With birthdays being an annual endeavor, the ideas for ways to celebrate them get more difficult the more grown someone gets. It is widely known that birthday parties happen more often for children of younger ages, but older kids can find ways to celebrate too, that isn’t just driving around with friends, or not celebrating at all.
“I think a lot of teens have gotten to a place where they just want to go somewhere with their significant other or friends versus have a party,” Megan Starks exclaimed, as she has hosted and planned over one hundred parties since becoming a mom in 2007. “When friends of my family or friends of my kids come to one of our events, they are always a bit shocked and surprised. They often talk about how they don’t get parties like it or have never been to one like it. That being said, you always have a great party on any budget but you need to put some effort and imagination into it.”
Budget plays a big role in what is planned for a birthday party, but with innovation parties can still be successful even if the budget happens to be smaller.
“A good birthday party on a low budget could consist of inviting family and friends to the beach or park and asking them to bring a side item to the main dish,” Starks stated. “Potlucks are a great idea to keep your cost low and it also includes the guests in the event in a different way.”
The local places in Coos Bay and North Bend that are options for higher budget parties could be the movie theater, bowling alley, escape room, local arcade, and swimming pool. Out of town ideas for birthday parties that are still relatively nearby include roller skating in Coquille, Get Air or shopping in Eugene, arcades, or going to the Family Fun Center Sandland Adventures in Florence.
“For a big budget party, a weekend getaway with friends and family would be a blast,” said Starks. “Also you could book an Airbnb, go see a concert, or go out to a fancy dinner and do dessert back at the house. Sometimes it is nice to pay a company or business to provide the party, space, food and entertainment for you but depending on how big your guest list is will determine the overall cost. It can add up pretty quick.”
Parties held in homes can be just as good as parties that take place somewhere else. Food, decorations, activities, and company are the main ingredients to a birthday party no matter where it happens.
“I think for decoration options, balloon arches are good–lots of balloons, streamers, table covers. Sticking to a theme or color palette makes it easier,” Marshfield High School Charity Program Coordinator Izabella Rivas-Lake suggested. “When you’re on a budget, Dollar Tree is a good option, you can find birthday decorations and just pick two or three colors, and if you keep food to a minimum it will be able to stay on budget.”
Ideas for the agenda can be whatever the planner wants, but difficulties can arise when it’s targeted for bigger groups of people. If the weather is nice outside activities like cornhole, sports, or even cup pong which can be done inside as well are popular party games.
“I think group sleepovers are always fun or overnight type of things,” said Rivas-Lake. “There could be movies, board games, and even group games like scavenger hunts.”
Different cultures celebrate birthdays differently with certain restrictions and some things they specifically do and don’t do. The ideas for those parties may not be able to include the most basically known recommendations.
“In some Hispanic families they don’t believe in sleepovers or having friends over, sometimes due to parents not wanting the responsibilities of watching other kids and not trusting their kids to stay the night at someone else’s house,” Spanish teacher Roman Munoz mentioned.
Keeping the environment of a party civil and upbeat can further boost its success, maybe even greater than the other lengths taken.
“What makes or breaks a party is the people,” said Starks. “It doesn’t matter how much effort or money is put into the event or how great the location is or even if the food happens to be incredible, if you invite negative people to the event it can ruin the entire thing.”
The most important thing in any party is to have fun. Sit back, relax, and be flexible. Things don’t always go as planned, but staying positive is the key.
“Anytime I plan a party or help someone else with theirs, it is always a suggestion of mine to invite people that are positive, bring joy to your life, and like to have a good time,” Starks said. “In general if you surround yourself with good people you can have a great time regardless of the event details.”