The passing of youth and the end of my relavance to key demographics.

August 21, 2007 10:25 AM

I'm turning the Big Three-Oh and I really want to have a big bash.

I'd be lying if I said I was handling turning 30 well, or with any sense of grace. I'm a guy, in Washington, DC and the big day will be in November, so I do have some time to make plans.

Because I am not handling it too well, I want to have a big party to overshadow my aging, but I don't know what to do. I have a really developed sense of humor, but the only idea I've come up with so far is a Mock Funeral (to mourn the passing of my youth, confront death by laughing at it, etc., etc.) but I'm not sure if that'd be too macabre, or if some of my square-er friends might just think it's weird.

I'm actually pretty OK with the birthday (as Aaliyah taught us: age ain't nothing but a number), but it is a significant birthday nonetheless, and I'd like to commemorate it appropriately. Also: I think it's the last 'significant' birthday that can still be celebrated with one last burst of youth and stupidity.

So- hive mind, what should I do for my 30th Birthday? And thanks in advance for the ideas!

posted by indiebass to Society & Culture (13 answers total)

Can I suggest that by making such a huge deal out of it you are making it a bigger deal than it really is? Laughing at death and mock funeral? Dude, you're turning 30, not 80.

Treat it with the importance it deserves. Hook up with some buddies, hit the strip joints and get hammered. Be careful though! :-)
posted by DieHipsterDie at 10:47 AM on August 21, 2007

I know a couple people who have had "Roaring 20s" prohibition-era themed costume parties to celebrate the passing of their 20s.
posted by logic vs love at 10:49 AM on August 21, 2007

You could do a "goodbye to the '20s" party, and do the whole roaring twenties thing. Jazz, flappers with long strings of beads, guys in fedoras, volin cases. Could be sufficiently big a bash to be memorable, but sufficiently cool to keep your square friends happy.

Be sure to turn your bathtub into the bar!
posted by LN at 10:52 AM on August 21, 2007

Response by poster: DieHipsterDie (which I assume is German for "The Hipster, The") I just found the disproportionate response of a funeral to a birthday kind of funny, in a weird way. But my friends are pretty mixed gender, so I'm not sure the strip club thing is really an option.

LN: I like your idea a lot; it's a different way to take it. I have to say that both me and most of my friends aren't into, like, elaborate costumes and whatnot so I don't know what kind of participation the roaring 20s would garner...

Oh, and I live in a TINY apartment, so I will most likely not be hosting this at my place. We would either be going out or I would arrange to rent a space. Maybe I could get a bathtub there...
posted by indiebass at 11:11 AM on August 21, 2007

What did Aaliyah know? She never saw 30.


You want youth and stupidity? I know bit about that kind of fun...

- Sneak booze or drugs into a theme park.

- Psychedelics+Camping.

-Rent the Roller Rink, and have a Roller Disco party, with all the Red Vines and Orange Crush and Cheese Pizza you can eat

- Spin. The. Bottle.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:13 AM on August 21, 2007

You're a musician, aren't you? Combine your love of music with your birthday, and throw a concert-party and invite all your friends, where you play songs of significance to the occasion (songs from the 30's, songs popular when you were born, songs with 30 in the title or somewhere in the song, etc.). Alternate between playing sets yourself and getting a DJ friend to spin for you. Write a song yourself about turning the big 3-0. Premiere it to an appreciative audience. Film and/or record the whole concert. If the vibe is good, it could be good for furthering your musicking later on.

Just a thought.
posted by LN at 11:56 AM on August 21, 2007

Dirty 30! NSF29. Get your sleaze on!
posted by maloon at 12:11 PM on August 21, 2007

I turn 30 this year, too. There's a divey bowling alley in my neighborhood that will let you throw private parties if you give the owner $100, so that's what we're doing. Complete with cheap beer and pizza.

I'd stay away from the funeral idea- you don't want to accidentally end up with a downer vibe casting a shadow on your party.

Go for somthing fun and upbeat. Doesn't have to be 30 themed, although I do love Dirty Thirty for a party title. 80's prom, perhaps? Many bars with function rooms will reserve you a room for free, some will even throw in free apps, provided that your friends will spend a lot of money on drinks.
posted by emd3737 at 12:56 PM on August 21, 2007

For mine I just invited all of my friends out to a bar and we spent all night drinking. The invitations had a Logan's Run theme to them, though. If I could have hosted it at my place (also a small apartment) I would have had the movie on in a constant loop.

"You don't have to die at 30!! Nobody has to die at 30!! You can live!! Live!!"
posted by MsMolly at 2:18 PM on August 21, 2007

I'm turning 30 soon too. I think I'm going to go with a JayZ themed "30's the new 20" party "cuz I'm all grown up". Seriously, when you're 20 you're usually working paycheck to paycheck at a crap job. It's nice to finally have some predictability and the freedom that comes with being an established adult.
posted by B-squared at 3:26 PM on August 21, 2007

Also turning 30 in...well, most of a year. I wouldn't go with a tragic mourning theme here, it will only make you feel crappier. Besides, a whole lotta people tell me the 30's are cake compared to the 20's, so I'm looking forward to that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:36 PM on August 21, 2007

oh my lord, hon, your 30s are going to be a million times better than your 20s. you'll be wiser, richer, and more experienced, and yet your body is still going to be young, strong, and beautiful.

embrace turning 30. have a big party to celebrate, not mourn. put away childish things--drink a martini and burn a diaper.

:)
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:04 PM on August 21, 2007

What my parent's did for their 50th party was finding things (objects, ideas, people, culture) that were the same age as them. Luckily enough they were the same age as a popular brand of vodka, so the party was fully catered with it. Look at 1977 and find something unique to that year. But don't make it a boring 'let's dress up like it was 1977'-party, go for something more unique.
posted by slimepuppy at 6:56 AM on August 22, 2007