How to Celebrate Your 30th Birthday

Co-authored by Christina Millikin and Caroline Heiderscheit

Last Updated: June 27, 2022 References

You survived all the ups and downs of your twenties, and finally, you’re about to celebrate something truly huge: your 30th birthday! This is a big one, so how can you make sure you celebrate your new year properly? Whether you’re looking for party ideas, group birthday activities, or fulfilling, solo plans, we’ve got you covered. For all of the very best ideas for how to celebrate your 30th birthday, read on.

1

Book an Airbnb

You + friends + a gorgeous home away from home = the best b-day ever. Book an Airbnb in a dream location to ring in your 30th year. Pick somewhere special that you’ve always wanted to visit—and make sure it has a pool! You deserve nonstop luxury and fun for the big 3-0.^{[1]
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- Leave your laptop at home. Make a no-screens rule for the ultimate relaxing weekend.
- Ask your friends to bring cocktail ingredients. Host a mixology contest and subtly suggest that everyone prepare you-themed bevs (Sarah Spritzer, anyone?).

2

Slumber Party

You’re never too old to enjoy a good old fashion sleepover with pals. Invite all your best friends to yours for an adult sleepover—the very best kind! To really lean into the theme, make PJ sets, pillows, and sleeping bags required upon entry. You’re in for the best birthday ever.^{[2]
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- Play classic slumber party games, like truth or dare and spin the bottle.
- Chow down on delish, sugary snacks, like gummy worms and ice cream.
- Warn everyone that whoever falls asleep first is definitely getting drawn on!

3

Throwback Party

For the big 30th b-day, throw a party that celebrates your birth year. The year you graced the world with your presence—that’ll be your theme (i.e., 1992, 1993, etc.). Everything will be decked to the ’90s: clothes, decorations, and even games.^{[3]
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- Ask everyone to show up in the right attire. Light wash jeans, scrunchies, and windbreakers are a must!
- Play games that were huge in the early ’90s. Twister and Operation, anyone?

4

Spa Day

Don’t forget to relax, rejuvenate, and celebrate with a spa day. For your 30th birthday, pamper yourself. Take some pals to the spa and ball out on manicures, facials, steam rooms, and mud baths. You only turn 30 once, and you totally deserve to feel treated.^{[4]
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- Or, if you have one close by, visit a bathhouse instead. They’ll make you feel completely centered!

5

Go Camping

Let an outdoor overnighter provide some birthday adventure. There’s nothing quite like sleeping under the stars, roasting marshmallows, and throwing back a couple brews with your pals. Choose a location you love, buy the permits, and venture into the wilderness to mark your 30th.^{[5]
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- Camp out somewhere you’d like to explore the next day for even more fun. Sleep by the lake, for example, and then rent a boat the next morning.
- If you want to get outdoors but aren’t big on dirt and grime, go glamping instead. Enjoy luxury tents, heating, and a nice warm bed.
- Make a backup plan for stormy weather. You might book a cabin instead of sleeping in a tent, or you could just plan some spooky rainy-day activities.

6

Karaoke

Show off your star power with a karaoke-themed 30th celebration. Rent out a karaoke room with all of your best friends and take turns tearing it up on the mic. You’ll have a blast—and so will your pals!^{[6]
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- As the birthday honoree, tell your friends that you’ll be choosing a song for everyone in the room to try.
- Or, break off into duos and have a friendly competition.

7

Dancing

Jig, jive, and groove your way into a new year with a dance party. Spend the whole night dancing from club to club with a group of your closest friends. Nothing feels better than a long, fabulous night on the dance floor.^{[7]
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- Wear a sash and crown so everyone knows you’re the birthday honoree.
- Find a theme night that could take your celebrations to the next level. Are you a Taylor Swift fan? In big cities, they have T-Swift dance nights all the time!

8

Sports Game

Pack your friends in the car for a big, birthday sports game. For your birthday, load up your friends and go watch your favorite baseball, basketball, or football team. Not only will you have a blast eating hotdogs and chatting with pals—but you’ll have recruited a few new fans for your favorite team, too!
- Compete to see who can wear the most fan gear for your game day.
- Spend the game trying to make it on the dance cam.

9

Adult Game Day

Play all the games you loved as a kid with your adult pals. Who says capture the flag is just for children? It’s your birthday, and that means you choose the activity—even if that means playing all the games you loved as a kid! Recruit your friends, ask them to wear athletic clothes, and plan a day of friendly, nostalgic competition.^{[8]
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- Compete in a game of capture the flag.
- Play a big game of kick the can.
- Try out a giant round of hide and seek tag.

10

Amusement Park

Bring some thrill to your 30th celebration with a theme park visit. Grab friends and visit your local amusement park for a day of sweet treats, screams, and sideshows. Not only will this help you get in touch with your inner child on your big day, but you’ll also walk away with some super cute pics!^{[9]
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- Make shirts for your friends to wear around the park (Carla’s Birthday Crew, maybe?)
- For an extra silly twist, get your face painted with your friends and wear it around all day.

11

Celebratory Picnic

For a wholesome, lovely afternoon, host an intimate birthday picnic. Ask your friends to meet you in your favorite park or keep it casual and meet in your backyard. Pack all of the best birthday staples in your basket: cake, champagne, and party hats.^{[10]
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- Enjoy sweet, casual chat for a lowkey birthday celebration.
- For a special twist, bring wine glasses for everyone. Ask your friends to use their glasses to scoop up their piece of cake. Then, you can all eat from your glasses!
- Before you dig in to your gorgeous spread, make sure to snap a quick pic to remember the day by.
- Keep an eye on the weather. If it's going to be cold or rainy, you might want to move your picnic inside or under an awning.

12

Wine Tasting

Have fun testing your tastebuds with friends on a wine tour. With gorgeous scenery, delish drinks, and tons to learn about the local landscape, it’s hard to beat a day at a winery.^{[11]
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- Choose a fun winery location and turn your tour into an overnight. Book a local Airbnb for even more birthday fun.
- Wear a sash and crown around the winery so everyone knows you’re celebrating a special day.

13

Dinner Party

For an adult birthday, why not enjoy a super refined, adult dinner? Ask your friends to put on their best and join you at your home for a fancy dinner party. Black tie, candles, fancy food, and sparkling conversation await (plus, a super sweet toast to the birthday honoree, of course!).^{[12]
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- For a twist, go for a tea party instead. Ask your friends to don spring colors and fancy hats, meet in the afternoon, and enjoy delish finger foods, tea, and sweet treats instead.

14

Brunch

It’s hard to beat tasty treats, mimosas, and laughter at birthday brunch. Make a reservation at your favorite brunch spot and invite all of your closest pals. As the drinks, food, and conversation flow, you’ll feel totally celebrated on your big day.^{[13]
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- If it’s a nice day, opt for a rooftop brunch—even better!

15

Skydiving

For your big birthday, exit your comfort zone and fly through the sky. How about by jumping out of a plane? To go into your next year feeling like the awesome, adventurous person you are, plan a skydiving trip for your birthday.^{[14]
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- Make sure you get a pic or video so you have the memory forever.
- Remember that if you want to solo dive, you’ll have to take a class first.

16

Arcade Day

Thrilling games, laughs, and tokens galore—arcades are a blast. Show off your stuff playing dancing games, play on that machine you loved as a kid, or enjoy the drama of Deal or No Deal.^{[15]
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- Set a quarter limit for your guests and have a little competition: who can earn the most tokens?
- If the arcade has laser tag as well, that’s a no-brainer. Make sure to stop by with your friends after you’ve cashed in your winnings!
- If you’re in a busier city, you may even have an arcade bar close by. That way, you can enjoy some delish drinks while you hit the machines!

17

Trampoline Park

Jumpstart the new year with a nostalgic favorite—the trampoline park! Ask your friends to tag along at the trampoline park, where you guys can have a blast flipping, swinging, and laughing the day away.
- Bring along some cake for the midway point. This will keep things celebratory and at the same time, restore your energy reserves!
- If you want, consider renting the place out with a giant group of friends. Then, you’ll be able to have group games across the whole venue.

18

30-Themed Party

Host a 30-themed party to celebrate your new year in style. There are so many ways to host a party that screams, “I’m finally 30!” Invite your friends and make sure to really lean into the theme (and make sure they do, too). The more buy-in, the better the party!^{[16]
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- Bye bye thirty: This one will be a play on Bye Bye Birdie. As such, make sure everyone is dressed in classic 1960s attire.
- 13 Going on 30: For the perfect movie theme, assign all of your pals a character from the movie to dress as. Make sure to play the soundtrack on loop. You can even find Jenna’s dress online!
- Thirty Dancing: You probably know this one already. For a twist on Dirty Dancing, groove the night away in costume.

19

Treasure Hunt

Plan an elaborate, mysterious treasure hunt to bring the birthday magic. Or, ask your friends to plan it for you. Join in on the hunt yourself, or wait at the end to greet the winning team with treats and a hug. Either way, running all over town finding creative clues, solving puzzles, and completing zany challenges will make for the best party activity ever.
- Make sure you include 30 clues (it’s only right!)
- Consider making the clues “you” themed in honor of the big day.

20

Murder Mystery

Intrigue, theatrics, costumes—murder mystery parties have it all. For the most exciting, dramatic 30th birthday ever, plan a murder mystery party for friends. Deck your home out with detailed decorations and invite friends that you know will buy in to the theme.^{[17]
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- Come up with your own characters/storylines so everything plays out exactly as you want it to.
- If you want, give the evening a theme, too! Who said that murder mystery couldn’t also be fantasy-themed?

21

Going Abroad

Broaden your horizons with a trip, and it could be best birthday ever. Plan out a trip to somewhere totally new—visit by yourself or take a friend or two to tag along. Choose somewhere that’s unlike anywhere you’ve ever been or somewhere that you always imagined you’d go.
- If you’re a real free spirit, spin the globe and choose a spot at random.^{[18]
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22

Birthday Freebie Tour

So many places give free b-day treats—so go find them all. Do your research before your big day and spend the afternoon touring all of the restaurants and clothing stores that give out free stuff for birthday honorees. It’ll be like the best set of birthday gifts ever, only they’ll be free!
- California Pizza Kitchen gives out free birthday treats
- Dairy Queen offers a birthday blizzard
- Sephora gifts birthday guests a sample-sized product

23

Birthday Race

Ring in the new year with a race to feel accomplished, fit, and fulfilled. You may not want a big birthday bash. Maybe on the start of your thirtieth year, you just want to feel refreshed and successful. In that case, train for a race to run on your big day.^{[19]
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- Train for a 5k or 10k run.
- Try out a triathlon for the first time.
- Run your age (30 miles!) if you're a running enthusiast.
- If you live in a big city, you may be able to find a niche race that suits your interests—swimming, rollerblading, you name it.

24

Treat Yourself

For the best birthday ever, say “Yes!” to yourself all day. You’re 30—you deserve to feel totally pampered. Take yourself shopping, buy a massage, change your hair, and get a manicure. Allow yourself to feel totally indulgent, it’s a big day after all!^{[20]
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- Buy yourself a sweet treat. Don’t worry about your health today, just make sure that whatever it is, you seriously enjoy it.
- Remember that leather jacket you’ve been eyeing, the one that’s just a little expensive? Buy it as a little birthday gift.

25

Vision Board

Feel focused and prepared for the new year by outlining your goals. Maybe all you really want for your birthday is to feel inspired and closer to your reaching your dreams. If that’s the case, use your birthday to make plans that lead to a happier you. Update your vision board, plan out the classes you want to take, and write down new goals for the year.^{[21]
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26

Nostalgic Place

If you're a sentimental person, tour a place that used to mean the world. Maybe for you, the best birthday gift would be to travel back in time. While you walk around, remember that the version of you who frequented this place would probably think that today, you’re insanely cool and mature.
- Visit your childhood hometown, including your high school, middle school, and elementary school.
- Take a trip to your childhood summer camp campus.
- Swing by your childhood vacation spot. Eat at that restaurant you would beg your parents to visit—and get every dish that looks good.

27

A Day Outdoors

Connect with nature to make your special day extra special. For the perfect meditative, solo birthday celebration, choose your favorite hike, lookout point, or waterfront to visit. Bring along some snacks, a journal, and yourself—that’s all you need!^{[22]
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- By spending the day in the great outdoors, you’ll feel relaxed and at peace on your big day. Hopefully that’ll set the tone for your whole year, too!

28

“Surprise” Party

Ask your best friend to give you a “surprise” you’ll never forget. Want a special party but don’t want to have to throw it yourself? You may have a pal who’d absolutely love throwing it for you. Practice your “surprised” face in the mirror and pass the reins. You’re 30, after all—you totally deserve to feel treated!

29

Food Tour

For foodies, eating your way through your city is the best celebration. Plan to hit all of your favorite spots or ask each of your friends to choose their favorite restaurant in town. Then, hop from one venue to the next, chowing down on delish birthday treats!
- The final stop, of course, needs to be for birthday cake.
- Take photos at every checkpoint so you remember your whole day.

30

Volunteer

Spend your birthday giving back to a cause you care about. Maybe you’re looking to drum up some great karma for the next year. After a long day of volunteering, your heart will feel totally full. If that sounds like the best way to feel on your birthday, we totally agree!
- Look online for organizations that work for causes you’re passionate about.
- Even if you just choose to volunteer for a couple hours in the morning before heading off to your other plans, doing good on your special day is sure to fill your heart.