21 Fun 70th Birthday Party Ideas to Celebrate a Platinum Jubilee in Style

When planning a 70th birthday party – or a platinum jubilee as people call this anniversary in some circles, it is important to make sure that your guest of honor is comfortable and will enjoy the celebration. It is their party after all!  This will depend greatly on their health, food preference, and the desired party size. It seems like a ton of stuff to consider, right? Well, worry not, because, in this article, you are sure to find something that will work for any lucky 70 years old! So here are our most fun and best twenty-one 70th birthday party ideas to consider this year! If you were looking for some fun surprise 70th birthday party ideas for your lifetime partner or some special 70th birthday party ideas for mom or dad, you will find your inspiration here!

If you want even more creative incentives to organize a memorable event for everyone involved, check out our 80th birthday party ideas as well! We are sure you can adapt the themes and activities to any situation!

21 70th Birthday Party Ideas for Your Loved Ones

On the Day You Were Born:

This is always a fun party idea because it allows you and other guests to get a glimpse inside the life of the honoree that they might not have seen before. The first thing you will want to do is either go to your public library or on your computer, do a search for the exact day they were born, and learn! Then you will need a way to display all of the information you have just learned. My favorite way is to get a big chalkboard and decorate it with facts about the day of the honoree’s birth.

If you do decide to use a chalkboard, a fun idea is to also place a second chalkboard next to it and allow guests to write memories or sweet notes. You can write and draw a lot of stuff related to the decade that the person was born in. You can also look on the internet for far lesser-known stuff related to the person’s birth year or birth decade. It’s worth doing as much research as possible because you never know what you might stumble upon.

Slide Show:

Slide shows are a great way to keep the party intimate and also bring back happy memories with loved ones. There are two different formats that can be used for a slide show, one is a “Now and Then”, where you would display pictures of the honoree from childhood through to their 70th birthday party. Another way to present a slideshow is “A Look Back and a Look Forward”. This one is my favorite, because not only do you get to share and enjoy the memories of their life so far, but you get the chance to ask them and display pictures of where they hope to go and what they want to achieve.

This is an idea to be careful with; you do not want to dredge up old and painful memories. For example, you might want to avoid putting up pictures from the person’s wedding if their spouse has died recently. It might be too much for them, and the birthday party might turn out much sadder than you would have planned otherwise.

Milestone Photo Book:

In case, you are concerned that a slideshow might evoke too many painful memories, I suggest using a photo book instead. Choosing this route will allow everyone to look at the photos at their leisure. People can talk to the birthday guy or gal about the photos. This is a beautiful way to hear stories from the honoree and learn about their life and what is special to them. Choose not only photos of the honoree, but also ones of children and grandchildren. They will be reminded of the life and joy still flourishing around them. It might also be the perfect moment to allow them to share their own take on some events or memories. You might even end up finding out something that you had absolutely no idea about the birthday boy or gal.

Host a Roast:

This is a great way to liven up any party, especially a 70th birthday party! Can you imagine all of the stories after 70 years of living!?  It is important that you include on the invites the plan for a roast, and have whoever wants to participate think of a funny story about the honoree they would like to share at the party.  Be sure that you ask to see each memory/funny story first, this way you can avoid duplicates and, most importantly, hurt feelings.

This is a theme where the guest of honor is remembered and gets to feel special while laughing. Organizing a roast for a guest of honor is, in general, a great idea for any type of party or celebration, so you can keep it in mind for an 80th birthday party as well. Again, try not to be mean and try talking to the other guests about what questions would be good and what things are absolutely off-limits for anyone so that you don’t end up causing the guest of honor to cry.

Classic Car Theme:

If your birthday honoree is all about old, classic cars, this is a great theme to have. Find out what cars they owned, or always wanted to own, and decorate the place.  The important thing to be aware of is that this is not a party for a child. That being said, the cake can be in the shape of an old car, you could try organizing a car show for the party, but I would keep the decorations for the most part subtle. You are celebrating something they love, and need to be cognizant of where to draw the line.

best 70th birthday party ideas for family members
Image via Pexels

Casino Night:

This is one of my favorite ways to celebrate, well, ANYTHING!  If the one you are celebrating is the type of person who likes to go to casinos, then this is a party that simply cannot fail.  You can put their picture on everything from the poker chips and cards to the slots in a slot machine! With this theme, everyone can play games at their own pace and party while remembering who they are celebrating. Besides, who would not want their face on a poker chip?

Speaking of casino nights and recreating the atmosphere of noir cinema and literature, why don’t you check out this guide on the best card games to play to get your imagination wheels in motion? If the party honoree does not want to play poker necessarily, you can always engage in a mean game of Canasta. Just make sure you all remain friends afterward, as Canasta can heat up the spirits like no other!

Picnic or BBQ:

If you are throwing a party for someone who loves the outdoors, a wonderful party would be a picnic or BBQ. Find a beautiful shaded and somewhat secluded place, place blankets on the ground, and picnic baskets filled with goodies. If the honoree enjoys being on the grill, have a personalized apron made for them with something like “kiss me, I’m 70” or “made in 19__” for a special touch.  This is a great way to celebrate a spring or early fall birthday. In fact, it is one of the loveliest ways to celebrate any birthday, especially for kids and teens born in the summer. It makes a wholesome and laidback event where everybody can be themselves.

Afternoon Tea Party:

If the guest of honor is not much of a party animal or prefers smaller crowds, an afternoon tea party is a sweet and intimate way to go. Find a nice room to rent for an afternoon, and place lace tablecloths down, some flowers, perhaps even some pearls. A trick I have used is to find clear vases or bottles, and put pearls and glitter in the bottom, and then stick a flower in. They make lovely centerpieces. Tea lights are also a classy and fun way to go.

Just because this is a tea party for a 70-year-old, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! You could try searching for bundles with many different types of tea to try out. That way, every guest will be pleased and each person can share a recommendation about their favorite tea. The more tea enthusiasts you bring to the party, the better, as you yourself might find out about a flavor that you didn’t even know existed.

Golfing Theme:

This theme is another fun outdoor type of party to have. This theme is not just for the adults either, you could go big and set up a miniature golf section as well for the kids. A game that I think is a fun one for this type of party, is to get a large glass jar, fill it with golf balls and tees, and have people place bets on how many items are in the jar, with a prize for the winner. Otherwise, you could actually rent a golf venue and do your business there. Keep in mind, however, that doing the latter is quite expensive, and unless you can afford to throw your loved one such a birthday party, you’re better off just sticking to a regular golf theme in your backyard and that’s that.

 

Games:

This type of party would be fun for any age, but especially for someone hitting 70.  Lookup popular television show games, or family games and go wild!  Find out which games to use and replace some things. For example, make player pieces with their face on them, or for a question/answer type game, come up with questions about the honoree.  This is a fun way to keep everyone interactive while keeping the focus on the main person. A nice idea would be an adapted version of one of the many Get to Know You games. You can challenge the guests to answer questions about the honoree and see who know him/her better and who has the funniest stories.

best 70th birthday party ideas for mom and dad
Image via Pexels

Memory Jars:

Memory jars are a great way to illustrate the life of the person celebrating their 70th birthday party.  You can start by making ones yourself as table decorations. Provide extra jars, photos, and other fun things for the guests to make their own. Then after the party is over, everyone will have something to take home as a keepsake of the wonderful life they just celebrated.

Dance Party:

A themed dance party is a great way to celebrate any 70th birthday party for someone still very active. Choose music from their teen to young adult years, and let the music take control.  Finding a DJ can be expensive, yes, but it doesn’t have to be. Just pick someone you know and have them create a playlist, then all you will have to worry about is the speaker system.

Photo Booth:

A photo booth is a welcome attraction at any party.  Pick some cool props that are appropriate to celebrating the honoree.  Help them and everyone creates new memories that will last forever. This is something that will be interactive and fun for everyone! You’ll surely remain with some nice memories after such a well-organized event.

Food Throughout the Years:

If the person you are celebrating is a foodie, then here is the party for them!  Pick popular foods from the last 70 years, and have at it.  A fun idea to do with this is to make the tables different themed and allow guests to move about. Sitting at different tables enjoying different foods will make for excellent conversation and full happy stomachs! This is also an excellent way to ensure that you have a wide variety of foods for special diets.

Do Not Forget the Balloons:

The right balloons can make any party a success.  They are a reminder of youth and fun and keep everything light and fun.  If you are having trouble pinpointing the perfect theme, balloons can help.  By simply picking a color scheme, themes will just sort of start popping out of the woodwork! They do this party planner anyway.

3 More 70th Birthday Party Ideas for Mom

Now, let’s see some specific 70th birthday party ideas for mom that you can plan in the blink of an eye! Of course, all the party ideas above are unisex so to speak, but if you want something truly special, here are five ideas to start with and get you going!

Theatre Play to Honor Her Achievements

This idea here is excellent if your mom had always had a soft spot for theatre or cinema. Talk to the other family members and note down all the important and proud moments in your mother’s life so far. Something that will put a smile and even some tears of joy on her face. Get some inspiration from our guide on improv games, as you may want to celebrate her achievements with a comedic flair.

An All-Women Celebratatory Photo

This 70th birthday party idea does not exclude the male members of the family. However, when it comes to the best 70th birthday party ideas for mom, you cannot go wrong with this one. Talk to all the women in your family and have a photo together – a large one so your mom can display on a wall – including everyone, from granny to the youngest girl in the clan. Sign the photo all of you, frame it, and make a girl-themed party out of it if you want.

Play The “Never Have I Ever” Game

Women and their secrets, right? In the vein of organizing a laidback game party for mom and her guests, try playing the Never Have I Ever game. At 70 years old, your mom probably did a lot of things and this is the best time to find out some of her secrets and less-known life adventures! As long as the questions do not trigger painful memories or lean on some family issues no one wants to learn about at a party, you should be fine. Choose your questions well and have a blast from the past with your mom, dad, family members, and friends!

3 More 70th Birthday Party Ideas for Dad

As we said above, all these 70th birthday party ideas go great for both men and women, but if you want to celebrate your dad in style, here are some more tips on how to organize a memorable event!

The Honorary Cocktail Party

Does your dad have a favorite drink or cocktail? Make a party out of it or, better yet, invent a special cocktail for your dad and name it after him! You can also choose a different approach: start from your dad’s favorite color, make a cocktail that has that color (after you mix and stir the well-chosen ingredients), get some party decorations in the same nuance, and have some fun with it! Your dad will be more than happy to name a cocktail and share some good times with all of you!

The Sports Party

You probably already had this idea, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it. A sports-themed party revolving around your dad’s favorite sport is always a good idea to keep him invested and the guests entertained. You can go to any lengths with it. Prepare an awesome sports-themed gift (like a great baseball glove) and try to have it signed by one of his favorite players. Since it is a bit difficult, you can have it signed by all the family members. While it may be hard to get an autograph from a sports celebrity, it is not hard at all to order a cake in the shape of a basketball or even a baseball bat.

Dad’s Favorite Things Party

Last (but definitely not least) on our list of best 70th birthday party ideas for dad is a themed celebration revolving around all the things your dad loves, from snacks to movies. It is one of the best ways to make your father feel like a king and see everyone around him enjoy all the things that he enjoys. Order his favorite chocolates and foods, decorate in his favorite color, play his favorite music, watch his favorite film together, you know… Add a splash of all those wonderful things that make your father so wonderful and enjoy them with the rest of the family and guests!

Bottom Line

There you have it, some of the best 70th birthday party ideas. The most important thing to remember is to celebrate the life of the person, and not to focus on their age.  Keep it light and fun while making new memories.  Your goal is that everyone walks away from the party feeling like they have been a part of new memories being made. Good luck, not that you will need it!

Featured Image via Pixabay

1 reply
  1. Birdie
    Birdie says:

    I am having a birthday party on New year’s Eve which is my birthday so I want to mixed them together ♥️

    Reply

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