprinkles, buttercream, fondant, the works. Finally, it’ll be time to savor and devour!

Outdoor Birthday Party Ideas

Creating an outdoor birthday party starts with comfortable furniture, festive activities, good food and your favorite people! To set the scene: start with making sure you have enough seats, including bar stools, outdoor sofas and dining chairs, for the invited guest list.

Deck out a deck! Arrange a table large enough for a birthday bash; go all in on seating, bar top space and fire pit lounge for a social dining experience your guests will never want to leave. Tie the scene together with a colorful outdoor rug and wicker details to add to the ambiance. (Need even more seating space? There’s no harm in creating multiple dining areas – just make sure you also have enough “walking around” space to make sure all guests get the chance to mix and mingle!)

A fire pit-turned dining table (or the other way around!) offers the kind of ambiance that will keep guests chatting and laughing well into the night. Shown here, ledges over the pit offer instant dining capacity, where guests can place plates of dinner, drinks, appetizers and birthday s’mores. With the dining fire pit route, just make sure you cover the flame with a side panel of glass for everyone’s safety.

Outdoor Birthday Party Decoration Ideas

Go all out! To make the celebration feel as celebratory as possible, incorporate decor everywhere: a “happy birthday” sign on patio wall; balloon arches framing a doorway; confetti- and streamer-laced accent tables, dining tables and bar tops. And don’t forget the lighting – string lights along walls, tables and walkways especially make for a fun ambiance!

Outdoor Movie Birthday Party Ideas

An outdoor movie birthday party is a great idea to create a communal experience everyone can take part in. Whether you’re celebrating an adult’s or child’s birthday, pinning up a big screen with a projector playing the guest of honor’s favorite film will offer a low-key way to savor the evening, especially when you set up a s’mores or sundae bar to go along with it! You can even have the movie (or several movies) playing throughout the entire night (through drinks, dinner and dessert) for background ambiance and to allow guests the opportunity to drift in and out of the “theater” as they wish.

Outdoor dining isn’t just for food (though food is a must)! Creating a sectioned-off space where guests can sit closely together, away from the more casual outdoor lounges like sofas, sectionals and bar seating (where guests are more spread out), helps to ensure a more tight-knit camaraderie or “group” feel. After dinner is served, use the table space for outdoor birthday party games and activities to extend the bonding time

Outdoor birthday party decorations should feel both festive and elegant. Choose fun colors for the outdoor furniture (see the bold blue dining chairs above!) and a table setting to up the festive feel – fill in every inch of tabletop space: try terracotta planters as centerpieces, bottles of wine, glass drinkware and patterned napkins or tablecloths. If you want to go the extra mile, adorn each plate with a name card written and decorated in the party’s theme colors and patterns.

Outdoor Birthday Party Decoration Ideas for Adults

Whether you’re celebrating a birthday in fall, winter, summer or spring, the outdoors can serve up festive ambiance – with a few tips and tricks. In the colder months, bring out heat lamps to ward off chill; in the hotter months, post up shaded patios and awnings to banish heat. In all seasons, put the focus on the seating, or the areas where guests will spend the most time: on dining sets, bar sets and lounge sets (such as outdoor coffee table sets), place festive birthday signs, bouquets, colorful name cards for every guest and other party-ready details.

Outdoor Fall Birthday Party Ideas

Decoratively speaking, fall birthdays are perhaps the most fun of all. Outdoors, use the fall color scheme (oranges, reds, yellows, browns, auburns) in placemats, table runners, tablecloths, streamers and birthday signs. Incorporate candle lanterns for a warm glow at night and lots of fall foliage – you can’t go wrong with pumpkins, sunflowers and marigolds!

Outdoor Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

The best outdoor activities for birthday parties for kids will keep all attendees engaged; this means activities that are inclusive of all genders, ages and abilities. Try a movie theater setup (with a screen and projector), all-ages board games, face painting and hired actors/actresses to portray the guest of honor’s favorite character. When the party winds down, have small favors at the ready for the birthday boy (or girl) to pass out to her guests!