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

5

Go Camping

  1. 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]
    • 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.
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11

Celebratory Picnic

  1. 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]
    • 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.
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16

Arcade Day

  1. 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]
    • 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!
18

30-Themed Party

  1. 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]
    • 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.
26

Nostalgic Place

  1. 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.

About This Article

Christina Millikin
Co-authored by:
Founder & CEO, Glow Events
This article was co-authored by Christina Millikin and by wikiHow staff writer, Caroline Heiderscheit. Christina Millikin is the Founder and former CEO of Glow Events, an event planning agency based in San Francisco, California. Glow Events is a boutique event planning firm specializing in full event production and creative design for corporate and social events. Christina has worked with clients such as Salesforce, Heroku, Okta, and Netflix. Glow Events' work has been featured in Martha Stewert Weddings, InStyle, and SanFrancisco Magazine. Christina is an advisor to the management team at Glow, as well as a business advisor for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, and she has a BS in Marketing from the University of Florida. This article has been viewed 10,131 times.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: June 27, 2022
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