40th Birthday Party Ideas

About the Authors

Bree Tomar

Bree Tomar is the Director of Special Events at All About Events in Philadelphia, PA. She has over 10 years of professional experience in event planning. She was employed as an Event Manager for Cescaphe Event Group where she accommodated up to 500 guests per event. Bree’s role as the Special Events Coordinator at Queen Village Neighbors Association connected the dots between fundraising, business sponsorship, fun activities, and live entertainment. Her experience planning events for Universal City Housing and Liquid Vinyl Productions helped equip her with a diverse range of skills in event planning. As if that’s not enough, she ran her own event planning company for years! Bree currently works at All About Events and you can visit it at allaboutevents.us.

Sarah Zaun

Sarah Zaun is the Founder and CEO of All About Events in Philadelphia, PA. She planned events there for over 14 years and the company grew to have over 10 employees. She also has professional experience in event planning from working for other companies. Sarah has a formal academic background studying Event Planning at Temple University. She taught the course “Introduction to the Wedding and Event Industry” to juniors and seniors at Drexel University. As of this content being written, her company has over 80 Google Reviews with a 5-out-of-5 Star average rating for those reviews. She was President of the National Association for Catering and Events in 2013.  You can visit her company website at allaboutevents.us.

Introduction

Hi there! I’m Bree Tomar-Director of Events for All About Events here in Philadelphia. Having been in business for over 14 years, there is no kind of party or celebration that we have not planned. We literally love ANY and all excuses to create the magic behind a successful party. Today let’s talk about one of those milestone birthdays. Fun fact: I may or may not be approaching this one!

Turning 40 can feel really big and maybe even a bit scary but it absolutely a landmark worth celebrating. It’s that age where you are still young enough to party and be able to function the next day but old enough to likely be able to afford to party in a big fun way you may not before. I’ve put together a little inspiration list of some super fun ideas to ensure it’s the most memorable birthday yet!

Theme by Decades

Yes, I know! Themed parties can feel played out, but let’s be honest; if done right, they are entertaining at every age! Why not take this opportunity to turn back the clock? No, I’m not talking about your age! You know how “they” say everything old is new again? Well, I think someone probably said that and if not, I am! So, let’s reminisce with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Decorate your venue with all the decades that you’ve been on earth! What were the trends?! From music to fashion, to video games to art. Make each corner of the room a different decade. And for added fun, have your guests dress up to showcase a fashion trend or icon that they were the guiltiest of at a certain phase of their life. And…you can’t forget the pictures. Accent the space with a plethora of photos of the birthday gal or guy so everyone can see those styles in action.

Theme by Travel

If playing dress-up isn’t your thing, how about travel?! Oh the Places You’ll Go! (Or have gone!) Take your guests inside your passport to see where you have traveled throughout your 40 years on earth. Choose some of your favorite places and use themed decor to enhance the vibe. Photos of the guest of honor around the country or world are even better! It’s also a great opportunity to memorialize those trips. For added flair you can incorporate food and drink from some of your favorite locales and/or create a soundtrack that transports you and your guests to the most magical places you’ve been OR still want to go.

Colors

Another “bright” idea is to outfit your party with your favorite color. We’ve all heard of black and white parties and all-white parties but what does life look like in color? Choose one or two favorite colors and go nuts! Accent the party with colored drinks and food and ask your guests to don one of those colors when they attend. Remember, uplighting is transformative so that’s always a super cost-effective way to up the ante.

Dressing Up

Then there is always the more traditional but always successful route. Get fancy! Once we reach our 40s, we are perhaps beyond the age of attending friends’ weddings every weekend. Aside from the occasional professional gala, there are NOT enough reasons to get dressed up. Encourage everyone to go all out! Tuxes, gowns, pearls you name it. Get a high-energy playlist together or go for the gold and hire a band. Dance the night away like you did when you were 25. Or if dancing isn’t your thing, rent out a bowling alley for a more playful Black tie bowling party. There should always be an excuse to dress up, and your 40th is as good as any!

Hobbies

Lastly, for the flavor of forty celebrations, if dressing up and partying isn’t your thing, do a hobby celebration! Do you love to run? Do you love winter sports? Are you a movie fiend? Get your guests involved in a marathon or a virtual snowboarding adventure. Or better yet, plan an actual winter wonderland trip for that intimate crew! If you love movies, get a big screen and show your favorites with movie snacks and candy!

WOW Factors

Another fun and festive direction to go in for 40th birthday celebrations is with WOW factors. We have seen many a great party amped up with just one or two special additions. Does the birthday star love Rocky? How about bringing some South Philly flair…your very own Mummer’s String band performance? How about Lady Gaga?! Maybe you aren’t equipped to offer the real deal but did you know how many amazing impersonators there are out there? We’ve seen them!!

More Ideas

If the birthday gal/guy aren’t people persons…why not write their name on a banner in the sky? Or give them their own special fireworks display. Yep, we’ve done these too! And they are surely show stoppers. Everyone has been to a party where there is a photo booth so yes, that is definitely not something new…but…in the interest of celebrating a 40th, how about a vintage photo booth? Or an old-timey one you’d see on the boardwalk as a kid? You can amplify either of these with some great props!! If still, none of that does the trick, what about bringing in a sketch artist to sketch the guests for a unique favor? Or a live event painter that will paint the party complete with the special guest’s outfit details for a keepsake gift. The possibilities are endless!

Final Words

These are just some of the many ways that your 40th could be your best birthday yet. Whatever you do, make sure it’s a great time and that you take in all the beauty and love around you as you enter this new decade. And of course, if you don’t know which direction to go, and you want some guidance, turn to us! We are always here to help! We’ll come up with the BEST concept for your celebration, find that ideal venue and create all the moments that will be sure to be one for the books! Cheers!!

-Bree Tomar and Sarah Zaun
All About Events, allaboutevents.us

40th Birthday Party Bonus (written by Jesse Dameron)

If you want your event guests to be blown away and talk about your 40th Birthday Party entertainment for years, watch the demo reel below.

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