26 Best 40th Birthday Party Ideas that’ll Guarantee a Good Time
Brittany Barber
Contributor
If the big four-oh is around the corner and you’re wondering, “what should I do for my 40th birthday?”, you’re in luck! We have plenty of 40th birthday party ideas and themes that are sure to make this milestone birthday celebration of yours one to remember.
Whether you want to keep the guestlist small on the big day or intend to go all out with a huge birthday celebration with loved ones, we’ve got you covered. From hiring a caterer to choosing a birthday party theme, here are lots of 40th birthday celebration ideas that’ll help you celebrate your 40th year around the sun.
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1. Host a Dinner Party
Photo: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com
If you ask me, a 40th birthday celebration is practically synonymous with a dinner party, because you really can’t go wrong! Hiring a private chef or professional caterer is the perfect way to wow your and your guests’ taste buds.
Pro tip: Here are 14 helpful questions to ask your prospective caterer.
2. Enjoy Live Music
Whether you go out to a concert or hire a live band to perform in your backyard, why not enjoy a live musical performance on your 40th birthday? From tribute bands to swing bands, there are hundreds of options to consider.
3. Murder Mystery Party
If your party guests are the type who enjoy whodunnits and solving mysteries, host a murder mystery party for your 40th birthday party. There are all kinds of themes you can go with, from classy 1950s jazz club to downright creepy haunted house Halloween vibes with scary costumes.
Pro tip: If you've never thrown your own murder mystery party, check out our murder mystery party guide for tips.
4. Host a Black Tie Event
Throw an ultra-stylish 40th birthday party by asking your guests to arrive dressed in their finest apparel. Paired with champagne and hor d'oeuvres, you can’t go wrong with a black-tie birthday party. You’ll definitely rent a photo booth or hire a photographer to commemorate how stunning everyone looks.
5. Book a Cruise
If you have the budget for it, why not go all out and book a cruise for a special day on the water? Invite your closest friends and catch some sun on the deck of a ship, in honor of your 40th birthday.
6. Cocktail Party
What better way to celebrate a milestone birthday than with delicious signature cocktails? Get dressed up and enjoy a 40th birthday happy hour with your closest friends and family. Unless you’re going out, you might want to hire a bartender so you’re not wasting precious birthday hours shaking them up yourself!
7. Games Night
Plan on playing a few party games at your 40th birthday party, like charades, a trivia game or Pictionary. If you and your friends are avid gamers, you might even want to delve into something a little more niche — like a murder mystery, video games or even an interactive game show experience.
8. Have a Dance Party
Photo: G-Stock Studio/Shutterstock.com
Crank the tunes, hang up a disco ball and get your 40-year-old body moving with a dance party. Unless you’re going out to a club, you might want to find a venue that’ll allow you to hire a DJ or a live band to take your 40th birthday party to the next level. If you’re having your party at home, check out this fun dance party playlist for music inspiration.
9. Monochrome Theme
One easy but super fun themed party to consider for your 40th birthday is to choose one color and make it monochrome-themed. Ask your guests to dress in only that color, and match your party decorations, birthday cake, and even signature cocktails so everything is uniform.
Pro tip: Don't hesitate to hire a caterer or bartender to help you figure out the best way to include the color of your choice on your menu.
10. Rent a Movie Theater
The best part about throwing a party at a movie theater is that your guest list can be as big as there are seats in the theater. Many theaters have party rooms you can reserve for snacks, drinks and of course birthday cake and ice cream, which will allow you to mingle with your guests before or after the movie.
11. Decade Party
Choose your favorite decade and give your 40th birthday party theme a retro vibe. A great option to go with is the ‘40s — you’re turning 40 after all!
Make sure to ask your party guests to come in the era’s clothing and ready to dance to nostalgic music. For music, you might want to hire a band that specializes in a particular decade, like:
Pro tip: If you’re wondering how to hire live music, take a gander through our tips on how to book a band.
12. Nostalgic Slideshow
Gather photos from the past 40 years and count on having a good laugh, cry and probably a cringe or two, too. You can gather the photos yourself or reach out to your guests for photos they might want to share.
Pro tip: You can prepare for future birthday slideshows by hiring a photographer or renting a photo booth.
13. Go Bowling
Whether you reserve a few lanes or rent the entire venue, there’s no doubt that you’ll have a blast bowling with your friends and family on your 40th birthday. Many bowling alleys have food and drink services, but on the odd chance they don’t, consider getting a caterer or bartender to help organize your menu.
14. High Tea Party
Photo: Ivan Marc/Shutterstock.com
Turn your 40th birthday party into a sophisticated affair by throwing a high tea party. It’s a perfectly elegant theme that’ll make for an excellent alternative to your typical birthday party. You’ll want to plan for tea-infused cocktails, floral centerpieces, fancy table cloths, beautiful cupcakes, and tea tin party favors to really make your party special.
15. Comedy Night
Unless you decide to catch a live show, you can hire a professional comedian to perform at a venue of your choice — including your own home. From roastmasters to comedy singers, you’ve got options when it comes to celebrating your 40th with a laugh!
16. Superhero Theme
Make your 40th birthday extraordinary by throwing a superhero-themed birthday party. Ask your guests to dress as their favorite superhero or villain and hire a caterer to make specialty snacks. Make sure to create a spreadsheet of who plans on being what character to avoid overlaps.
17. Invite a Tarot Card Reader
Add an air of mystery to your 40th birthday party and bring in a tarot card reader for a peek into the future. Depending on the size of your guestlist, you may want to bring in more than one to be sure everyone you invite has the opportunity for a reading.
18. Read Your Horoscopes with an Astrologer
Did you know that professional astrologers are available for hire? Either as an alternative or in addition to a tarot card reader, have some fun with the unknown and get into what it means to be born on the day of your birth this year.
19. Go to Vegas
One popular way to ring in your 40th birthday is to have your party in Las Vegas. Live music? Magic show? A night out at the casino? Check, check and check. Plus, you can almost always find great deals on flights and hotel rooms year-round.
20. Karaoke
Even if you’re not a particularly musical bunch, karaoke is always a blast. If you don’t have a local bar in mind, you can always rent out a venue and hire a karaoke DJ to help you get the party started.
21. Wine Tasting
Photo: Fusionstudio/Shutterstock.com
This year for a happy birthday, turn your party beverages into a wine tasting experience. Hire a sommelier for a guided experience that might just teach you and your party guests a thing or two about your go-to chardonnay.
22. Poker Night
Celebrate your 40th birthday by hosting a poker night. If you really want to go all out, you could do a casino theme birthday party and offer a variety of games, like blackjack and roulette. Party snacks are a must, and while chips and dip are delicious, you may want to hire a caterer to put together some canapés and appetizers, too.
23. Backyard BBQ
If the weather permits it, invite your friends and family to enjoy some birthday cake at a backyard BBQ this year. Burgers, hotdogs, veggie skewers and a bowl of sangria should do the trick! Along with outdoor games, hiring a live band is always a great source of entertainment for a backyard BBQ.
Pro tip: If you’ve never hosted a party outdoors, check out this step-by-step guide for advice.
24. Play Outdoor Games
If you’ve decided to host your 40th birthday party outdoors, make sure to amp up the entertainment by having a few outdoor games on hand. Bocce ball, spikeball, lawn bowling — take your pick. If there will be kids at the event, you might even want to hire a face painter for added entertainment.
25. Supernatural Theme
Tap into the occults this year with candles, tea-leaf readings and ouija boards. You could even hire a psychic or tarot card reader for professional insight into what the future may bring.
26. 40th Birthday Decorations
Photo: Annie Spratt /Unsplash
If you’ve decided on your 40th birthday party theme, you’ll want to do your best to find decorations (or DIY some) that match up with that theme. It can be as easy as color coordinating or doing a theme search on Amazon or Party City.
If you choose the theme-less route, you’ll still want to deck out your space with birthday decorations —perhaps some funny over-the-hill decorations will get a good laugh. Here's a checklist of items to definitely consider:
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40th birthday balloons
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Happy 40th birthday cake topper
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Birthday streamers and confetti
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Eye-catching centerpieces
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40th birthday themed dinnerware and napkins
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Tissue paper pom poms
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Birthday banners
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Fairy lights
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Disco ball
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Party favors
Check out our 40th birthday party ideas Pinterest board for more inpsiration.
Find even more birthday party ideas on The Bash.
About Brittany Barber
Brittany Barber, lover of books, dogs, and romance, graduated from Bishop’s University with a Communications and Theatre degree. After spending some time working abroad in the theater world, she is now a freelance writer covering a range of lifestyle topics including event planning for The Bash, WeddingWire, 2life and Fluttr, and shopping for BuzzFeed and Narcity.
