43 Epic Birthday Party Activities Built on Experience in 2025
Cake is nice, but it’s not what people remember. The real fun comes from the birthday party activities: the games, challenges and moments that get everyone laughing together. Although flashy extras are nice, guests tend to lean more toward experiences. So if you’re hunting for things to do on your birthday or trying to plan a birthday party, focus on the activities. They’re what turn your party into something people actually talk about the next day.
Jump to Section
- Creative Birthday Party Activities
- Foodie Birthday Party Activities
- Unique Birthday Party Activities
- Birthday Party Activities for Kids
- Birthday Party Activities for Adults
- Birthday Party Activities for Teens
- Best Games for Birthday Parties at Home
Creative Birthday Party Activities
1. Build A DIY Photo Booth
A DIY photo booth always gets people mixing and interacting. Grab some props and accessories, along with colorful drapery or an inexpensive party tablecloth, to use as a backdrop. Then, let the guests experiment and have fun. A ring light in front of your booth will provide the right lighting, and don’t forget to choose a fun hashtag for the gang to share their pics. You could also have a photo printing station or a mini printer, like the Instax Mini Link 3, that prints small keepsakes that they can take home to create their own Polaroid scrapbook.
2. Create An AI Photo Station
If old-school photo booths aren't really your thing, maybe go high-tech instead. An AI photo station using tools like OutSnapped takes boring selfies to a whole new level. Your guests will be able to create wild, hilarious or magical AI-generated photos of themselves.
Simply set up a little "photo lab" station at the party with fun props and a simple backdrop (a sheet or curtain works). Add a sign that says "Welcome to the Photo Lab: Where You Become Anything." Ask your guests to take selfies or photos of each other using a phone or tablet, then use a free tool like Craiyon, Lensa, Remix AI or even Snapchat’s AI filters. Ask AI to turn you into anything (the wilder, the better) and then print the photos instantly with a mini photo printer (or email/text them if you want to keep it digital). You can also pull on trends like making everyone a Barbie character still in its box, fun avatars or yearbook photos.
3. Hold A Paint And Sip
Pick up a brush and turn your celebration into a colorful occasion with a paint and sip party. No experience needed for these paint party ideas for adults; just a glass of wine and a willingness to have fun. You’ll find paint and sips in NYC, Chicago, Atlanta and plenty of other cities, all led by instructors who make the process easy and entertaining. Here's our guide on how to host a paint and sip party.
If staying in feels more your speed, online painting classes let you host the same experience at home. Add wine, invite a few friends and follow along as an expert teacher walks you through painting in acrylics or watercolors. You’ll easily turn a simple get-together into something people will remember because they get to keep their masterpiece to display proudly on their walls.
4. Hold An Art Show
Set up mini art stations with paints, pencils and clay so guests can wander between them and create their own masterpieces. When they’re finished, you can add an "art show" to your list of birthday party activities and have everybody present their work. Everyone can cast a vote, or you can have set judges (thanks, Mom and Dad), and the winner gets a prize. You can also have runner up prizes for arbitrary categories like "least effort," "most likely to be the next Picasso" or "funkiest creation."
5. Mold Ceramics
Add three-dimensional creativity to your birthday party activities with a pottery party for the big day. Pottery parties encourage guests to get their hands messy and see what they can create. Even lopsided bowls feel like trophies when you’ve made them with friends. It’s a relaxed activity that always makes for a good icebreaker.
With courses available coast-to-coast from pottery classes in San Francisco, Houston, Boston or a city near you, you’ll easily find a suitable session in your area to get your birthday spinning.
6. Arrange Flowers
In-person or virtual flower arranging classes turn a party into something creative and hands-on. Guests get to play with blooms, make their own bouquets and take them home as favors that look as good on the table as they do later in a vase. Bring the art of Ikebana to your party to practice some zen before you get into the cocktail crafting (more on that later).
7. Create Tie-Dye Clothing
Get your guests in a twist by adding a tie-dye station to your birthday party activities. All you need are plain white tees, some rubber bands and tubs of bright dye. Everyone gets to experiment with colors, then unwrap their creations to reveal wild, one-of-a-kind patterns they can wear home. Have pre-made iron-on badges that say "X's Birthday" on it so they can be reminded of the fun activity.
8. Make DIY Slime
If the question is, "How can I make my birthday party more interesting?" then slime-making is the way to go. Kids and teens love slime for its mess and texture and you probably will too. You can gather glue, contact lens solution and baking soda to arrange your own slime lab or pick up. Here's our quick guide to creating slime for a brief lesson in gooey goodness.
9. Sing Karaoke
The classic birthday party activity: Karaoke always cuts through awkwardness fast. With an app like Singa, you can queue up hits from any decade and let guests take the mic. Nobody cares if they’re on key, the fun is in the performance, and the laughter sticks long after the music stops.
Foodie Birthday Party Activities
10. Cook Gourmet Meals
Yes, you can hold your own cooking lesson if you're a pro in the kitchen, but what if we kinda suck at rolling sushi or making pasta dishes? Cooking classes turn a birthday into more than just a meal — they make it an experience. With cooking classes in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles or in your city, guests get hands-on with ingredients, learn from professional chefs and then sit down to enjoy the food they created together. Eating the results is the reward. It’s a way more memorable birthday party activity than just ordering in.
11. Hold An Online Cooking Class
Everyone can make it to your party, except your bestie, who's frolicking around the globe or has migrated to another country. If only they could make it to your big day to take part in your epic birthday party activities. They can? But how? Online cooking classes let you celebrate without leaving the kitchen. Skilled chefs guide you through recipes step by step while everyone cooks along at home. Subjects range from specialty techniques to full-fledged gourmet meals from cultures around the globe. It’s fun to compare dishes on-screen, swap tips in real time and then sit down to enjoy the results together.
12. Have A Wine Tasting Or Wine & Cheese Pairing
Add an in-person or virtual wine tasting to your birthday party activities and you’ve got one of those adult birthday party ideas that instantly feels more social. With a sommelier guiding the pours, guests pick up tips while sampling bottles they might not normally try. It’s a little education with a lot of laughter. There are also some great wine pairings you can do with a professional or just DIY with some home-made charcuterie board ideas.
13. Create Cocktails
Raise a glass to birthday party activities with a kick by cueing up in-person or online mixology classes as part of the fun and games. Partygoers can concoct their best cocktails while learning the tricks of the trade from top bartenders and mixologists. Want to keep your birthday party activities more DIY? Host a cocktail crafting competition, where guests create their own dynamic drinks and back story. The winner takes home a bottle of their favorite booze.
14. 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. Where do the birthday party activities come in? Well, you can plan a clever menu that’s easy to assemble and invite partygoers to dress up a little. Then hold a board game evening, play some classic party games like murder mystery or hold a trivia night with some difficult True or False questions. Timeless parties like this make lovely golden birthday ideas to suit a more discerning crowd.
15. Design Cupcakes
Cupcake decorating turns dessert into an activity. Hand out frosting bags, sprinkles and toppings, then watch the competition kick in as guests try out different piping styles. Print helpful guides for piping basics from online sites and provide a selection of fun sprinkles and toppings to add color and crunch. It’s messy, creative and way more fun than serving a finished cake.
16. Shake Up Mocktails
While we suggested cocktail-making as a no-frills birthday party activity, some invitees may not drink alcohol. Mocktail parties bring just as much fun as cocktail ones, only without the booze. Guests can play bartender for the night, mixing their best mocktails with juices and mixers. Some might copy classics, others will invent something wild, but either way, everyone gets a new drink to taste. Have guests draw straws to see who gets to play bartender or host the happy happenings yourself!
17. Hold A Potluck
An international potluck makes the meal part of the adventure. Assign each guest a country or region in advance, and let them bring a dish that represents it. To make this a more personal birthday party activity, ask the guests to bring their childhood favorites, family secret recipes or something that represents their heritage. Then each guest explains what they brought and why they made it before digging in. The table fills with flavors from around the globe and with multiple cultural insights, and every plate comes with a story. Encourage guests to dress the part as they present their dish to the guest of honor.
18. Host An Ice Cream Social
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 scoops 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. Here are some ice cream party ideas if you're at a loss on what to serve or how to serve it.
Unique Birthday Party Activities
19. Dance Together
There’s nothing like a dance class to shake the stiffness out of a party. A salsa session adds instant heat, a hip hop class turns into pure laughter and contemporary dance somehow makes even the clumsiest guest feel like they’ve nailed it.
Go full Western by teaching everyone how to line dance, whip out your best TikToks to film and post, or let the pros guide you with dance classes in Orlando, San Francisco, Los Angeles or your city. You’ll find something that fits your crowd. Or skip the travel and stream online dance classes so the dance floor comes straight to your living room. These birthday party activities will make you sweat, smile and feel energized.
20. Make A Jam Session
There’s nothing tidy about a jam session, which is what makes it such a good birthday party activity. Friends who can really play will jump in, but the tambourines, shakers and makeshift percussion are just as important. Give people permission to swap around and make a racket. Eventually, it starts to click into something that resembles music; and by then, everyone’s grinning. This is an espeically great idea to take to the outdoors like the beach or camping.
21. Go Gallery Hopping
Instead of renting another hall, plan the day around a museum. Wandering the galleries around your city gives people something to talk about that isn’t just small talk, and the setting makes the celebration feel different right away. You can even pull inspiration from the exhibits for theme party ideas back at home, from colors to food to little details that tie the evening together.
Fit in some fun side-birthday-party activities, like a treasure hunt where guests need to find clues in the different galleries. Or just chill at the various cafes and bars in your favorite art districts.
22. Relax With A Spa Day
Looking for birthday surprise ideas that invite rest and relaxation? A spa day could be just the thing. If you don't have the cash to visit an actual spa, set up a few hours of guided self-massage, mani-pedis and facial treatments to melt away stress for your bestie on their big day. You can even make your own DIY face masks as a fun activity.
Think this one is just for adults? Wrong. Children's spa days are slowly becoming pretty trendy, too. Don’t forget to include sweet treats and refreshing drinks to complete your soothing, low-key birthday party.
23. Run A Movie Marathon
A themed movie marathon is an easy win for film lovers. Let your guest of honor’s favorite genre set the tone for snacks, drinks and décor, then settle in for a night that feels more like a film festival than a living room hangout. Build a castle fort indoors or hold an outdoor movie night with a snack station. You could play romantic movies or show your favorite anime, where cosplay costumes are always a welcome touch for such a cinematic occasion. If your big day is around Spooky season or the end of the year, some additional birthday party activities include hosting a Halloween Trivia or Christmas movie Trivia Night.
24. Go On A Classic Pub Crawl
If your friend lives for late nights, a club crawl is the answer to how to plan a birthday party for boozy success. Switch destinations every hour with different spots for appetizers, drinks, dancing and dessert to give the evening a multitude of exciting options. Hit up your local dives or get fancy at the best craft breweries in town. You could even throw a glamorous Great Gatsby-themed party and dress up 50s style while visiting a speakeasy.
25. Get Some Virtual Party Ideas
Sometimes, virtual birthday party ideas like 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 so the whole crew enjoys the same spread. You can essentially use any of the suggested birthday party activities in this article and adapt them for an online version. Maybe not the pub crawl, but you can visit museums online, even the Louvre has an online tour.
26. Head to the Great Outdoors
Birthdays don’t have to be indoors. Grab some tents, pack marshmallows and make it a camping trip — or cheat and just light a fire pit in the backyard. Either way, s’mores, camping meals and late-night stories do most of the heavy lifting.
For some extra birthday party activities, you can add simple arts and crafts projects and set up birthday party camping games like speed s'mores to see who can get their chocolate and marshmallows to melt fastest. Here's your camping checklist to make sure you have everything you need and a few camping hacks to make it a bit easier.
27. Go On A Road Trip
Pick a destination, pile into the car with snacks and playlists, and make a few pit stops along the way. You can even keep your destination a surprise and let the birthday guest figure it out as you go. Hand out some hints along the way to turn a dull drive into a lively birthday party activity.
28. Play A Murder Mystery Game
With these murder mystery game kits, all the set up for your mystery is taken care of. All you have to do is play along and watch the mystery unfold. Your guests step into character, solve clues and spend the night laughing through dramatic “deaths.”
You can choose from themes, such as a 1920s murder mystery game, a masquerade murder mystery game, a Wild West murder mystery game and many more.
29. Plan An Escape Room
Virtual escape rooms are built for birthday party activities. You’re locked in, the clock’s ticking, and suddenly everyone’s best (or worst) problem-solving side comes out. When you finally crack the last code, it feels like the whole group just won something big.
It doesn't need to be online, of course, you can also visit an actual escape room in your city, or even host a DIY escape room in your home.
Best Birthday Party Activities for Kids
30. Plan A Scavenger 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.
Want the kids to get outdoors? Create your own riddles and clues around your house, neighborhood or city and hold your own photo scavenger hunt. Here, the young explorers will read exciting and brainy scavenger hunt clues, find the item and snap a picture of it. If it's correct, they get another hint until they've collected all of them. It's like Pokémon, but more of a team effort.
31. Play Dance Freeze Tag
This exciting mix of dancing and freeze tag may be the easiest birthday party activity on your roster. Here's how to play:
- Pick one person to be “It” (the tagger).
- Everyone else spreads out in the play area.
- Music plays in the background.
Rules
- When the Music Is Playing, all players dance and move around freely.
- The tagger tries to tag players while they’re dancing.
- When You’re Tagged, depending on the version you choose, either:
- Tagged players must freeze in a dance pose.
- Tagged players become additional taggers.
- Tagged players go to a “dance jail” and do a silly dance until freed.
Freeze Moments
- When the music stops, everyone must freeze immediately, including the tagger.
- If someone moves after the freeze, they automatically become “frozen” or “tagged.”
- Music starts again when the game continues.
How to Get Unfrozen
- Method 1: Another player must high-five or dance near you without getting tagged.
- Method 2: The tagger must be distracted; once music starts again, everyone automatically unfreezes.
- Method 3: You stay frozen until the round ends.
Winning the Game
- Everyone gets tagged except one player.
- A timer runs out.
- The group decides to switch taggers.
Optional Fun Variations
- Silly Dance Freeze: Players must freeze in a funny pose (robot, ballerina, superhero).
- Dance Style Rounds: Play different genres—hip hop, salsa, disco—and dancers must match the style.
- Shadow Tag: Taggers must tag shadows instead of bodies.
32. Hold A Game Of Charades
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. There’s even a mobile version of the game if your kids need to feel “connected.”
Using titles 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.
33. Play Face The Cookie
Make your guests work for their treats with this hilarious birthday party activity that uses Oreos, or any cookie of your choice, as the game pieces. 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. It can be a major part of a cookie exchange if that's the direction you're going with your birthday party activities.
34. Bobbing for Donuts
With bobbing for donuts, you get a game and a tasty treat all at once. Simply tie strings around a variety of donuts and tape them from an entryway or doorjamb. Using only their teeth, players try to free the hanging donuts from their suspended state.
Birthday Party Activities for Adults
35. Host A Trivia Night
One birthday party activity for competitive celebratees is to host a themed trivia evening. It's an activity that brings the pressure in the most fun way. You can create all the trivia questions and answers about the birthday person or you can go themed like a Thanksgiving trivia night for the turkey lovers or a Harry Potter trivia evening for all the Potterheads.
Hosted online trivia games give your birthday party activities all the quirky charm of a pub-style trivia night without having to head out. Emcees make every session a party no matter where your guests log in from. All that's missing is the cake.
36. Play The "Right, Left, Eat" Game
Think dice game, but with snacks at stake. Right, Left, Eat plays for candy instead of money. Everyone starts with a small stash, then the dice decide if you keep it, pass it or eat it. Watching grown adults cheer over candy — or shots, if you’re feeling bold — is half the fun.
To start, 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.
37. Play "Name That Tune"
Choose a selection of well-known songs and play a few rounds of Name That Tune. Two players face off and vie to name the tune by listening to second-long snippets. If they’re in a pinch, the host can provide 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.
Birthday Party Activities for Teens
38. Wink Murder
Wink Murder is an easy birthday party game that works for teens or adults alike. 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.
39. Two Truths and a Lie
This birthday party activity is a great way for unfamiliar groups to get to know one another. If you're not sure on how to play Two Truths and a Lie, 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.
Best Games for Birthday Parties at Home
40. Hold A Vitrual Or Board Game Night
Virtual game nights can be a big help when it comes to birthday parties at home. To mix things up, you can always try new titles or stick with familiar favorites and send out invitations for a 21st-century birthday party that even old-school gamers are sure to love.
You could also do an all-nighter board game party with favorites including Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme? for a bit of cheeky fun, Jenga to bring the house down, Uno for a classic and Pictionary for the art-lovers. You can even make your own DIY board games that are all about the special person celebarting their big day; which are especially fun games to play with friends as you create your own rules. But if the invitees are fairly new to each other, then Icebreaker Bingo might be a better choice.
41. Play 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.
You can also play flip cup, the clasic college game where where players must race to drink their beer and then successfully flip their cup upside down on the table.
42. Play Classic "Questions" Games
This simple birthday party activity is one of the easiest games for birthday parties. To play, create a simple list of This or That Questions 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!
There are also classics like Who's Most Likely To questions, Would You Rather questions, Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever questions for some instant fun and entertainment, or the more trendy Paranoia questions or Put A Finger Down game. Still undecided? There's always Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader or Family Feud to heat things up with some friendly competition.
43. Play 20 questions
Stick a name on everyone’s back — celebrities, characters, whoever you like — and let the guessing begin. Players have to try to figure out the name written on their sticky notes by asking 20 questions. 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.
Remember, at the end of the day, it’s not the decorations or the budget that people remember — it’s the moments. The right birthday party activities bring everyone together, whether it’s kids cracking up over a donut on a string, adults competing in trivia, or friends learning a new dance move side by side. So if you’re searching for things to do on your birthday or just want to plan a birthday party that feels lively, focus on the activities. They’re what turn cake and candles into something worth talking about the next day.
For even more fun birthday party activities and events, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
