50th Birthday Party Ideas: Themes That Are Classic And Fun

5 Party Themes To Make Your 50th Birthday Party Memorable

Turning 50 is a big deal, no matter who you are. It may seem arbitrary to some but a successful half-century on this Earth is always something to celebrate. But how do you go about celebrating such a momentous occasion?

If you’re really going to throw yourself or someone else a proper 50th birthday bash, you need to consider all elements of a great party beforehand. One of the most important of these is the overarching theme of your party.

If you throw a bash without a theme then the whole thing will just seem discombobulated. Nailing down a motif for the big night is important. It’s no exaggeration to say that there are literally an endless number of possible theme options.

It’s important to consider the specific person that the party is being thrown for, but some themes will work well no matter who the party is for. Here we have put together a list of a few of the best, most consistently well-received party themes. But of course, you should include a little of your own flair to make the party speak more specifically to who it’s for.

Go Green Party

One of the most fashionable themes right now is an eco-friendly, going green type of motif. One way to do this is to try and source as much of the party’s food from local businesses. By doing this, you’re not only helping to support your local economy but you are also making the party more sustainable.

There are tons of things that you can do to minimize waste when throwing a green 50th birthday party, such as using just two or three balloons instead of ten or more. You can also make your menu more finger-food centric to avoid all of those nasty paper plates and plastic cutlery, such as using toothpicks instead.

Make sure to have your party favors fall in line with the eco-friendly theme by sending guests home with ethically sourced items with a small carbon footprint. Giving guests seedlings is a great way to commemorate the day and keep it green!

Great Gatsby

The Roaring 20s is always a fun theme and the grandeur of the theme of the Great Gatsby fits in perfectly with a 50th birthday celebration. To do this, be sure to inform all of the guests of the dress code a few weeks beforehand so then everyone has the time to go out and buy or make their own awesome Gatsby costume.

The costumes are a big part of the aura of a Gatsby party but the decor is just as important. To get that Roaring 20s feeling, hang a bunch of faux pearls and crystal from the ceiling and get floral arrangements in a unified color, either pink, peach, or white.

Don’t forget the feathers! Large feather arrangements are a classic tenet of a Gatsby party whether set as centerpieces, put on the back to make chairs into Gatsby thrones, or mixed in with your floral arrangement. For heaven’s sake, make sure you have more than enough champagne - a Gatsby party doesn’t run out of bubbly!

Wine & Cheese Tasting

If you’re throwing the party for a classier loved one that likes to think of themselves as something of a food and wine connoisseur, look no further than a wine and cheese theme. It’s classic, simple, and dignified.

Be sure to come prepared with a range of top-flight bottles of wine as well as a bevy of fine cheeses for your guests to gawk at and taste. Now we’ll get to see who the sommelier is and who the food critic is from among the group!

There are countless tasty cheeses to choose from to pair with your vino. If you’re going with a Cabernet, a gouda is a good pairing while a Malbec would work great with some aged cheddar. A nice ricotta would mesh well with a dry Riesling.

Travel Lovers

Planning a travel-themed party for your jet-setting loved one is always good fun. There are so many different holiday places around the world which means you’ve got a ton of fun stuff to work with. Be sure to include a lot of world map-themed pieces in your decor for the party.

Try to find out where the guest of honor’s favorite places are to jet off to and put together a few corners to represent those places. A travel-themed party is really just a bunch of party themes all rolled into one!

You can grab some coconut drinks, some leis, and some grass skirts for a little Luau corner if they love traveling down to the islands of Hawaii. You could also go with a fun and festive Mardi Gras corner for the lovers of the Big Easy or a lovely Tuscan-style section for those who can’t get enough of the Italian countryside.

Your Place - The Casino

This is another one where you want your guests to come dressed for the part. Any classy cocktail party attire will do to give your party the ambiance of a classic Vegas casino. To get the right mood-lighting, you can try draping some sheer fabric over your light fixtures.

The use of playing cards and dice throughout a decent amount of your decor is definitely encouraged. You can keep it subtle or you can have some fun and go way over the top with it.

You can also take it up a notch by getting some guests to act as dealers, dressing them up for the part too. Signs like ‘High Rollers Club’ or ‘Person of Honor’s Casino’ will also help to add to the casino feel of your party. Of course, don’t forget classy cocktails like martinis and daiquiris.

Final Thoughts

When a loved one turns the big five-oh, it’s not wrong to want to celebrate them in a big way… so long as you do it right! The way to set yourself up for success is to go with an overarching theme for the party that you know the person of honor will either love or get a good laugh out of.

Everyone’s unique but we found awesome party themes for someone’s 50th that could work for tons of people out there. Whether they’ve got the travel bug, they love the slots, they’re deep into food and wine or they’ve taken an interest in the environment, you’ll always be able to find a great party idea for that special 50-year-old someone!