43 Best Birthday Party Activities & Games for 2024

Having the right birthday party activities on your agenda can transform a simple gathering into a banger of a celebration! Whether the party is for an adult crowd or something suited to a younger set, a well-chosen set of birthday party activities will amuse and delight partygoers and keep your event energized from start to finish.

NPR shares tips for party planning and the importance of starting early. So, how do you plan a birthday party activity? Coming up with fun things to do on your birthday may take a little doing, but it doesn't have to be a daunting task.

With our list of the 43 best birthday party activities and games on your clipboard, you have a selection of exciting possibilities to get the ideas flowing. They'll help you figure out how to plan a birthday party that's perfect for both your guests and your guest of honor!

Jump to Section

• Creative Birthday Party Activities
• Foodie Birthday Party Activities
• Unique Birthday Party Activities
• Best Games for Birthday Parties at Home
• More Fun Birthday Party Games

Creative Birthday Party Activities

1. Party While You Paint

Pick up a brush and turn your celebration into a more colorful occasion by booking your birthday party activities at a paint and sip near you.

No prior experience is no problem in these paint party ideas for adults, thanks to talented painting instructors and a laid-back atmosphere at paint and sip in NYC, paint and sip in Chicago, paint and sip in Atlanta and in your city.

2. Paint While You Party (at Home!)

If things to do at a birthday party at home are a must for your special moment, gear up for digital self-expression with online painting classes.

You and your guests can enjoy top-notch virtual instruction for painting in acrylics and watercolors from imaginative teachers who'll add vibrant flair to your in-house affair.

These lively sessions take fun and games for birthday parties at home for adults in creative new directions!

3. Clay Around a Little

Add three-dimensional creativity to your birthday party activities with a pottery party for the big day! Coast-to-coast courses keep aspiring artists covered with pottery classes in San Francisco, pottery classes in Houston and pottery classes in Boston.

Check out pottery classes near you to find a session in your area to get your birthday spinning. 

4. Make Special Arrangements

Among the most unique birthday ideas for adults is virtual flower arranging classes. Partygoers can learn the timeless art of using colorful blooms to create one-of-a-kind bouquets via the Internet. Everyone takes home their stunning projects as party favors like no others!

5. Get Photogenic

Few birthday party activities get groups interacting like a photo booth. Use colorful drapery or even an inexpensive party tablecloth as a backdrop and provide a collection of props and accessories for guests to experiment with.

A ring light in front of your booth will ensure even illumination as posers snap their most imaginative shots. Don't forget to choose a fun hashtag for the gang to share their pics!

6. Tie One On

Get your guests in a twist with a tie-dye station as part of your birthday party activities. White t-shirts wrapped with string or rubber bands can be soaked in plastic totes filled with vibrant colored dyes to add mind-bending color. Then, rinse and untied the shirts to see what wild patterns have emerged.   

7. Slime Things Up

If the question is, "How can I make my birthday party more interesting?" then slime-making is a birthday party activity that has you covered! You can gather glue, contact lens solution and baking soda to arrange your own slime lab or pick up

8. Spread the Creativity

A variety of art stations provides an exciting array of things to do at a birthday party at home. Set up areas featuring pencils, pastels, acrylics, watercolors and even air-dry clay for guests to spread out and explore.

When finished with their masterpieces, you can add an "art show" to your list of birthday party activities by having artists show off their work!

Foodie Birthday Party Activities

9. Have a Gourmet Get Together

With cooking classes in Boston, cooking classes in Dallas and cooking classes in Los Angeles, you have a magnificent menu of birthday party activities that give the occasion a hearty dash of delicious flavor.

Order up cooking classes near you as unique birthday ideas for adults where the guests prepare their own party food! 

10. Fashion a Virtual Feast

Online cooking classes let you turn your birthday party activities into home-based culinary lessons. Subjects range from specialty techniques to full-fledged gourmet meals from cultures around the globe.

Your revelers can indulge in the dishes they create while learning from skilled chefs who bring food prep and fun to the occasion, even from a digital distance!

11. Taste the Happiness

Add virtual wine tasting to your list of birthday party activities and you have elegant adult birthday party ideas that give wine lovers a reason to pop some new bottles.

Learn the magic of choosing the right wines for every occasion with help from skilled sommeliers who love sharing their knowledge. To take the celebration on the road, you can also book in-person wine tastings at locations around your city.

12. Put the Festivities on Ice

Raise a glass to birthday party activities with a kick by cueing up online mixology classes as part of the fun and games. Partygoers can concoct their own classic and contemporary cocktails while learning the tricks of the trade from top bartenders and mixologists.

You can also schedule in-person mixology classes for a more destination-oriented celebration.

13. Throw a Classic Dinner Party

Put the taste back in "tasteful" with a simple dinner party to show how sophisticated your birthday party activities can be. Plan a menu that doesn't take too much trouble to assemble and invite partygoers to dress up a little.

Timeless parties like this make lovely golden birthday ideas to suit a more discerning crowd. 

14. Put the Squeeze On

Rather than making a cake for your birthday party activities, sweeten up the occasion with loaded frosting bags and a few batches of cupcakes and let your guests decorate their own treats.

Print helpful guides for piping basics from online sites and furnish a selection of fun sprinkles and toppings to add color and crunch.

15. Make a Mockery of Your Home Bar

Younger crowds and alcohol abstainers will love mixing things up at a mocktail bar as a birthday party activity. You can find online recipes for zero-proof blends of juices and mixers, some that replicate familiar concoctions and others that bring new flavors to the bar.

Have guests draw straws to see who gets to play bartender or host the happy happenings yourself!

16. Gather a World of Flavors

Challenge your guests to a birthday party activity where global tastes are part of the excitement. Send invitations with a designated country or culture and request each invitee create a dish of their choice from that region.

They can dress in cultural garb as they present their dish to the guest of honor for an international banquet.

17. Socialize Over Ice Cream

An old-fashioned ice cream social is always a fun birthday party activity, no matter the season or the weather! Designate a scooper to serve up spheres of three or four different flavors and stock a table with whipped cream, sweet sauces and flavorful toppings for guests to go wild.

For a fun variation, use broken waffle cone pieces as chips for ice cream nachos!

Unique Birthday Party Activities

18. Dance Like Everyone is Watching

Give your party people a chance to tune up their moves by taking the party to dance classes near you! Sign up for salsa dance classes in Orlando, get in on a modern groove with contemporary dance classes in San Francisco, or test your pop-and-locking with hip hop dance classes in Los Angeles.

Keep the travel to a minimum by booking online dance classes and bring the dancefloor home instead.

19. Jam On

For parents of musicians wondering, "How do I keep my kids busy at a birthday party?" setting up a jam session is a tuneful birthday party activity your maestros will vibe with.

Invite guests with their own instruments to bring them along and provide percussion items that are easy for non-musicians to play such as tambourines and simple drums.

Then, let the band start finding their sound! Encourage players to switch instruments every so often to give everyone a turn.

20. Visit the Masters

Art museums provide a slew of theme party ideas, everything from décor based on a particular art movement to gifts that celebrate the guest of honor's favorite creative.

Plan a visit to a local museum and tie in special pieces to the menu, color palette and even the dress code to bring an artful touch to your birthday party activities.

21. Put the "Aaaah" in Spa Day

Looking for birthday surprise ideas that invite rest and relaxation? A spa trip could be just the thing! Set up a few hours of massages, mani-pedis and facial treatments to melt away stress for your bestie on their big day.

Don't forget to include sweet treats and tasty drinks to complete your soothing, low-key birthday party activities.

22. Get It on Film

A celebratory film festival for cinephiles inspires a suite of birthday party activities with a movie theme. Use genres such as sci-fi, action and horror to guide your décor and menu, letting your guest of honor's favorite films lead the way. Cosplay is always a welcome touch for such a cinematic occasion!

23. Crawl Through the Clubs

There's no confusion about how to plan a birthday party for a friend who loves the nightlife; a club crawl is a perfect celebration! Plan an evening that moves to a new location every hour.

You can choose different spots for appetizers, drinks, dancing and dessert to give the evening a multitude of exciting options.

24. Zoom In

Sometimes, virtual birthday party ideas like Zoom celebrations are the best way to bring together a widespread group of friends and family.

Get creative with your birthday party activities by setting up a selection of online games ahead of time. You can even send out recipes for party dishes to make sure the whole crew enjoys the same spread! 

25. Head to the Great Outdoors

Fans of nature will adore birthday party activities that take place at a campsite. You can set up a full-blown camping trip at a nearby site or make your own in your backyard or living room.

Choose projects with an outdoorsy theme such as simple arts and crafts projects and set up birthday party games like speed s'mores to see who can get their chocolate and marshmallows to melt fastest.

26. Get Trippy for the Day

Think of a day trip to a favorite destination as a birthday party activity that never runs out of gas! Map out a path to your birthday buddy's favorite spot or choose somewhere new for an exciting adventure.

Have friends and family join in on the ride there, making stops along the way for celebratory bites and beverages. You can also plan a surprise party by having revelers waiting at the final stop when you arrive

Best Games for Birthday Parties at Home

27. Get Into The Game

Let virtual game nights help you provide games for birthday parties at home when physical games prove too challenging. Try new titles or choose familiar favorites and send out invitations for a 21st Century birthday party that even old-school gamers are sure to love.

With these digital events among your birthday party activities, friends and family can share in the celebration from wherever they are.

28. Answer the Right Question

Hosted online trivia games give your birthday party activities all the quirky charm of a pub-style trivia night in an array of easy-to-access virtual birthday party games. Emcees make every session a party no matter where your guests log in from. All that's missing is the cake!

29. Murder Mystery Game

With these murder mystery game kits, all the set-up for your mystery is taken care of, so all you have to do for this popular birthday party game is play along and watch the thrill unfold! 

Choose from some of the most intriguing themes, such as a 1920s murder mystery game, a masquerade murder mystery game, a Wild West murder mystery game and many more. 

30. Gear Up for a Grand Escape

If your party plans include games for birthday parties for adults or teens with a taste for puzzle solving, put a virtual escape room on the list.

You'll have the thrill of a riddle-filled quest with a ticking timer to keep the pressure on, all without leaving the comfort of your living room. This birthday party activity lets your guests work as a team no matter where they're located!

31. Head Out on a Hunt

Virtual scavenger hunts make excellent birthday party games for 10-year-olds with mad online search skills. An online guide provides clues that cover the whole Internet, inviting players to determine where the search leads.

These web-based birthday party activities can bring friends together in a virtual environment when a physical party isn't possible. 

32. Dance Till You Freeze

This exciting mix of dancing and freeze tag may be the easiest birthday party activity on your roster! To play, set up a playlist of upbeat songs and set one playing.

Players do their most energetic dance moves until the tunes come to a random stop. Then, everyone freezes in a pose to see how long they can remain still. The first player to move is out of the game. Play continues until one frozen dancer is left standing!

33. Act Out

An age-old favorite among birthday party activities, the game of charades and its variations are birthday party games that never go out of style. You can also use the modern mobile game version!

Using tiles of well-known movies and books or the names of celebrities or historic figures, fill a cup with strips of paper and invite players to choose one to act out for the rest of their team.

More Fun Birthday Party Games

34. This or That?

This simple birthday party activity is one of those easy games for birthday parties for adults or children to enjoy equally. To play, create a simple list of "this or that" choices for players to vote on, such as hamburgers or hotdogs, tacos or burritos, and so forth.

Begin by asking the group which is better, hamburgers or hotdogs. Whichever item wins the vote moves on to the next round; for example, if hamburgers win round one, round two would be hamburgers or tacos. If tacos win round two, round three would be tacos or burritos.

Play continues until the list is exhausted and all players retreat to the snack table for treats!

35. Who Am I?

Options for unique birthday ideas for adults include this humorous spin on the usual 20 Questions game. In this birthday party activity, each player has a sticky note stuck on their back with the name of a famous figure written on it.

Players try to figure out the name written on their sticky notes by asking 20 questions of the other players. When players guess correctly, the sticky note is removed and play continues until all the names have been guessed. It sounds easier than it is!

36. Bobbing for Donuts

With bobbing for donuts, you have both a hilarious game and a tasty treat in a single birthday party activity! Tie strings around a variety of donuts and tape them from an entryway or doorjamb.

Players use nothing but their teeth to try to free the hanging donuts from their suspended state. 

37. Karaoke

Few birthday party games for 10-year-olds to 100-year-olds are as rousing as karaoke. You can use a digital app like Singa to cue up songs from various eras for guests to belt out.

Not everyone will be on key, so consider handing out earplugs as party favors before the games begin!

38. Right, Left, Eat

Right, Left, Eat puts candy instead of money on the table in your best bet for chance-style games for birthday parties for adults. Players place three pieces of candy on a table in front of them and take turns rolling three dice, one for each piece.

Players either pass, eat, or keep their candy, like so:

• One: Pass a piece of candy to the right
• Two: Pass a piece of candy to the left
• Three: Eat a piece of candy
• Four: Keep a piece of candy
• Five: Keep a piece of candy
• Six: Keep a piece of candy 

Play continues around the table until only one player with one piece of candy remains.

39. Name That Tune

Choose a selection of well-known songs and play a few rounds of Name That Tune as a fun musical birthday party activity. T

wo players face off and vie to name the tune by listening to second-long snippets. The host provides a few simple clues about the song, such as the year it came out and the subject of the lyrics.

Players challenge one another to name the song in five seconds, four seconds, and so on. Once a snippet length is chosen, the host plays the song and gives the player who chose the lowest number of seconds a chance to name the tune.

If that player fails, the other player gets a chance to name the tune. The play continues until one player successfully names the tune.   

40. Two Truths and a Lie

This birthday party activity is a great way for unfamiliar groups to get to know one another. Players take turns sharing three facts about themselves, one of which is untrue, while the rest of the group takes turns trying to guess which facts are true and which is a lie.

By the end of the game, everyone will know a little more about the other party people at the celebration. 

41. Wink Murder

Wink Murder is an easy and convenient birthday party activity that's perfect for teens or adults. To play, create a folded slip of paper for every player, one with the word "murderer" written on it and the rest left blank.

Place the slips in a cup and have all players choose one. Once a player knows they're the murderer, the object of the game is for all players to maintain eye contact, watching for the murderer to wink at them.

Once this happens, the player "dies" in a theatrical way. Play continues until all players are "dead" or the murderer is identified.

42. Cookie Face

Make your guests work for their treats with this hilarious birthday party activity with Oreos as the game pieces!

In this game, each player takes a turn tilting their head back and placing an Oreo on their forehead, trying to move the cookie to their mouth and take a bite using only their facial muscles.

Be sure to capture lots of video of the grimaces, smirks and smiles it takes to get the Oreos to their destination! 

43. Cup Stack

When games for birthday parties at home include everyone's favorite red party cups, you know you're in for a treat! Place two stacked towers of 10 party cups on a table side by side and challenge two players at a time to rearrange the cups into a pyramid shape.

Then, challenge them to collapse the pyramid back into a stacked tower. The first player to complete both challenges without toppling their cups is the winner of this competitive birthday party activity.

What are fun activities for a birthday party? Your best bets are interactive games and collaborative birthday party activities that encourage fun and laughter, naturally!

Whether you add an element of creativity with sip and paint ideas and cooking classes, bring the group together with video birthday party activities online, or stick with a more traditional line-up of party games, your guests will have a fantastic time sharing memorable moments and celebrating the occasion.

For even more fun birthday party activities and events, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!