5 Creative Ways to Celebrate Your Birthday During COVID

How to plan a birthday celebration, ideas for birthday parties

I am fortunate to live with my best friend and birthdays are a big deal between us. With the pandemic we weren’t sure how we could celebrate my birthday during COVID or if we could even have fun in this “new normal.” My fears could not have been further from the truth, however. Any constraint that the pandemic presented us with, which initially appeared to be a roadblock, actually pushed me to be more creative and create unique memories that I will forever cherish. Hopefully these ideas provide you with inspiration and allow you to create memories and experience joy (safely!) with your loved ones!

Get Outdoors

Have a picnic

Quarantine has pushed me to make more of an effort to be outdoors. A great way to celebrate a birthday during this time is to go on a picnic at a beautiful spot. Bring your favorite foods, order takeout, bring a speaker and even invite friends to sit nearby and watch the sunset! My favorite picnic spots in San Diego include Balboa Park, Kate Sessions Park, and Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Host a bonfire

If you aren’t free until after sunset, plan a bonfire. Bring s’mores, sit around a camp fire, and enjoy the fresh air and each others company (my favorite spot in San Diego is Fiesta Island!)

Go camping

Another fun way to get outdoors is to plan a camping trip to celebrate! Getting away from the outside world can be a great way to disconnect and focus on yourself and your loved ones. It’s an amazing way to reset, recharge, and ring in a new year of life.

Scavenger Hunt

For celebrating your birthday during COVID, one idea includes incorporating an element of surprise. For my birthday my roommates told me get dressed up and to not leave my room until I was done getting ready.

Once I left my room I saw a “Clue” on our kitchen table (along with a chocolate eclair from The French Gourmet in Pacific Beach, delish!). I found other clues around the house and then found a clue that sent me on a walk, alone, to my favorite coffee shop. Once there I was surprised to find my boyfriend waiting for me with the next clue and a gift card to the coffee shop. We drank coffee while I solved the next clue that ended up being coordinates to the Ocean Beach tide pools.

In Ocean Beach my boyfriend pulled out a basket with wine, cheese and crackers, and chocolate and we had a picnic by the water. After our picnic my boyfriend gave me the last clue, which told me to go back home. I arrived home to find my roommates had decorated our place for a birthday brunch which we all enjoyed.

Staycation

Travel completely out of the question? No problem! Bring the destination to you! Prior to COVID my roommates and I had planned a Vegas trip that was cancelled. Initially it was a big let down as we had been looking forward to this trip for months. But we decided to make the most out of the situation and brought Vegas to us.

We decorated our house like Vegas, bought a Vegas backdrop, balloons, a blow up pool, and our favorite foods. We dressed up, played music, took pictures, and played games with each other in our backyard. Decorate your home like any destination you want to go to and have fun with it! Celebrate a birthday by going on a trip, in your own home!

Alone Together

If you don’t live with a friend or loved one, send them a package or handwritten letter in the mail! Bonus points if you completely surprise them. I’ve asked siblings of friends for their addresses, so I was able to send a gift without the person suspecting anything. Tight on cash? Try reaching out to friends and loved ones and have them record a birthday message and compile a video with all their wishes as a sweet gift.

At Home Dining

5 Creative Ways to Celebrate Your Birthday During COVID - at home dinner party

For our last idea for celebrating a birthday during COVID, bring all your favorite foods to you! One of my roommates loves burritos, so for her birthday we decorated our home and ordered burritos from 5 different restaurants and had a blind taste test. We had to try to guess where each burrito was from and rank them. If you like wine or beer, try turning your house into a brewery or winery! Order decorations, dress up, and buy different beers and wines. Get creative with it and push yourself to try things you normally wouldn’t.