Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with birthdayparty

Fun 40th Birthday Celebration Idea Including Dinner?

slo — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:13:18 -0800

Chicago hive: any ideas for a 40th birthday celebration that includes dinner on a Saturday night for about a dozen people but is more fun than just doing dinner? My friend is turning 40, and we wanted to have a fun, intimate celebration that includes dinner but is more than just dinner. We tried a cooking class, but there are no openings that night. A few other things to consider:

- he does not enjoy games, so something like Whirlyball, bowling or poker night is out

- we have a decent, but not huge budget (so some of the fancier lake cruises might be prohibitive)

- it would be in the evening

Can you think of any unique venues that don't cost a fortune?

Ideally it would be something that makes it easy for the group to interact. If you've ever been to one of those birthday dinners at a long table in a loud restaurant where you talk to the same 2 people all night, you know what I mean.

Thanks!

"How Many Five-Year Olds Could You Take On At Once" is not an option

bibliowench — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:56:10 -0800

I'm having a birthday pool party (indoor) with a group of 20 kindergarten-age kids. They'll be in the water most of the time, but they'll be in a charming little holding cell for the first part of the party. Any suggestions for an activity or craft that would work well in this situation? My son is turning 6 tomorrow, and he's having his party at an indoor swimming pool. The kids will spend the first 30-45 minutes in a small community room for cake and presents and will spend the rest of the time in the water.

So obviously, I don't have to entertain them for too long. But I'm envisioning 20 kids, hepped up on sugar, wanting to get to the water, and penned in a room with all the ambiance of your typical AA meeting. I know many of them will just run around in circles and whoop, but I'd like to set up some sort of craft or activity that some of the more focused ones could do.

Ideally, the activity/craft should be optional (not an "everybody gather round" thing), something kids could do with their parents, and doable in a small space. And cheap. Cheap is good.

Birthday party suggestions for a 60 y.o.?

imposster — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:34:13 -0800

Surprise birthday party for my 60 y.o. mother - what can we do to keep the guests up and mingling? The party will be in a secluded section of a local brew pub - 20 to 30 people (fairly lowkey). We're looking for interactive things to keep be occupied and interested while they wait a few minutes for the birthday girl and for the rest of the evening. Food will be provided and alcohol will be available.

Current ideas:
- station with some old pictures to look through
- digital camera set up for people to take pictures

This will be a restaurant, so we can't do things that require lots of space or sound, but we'd like to make it a comfortable, interesting evening for the guests (some of whom know each other, some of whom don't).

Birthday Battle: boyfriend/best friend

rmless — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:37:04 -0800

Dueling birthday parties: boyfriend and best friend, both on Wednesday night. Help me decide what to do! Here's the situation:
I had planned on going to my best friend's, which consists of a movie premiere with her and her coworkers, and then drinks with them and other friends in the city (NY).

Then my boyfriend emails an invite out last night for his birthday party in Redhook.

I am thinking of going to the movie with my best friend and then going to the Redhook party afterwards and skipping the drinks, but that means I wouldn't really be hanging out or celebrating with my best friend at all.

I can't schedule another night to celebrate with either of them because I am leaving for a few weeks on Friday.

Points on each side:
Best friend
-had the plans first
-already agreed to go
-wouldn't get to see her otherwise

Boyfriend
-newish relationship, don't want to screw it up
-haven't met his friends yet and this would be the chance
-had our first disagreement this weekend and want to make sure he knows I am "in it to win it"

Birthday party location on 10/27 in Los Angeles?

charlesv — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:25:12 -0800

Birthday party location on 10/27 in Los Angeles? I am planning my 30th birthday party for 10/27 in Los Angeles. I expect to have about 30 or so people there. I'm looking for a place, preferably in the Hollywood / Los Feliz / Silverlake area, where I can reserve a private-ish area for the entire party, or at least seats for everyone. There should be good music and dancing, and possibly even bottle service for a not-outrageous amount of money. It should not be so loud that conversation is impossible.

I would like to cover either dinner OR drinks for the entire party, so I was thinking that maybe a supper club would work - I could buy dinner and people could buy their own drinks. Or, alternatively, dinner there or somewhere else where people pay for themselves and then a club that would do an all-you-can-drink deal for my party for a fixed amount per person. Unless the place is very reputable, I would rather not just pick up the tab for everyone at the end of the night because who knows what people have charged to my tab and what the bartenders are up to.

This will be a mixed guys-and-girls together party, so a strip club wouldn't work, but if there was a burlesque type place that might work. Perez Hilton had Dita von Teese at his birthday party but I seriously doubt I could afford her at mine.

The place does not have to be trendy or fancy - if there is a dive bar that meets these requirements (obviously no bottle service there) that's fine with me.

I'm not setting a budget just yet, so let's just say it should cost less than $3k and that I would like a number closer to $1k.

Special party for a special gal?

Mutant — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:20:34 -0800

Planning a BirthDay event in Amsterdam? So GalPal's birthday is Friday, and I'm having some problems planning a birthday event for her.

I live in London and GalPal lives in Amsterdam. I'm in Amsterdam for a few days, typically every other week but sometimes more frequently. I know the city fairly well and even not counting weekends with her I've spent several months there in total, but I don't know the city well enough(1) to plan a special birthday event.

Can anyone help me find a special place for a birthday dinner? Ideally I'd like a place that would also deliver up a nice cake to our table, with the entire restaurant breaking into song for maximum embarrassment.

Food-wise we both favour fish and international cuisine, but that's a secondary consideration. We'd be looking at a small table; her, myself and possibly her Paw. I'm not too fussed about money but would like to insure good value and a great, memorable birthday experience for her.

Many thanks!

(1) or speak enough Dutch yet! (*hangs head in shame*)

How to say "please come, but pay your own way" to a party-ish event?

Dreama — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 19:07:56 -0800

When is a party not a party? When it's not hosted. But how to invite people to such a (non-)event? For my mother's upcoming 65th birthday, she has made it clear that she absolutely does not want a traditional party by any means. Instead she wishes for all of my siblings and me to take her to dinner at her favorite -- pricey -- restaurant. All fine and good.

The trouble is that her friends and our extended family all want to know what's happening for her birthday. She's also retiring at the end of that same week, so some co-workers are interested in some kind of celebration as well.

Even spread amongst the siblings, underwriting meals for a large number of additional guests at the restaurant in question is simply cost prohibitive, far more expensive than a formal dinner (buffet) in one of our homes or even a catered party at a non-restaurant venue might possibly be. (We're talking about a starting cost of ~$60/person.) And there is no shaking mom's resolve that she wants the sole celebration of her birthday/retirement to be this dinner at this location.

Is it tacky to invite people to join us for dinner at this restaurant in a way that makes it clear that they'll be buying their own meals? (Clearly at that price, they'll need to be prepared.) If it's acceptable, should it just be a matter of phone calls, or is there some polite way of writing an invitation that says "join us for dinner -- on your dime" in an abundantly clear way?

Help me give a great kids' birthday party

cometwendy — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 15:26:09 -0800

Who knows of any fantastic outdoor party games for a group of about 10 kids (and several grown kids) that don't need much in the way of expensive equipment? My daughter will be seven this weekend, and we want to have a cookout in the park with a bunch of pals. There's a great picture in my mind's eye of a delightful picnic with tasty food, icy drinks and a cake... you know, checkered tablecloth etc. (There's also pictures of arguing children, burnt food, and it all being fun until somebody gets poked in the eye, but we all start out with the best intentions...)
So, I guess the question is pretty vague... What makes a great kids' birthday party? Know of any great outdoor games with little or no props?
I was thinking about a hunt of some sort, kids following a clue to another clue until they find a something-at-the-end-of-all-of-the-clues, but holy cow... we've got three hours to fill with fun & games.
oh yeah- and what goes in an awesome goodie bag?

Kids Treasure Hunt Logistics?

chr1sb0y — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:12:26 -0800

How should I organize or structure a Treasure Hunt for eight 5/6 year olds at a birthday party? The party theme is fantasy/adventure (Deltora Quest in particular) - so it's not really a pirate treasure hunt - it's more like D&D. Reading ability is not assumed, but they can all ID letters and numbers. I want each kid to have a map (of our backyard), and ideally I would like each kid to be able to go at their own pace, so that the more sophisticated ones don't lead the way right to the end. There could be multiple treasure spots along the way, or one big cache - they will be collecting the materials for making a craft project, plus some other goodies. If anyone has any experiences or ideas to share, they would be much appreciated.

Help me plan an awesome birthday party in Chicago.

geryon — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 12:08:39 -0800

Help me plan the most awesomest rockin' birthday party in Chicago. I'm turning 23, I'm in Chicago. Here are my options; I have my Dad's house in the suburbs, or I was considering renting/commandeering a bar somewhere in Chicago.

This is what I need:
I need any suggestion of themes.
I need advice on renting/showing up at a bar-Do I call beforehand? Is there a way to buy a keg for my friends and just park it so we don't have shell out tons of money once we're in the bar?

I also need recommendations for a good bar ( I don't know Chicago too well)

Or if people know much better places to have a birthday party for a 23 year old, please suggest away.

Also, other than excessive drinking, is there anything else I should be doing for my party? I've never known anything else, (I mean, except for lazer tag parties as a young lad)

The crowd is mixed, 21-26 year olds, leaning more to the indie rock side than the yuppie side. My objectives for this party: I wanna have fun, get good and drunk, and have an awesome time with my friends.

Mefites are certainly invited.