May 16, 2023

How to Plan the Best 100th Birthday Party

About Nicole Pajer

Nicole Pajer is a Los Angeles-based freelance published in The New York Times, Woman's Day, AARP, Parade, Wired, Glamour, People and more.

brookdale resident celebrating his 100th birthday

Are you turning 100 soon? Have a loved one hitting the big milestone? Such an occasion calls for an epic celebration. The idea of throwing together a party may be stressful, but if you start planning early, break it down into baby steps, and enjoy the process, you’ll end up with a party that is fun for all. Here are a few expert-backed tips on how to pull off the perfect big day.

Choose a theme

While not necessary, a theme is always helpful to ensure everything flows, from your decor to food, attire, and music. A few ideas that Virginia Frischkorn, an award-winning event planner and the founder of the party planning platform Partytrick, suggests for her clients are:

Travel or key passions of the birthday gal or guy
Centering it around a trend
A celebration of your favorite decade, like a ‘60s, ‘70s or ‘80s theme

You could also do a theme tied to a movie, like Gone with the Wind or Alice in Wonderland, your favorite sports team, or something centered around the guest of honor’s favorite music.

Have fun with decorations

Order some balloons, tablecloths, plates and silverware, banners to hang on the wall, and table centerpieces. For a 100th birthday party, personalization is key, says Frischkorn. While some people celebrating their 100th birthday might love something bright and flashy with balloons writing out “100,” others may prefer the decor to be more subtle and focused on their style. Make sure to ask the guest of honor what type of decor they most prefer. “A few unique ideas include custom cocktail napkins with photos throughout the ages and decades on them,” says Frischkorn. “If collecting photos proves to be challenging, offering unique facts or favorite memories on the napkins is another fun way to personalize an otherwise overlooked item at a party.”

To get ideas for how to decorate, check out Pinterest for inspiration or hire a planner who can help you bring the ideas to life, says Melissa Jakes, founder of Rescue Event Planning.

Find a venue

A party can be hosted in the hall of an assisted living facility, at a person’s home, or an external venue, like a garden or restaurant. When deciding where to have the party, Frischkorn says to think about how many guests will be in attendance and the general atmosphere of the person you’re celebrating. “Is this appropriate for a venue hall, restaurant, garden at a community center or botanic garden, or even in their home if space permits?” she asks. “Make sure there is enough space but not too much space to make it feel empty or less of a celebration.”

Prepare the guest list

Think about who you want to invite and start a list. Ask the birthday guy or gal who they would love to have with them to celebrate their big day and prioritize that list. Then, add other family members, friends, and those near and dear to the guest of honor’s heart. When coming up with a guest list, it’s also a good idea to keep your budget in mind. Think about how much you’d like to spend on food, for instance, and divide that out by the number of guests. You don’t want to invite more people than you can afford to feed. And keep the venue in mind. If you’re having it in a small room, make sure you won’t have too many people in attendance where the party will feel too crammed.

You can send formal invitations in the mail or can opt for digital ones though online services like Evite or Paperless post. Make sure to provide contact information on the invitations to allow guests to RSVP so that you know who to expect and how much food and seating to arrange for. And let guests know whether or not they can bring +1 or family members with them on the big day.

Plan the menu

If your budget allows for it, ordering takeout or having the party catered is an easy way to handle the food. You can have a host cook or BBQ or do a potluck where each guest brings the birthday person’s favorite dishes to share. “Consult the person celebrating about must have food items,” says Frischkorn. If you have a theme, lean into the selected theme to show off food that has been popular in different decades or that is aligned with the selected theme (family favorite recipes, etc.). As always, it’s important to consider dietary restrictions of those attending and how well the food will hold up given the size of attendees and length of the event.

Create a playlist

Music is a critical component to any celebration and offers a great opportunity to create an atmosphere. “Whether you select contemporary music through the ages, or mellow background music, contemplating and considering the music is critical,” says Frischkorn. “We recommend leaning into the theme of the party when selecting music.” And throw as many of the guest of honor’s favorite tunes on the playlist as you can!

Play some games

Offering games to play is a fabulous way to ensure there is interaction at parties. “Games offer the opportunity to highlight the theme as well as engage people who may not otherwise engage with each other,” Frischkorn explains. If you have time, try to get extra creative and create a 100th Birthday Bingo or trivia game themed around the person of the hour’s life. Have guests challenge each other to see who knows the guest of honor the best!

Add some extra personal touches

“I love leaning into the number of 100 for a 100-year-old birthday celebration,” says Frischkorn. “One of my favorite things to do is to ask friends and guests to share 100 memories of this person and turn this into a flip book or a jar with each memory on a piece of paper for the honoree to have as a keepsake.” “You can also highlight the birthday guy or girl with a slide show, or the best things that happen[ed] each decade while the person was born,” adds Jakes. And don’t forget to take photos to capture the big day! You can turn this into a great scrapbook later.

Get the timing right

Have a crowd that goes to bed early? An afternoon party may be best. And don’t wait too long into the event to do the fun stuff. “Make sure that you cut the cake, take photos, make any announcements, etc. early in the party so that the honoree, if tired, can depart,” says Jakes. Also, don’t schedule a long party. Jakes says a couple of hours is usually a good amount of time to aim for.

Let guests leave with party favors

“We love a good party favor for any celebration,” says Frischkorn. A milestone event like this offers a great opportunity to share something from the honoree to keep the celebration going. This could be as simple as sharing the playlist from the party with the guests to a physical gift that is in line with the honoree. “Custom matchbooks with funny images and/or quotes are a great and low lift favor,” she adds.