Fun ideas for 30^th birthday parties, gifts, cards, and more.

Different milestone birthdays are planned by different people in our lives as we “level up.” By the time we hit 30, it’s a mix of friends and family planning the celebration. There might be a partner playing a role, some kids at home ready to make some crafty gifts, or parents vying to mark the occasion.

The wealth of people in our lives at 30 is reflected in these ideas for 30^th birthday parties. They span from nights out with friends to family-friendly dinners, all to usher in the pivotal new decade.

The number 30 itself has some quirks beyond the upcoming birthday. It’s the atomic number of zinc, and it’s the number of Earth years Saturn takes to orbit the sun. In geometry, 30 is a key angle. For couples with 30-year-long marriages, their 30^th anniversary is represented by pearls. You can also run for the U.S. Senate once you’re 30.

For fun 30^th birthday ideas that play off this miraculous number and everything it represents, read on.

30^th birthday party ideas to celebrate right.

Turning 30 marks the passage from those early years of adulthood into a chapter of reaching new heights. Our thirties bring more confidence and opportunity, and that shapes how we celebrate this milestone birthday.

30^th birthday party ideas include plays on the number 30 and a sweet dose of nostalgia. You’re old enough to start saying “kids these days,” after all. Peruse these 30^th celebration decoration ideas, themes, and more, and see what hits home for you.

Plaster the number 30 everywhere.

You’ll find plenty of decorations at the party store with the number 30 in big and bold print. Plaster the number 30 everywhere in banners, posters, streamers, straws, and even flyers to hand out with fun photos of the birthday star.

Reach out to 30 friends in a fun way.

Reach out to 30 people you haven’t talked to in a while but want to catch up with. Invite your core friends to the birthday party, then see who of the 30 special invitees shows up. The 30^th birthday party will be an absolute blast from the past.

30^th birthday party theme: the decade you were born.

Turn the 1990s into the theme of the party. Serve fun dishes, have everyone dress in the appropriate fads, and add a photo booth with retro props for fun.

30^th birthday decoration ideas with fun banners.

30^th birthday decoration ideas can poke fun at the birthday VIP as he or she turns the corner into a new decade. Make a banner with a sassy phrase like, “three decades of being legendary.”

Rock and roll 30^th birthday.

Throw a rock and roll 30^th birthday party with a playlist packed with songs that came out close to when the birthday VIP was born.

30^th birthday party announcements.

30^th birthday party announcements can be cheeky, too. Send everyone the party information with an advisory like, “old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway.”

A 30^th birthday cake “aged to perfection.”

Bake or buy a luscious rum cake with the idea that the birthday star, like a good rum, has been “aged to perfection.”

30^th birthday party invitation ideas.

For people celebrating a 30^th birthday, there’s a likelihood that their childhoods included console video games. Make 30^th birthday party invitations with a gaming theme and the text, “Level 30 unlocked.”

30^th birthday gift ideas to recognize the milestone event.

By the time people hit 30, they’ve acquired a lot of stuff. They have their own places (whether owned or rented) and they’ve established their daily routines. Life has become what they chose to make it.

What do you give someone for their 30^th birthday, then, that they definitely don’t have? What gift ideas play off this milestone event?

The 30^th birthday gift ideas below tap multiple meanings of 30, and they range from cute to unexpected. From 30^th birthday card ideas to special gestures for him or for her, keep reading to find your favorites.

30^th birthday card ideas that look at the future.

For 30^th birthday ideas that put eyes on the future, make a card with a message like: “30 is the perfect mix of wisdom and fun.” Inside the card, include a letter that lays out what you imagine the birthday star doing in the next decade. This is a chance to gush over someone you love.

Tryptic photo collage.

Make a photo collage in three sections — called a “tryptic” — showing your favorite pictures of the birthday star from each of the three decades past.

Birthday month calendar.

Several months in the year have 30 days, and if the birthday you’re celebrating falls in one of them, you can print the whole month in a custom calendar. Fill in memories or words of encouragement on each day.

Aged wine or whiskey.

A bottle of wine or whiskey aged 30 years might be exactly what some birthday VIPs want.

30^th birthday gag gift ideas.

The atomic number of zinc is 30, and zinc is also essential to human health. As a gag gift, send the milestone maker some zinc supplements with the message, “you’ll need these now.”

30^th birthday ideas for him or for her.

30^th birthday ideas for him or for her can be as simple as a letter with a specific vibe. The number 30 in Roman numerals is XXX, so use that as your excuse to write something extra spicy.

30^th birthday pearls.

A 30^th wedding anniversary is called the pearl anniversary, and a birthday can be celebrated with pearls, too. Elegant 30^th birthday ideas for her can include pearl jewelry like earrings or necklaces (or pearl cufflinks for him).

30 memorable moments scrapbook.

Make a “30 memorable moments” scrapbook with photos and other memorabilia (like tickets or souvenirs), each next to a short text recalling the experience. This is easy to organize in Adobe Express — no experience required.

30^th birthday photoshoot ideas to commemorate and share the milestone.

A 30^th birthday is something to capture and commemorate. Get organized with these devoted 30^th birthday photoshoot ideas that you can keep, turn into collages, or to share in social media posts.

Each of these birthday photoshoot ideas depicts something about the past and the present. Some of them venture into dreams for the future, too. Decide what you want to capture, and make your 30^th birthday photoshoot something to treasure.

Urban glam 30^th birthday shoot.

Dress the birthday star up — the more glamorous, the better — for a photoshoot in an urban setting, for example with a skyline or an art district as a backdrop. These photos are the best to share as Instagram stories because friends and followers will see how good 30 can look.

Surrounded by “30 things I love.”

Collect 30 things that represent what the milestone maker loves. Set up a shoot with the items spread out on the floor or set thoughtfully on shelves as a backdrop.

Then and now side-by-side.

Pick a favorite childhood photo and recreate it. Share the “then and now” photos side by side on social media, and it will garner more comments and reactions than ever.

Three generations family portrait.

Get three generations of family members together for a symbolic photoshoot, each generation representing one of the decades the birthday star is celebrating.

Outdoor expedition photoshoot.

If the birthday VIP is a fan of the outdoors, head into the wilderness for action photos outside. The message? Turning 30 won’t stop you. Keep moving, and you’ll keep loving life.

Three decades of friendship.

Why not set up a “decades of friendship” photoshoot? Get childhood friends together in one frame, then friends from adolescence in the next, and finally those friends made in your 20s.

Travel-inspired 30^th birthday photos.

If the 30^th birthday photos are travel-inspired (or the shoot takes place in an exotic destination), the message becomes clear: turning 30 won’t slow you down. The adventure continues.

Surrounded by “30 favorite photos.”

Collect and print 30 favorite photos that represent key moments of the last 30 years. Set them out in a big sunburst on the floor, then get some overhead shots with the birthday star looking into the camera.

Cool 30th birthday ideas that hit the mark.

If you’re planning a 30^th birthday party for a friend, or you’re a parent who isn’t sure what’s “cool” for 30-year-olds these days, these cool 30^th birthday ideas are fun and memorable.

30-year-olds have been places. They’ve done things. They’re still plenty rambunctious when the time comes to have cut loose, too, so peruse these fun 30^th birthday ideas and see what jumps out.

Half the fun of these 30^th birthday ideas come from the anticipation of the big day, so you can make your own flyers, send out clever invitations, and share your plans with everyone to drum up added excitement. Whatever you think to make, it’s easy to do in Adobe Express.

Go brewery hopping.

A brewery tour can double as a birthday bash for any lover of quality or local beer. Make something out of the number 30, too, like spending 30 minutes at each brew house before moving on, or enjoying flights of beers until you’ve tried 30 different kinds.

Check an extreme sport off your bucket-list.

Extreme sports and heart-pounding experiences like skydiving are on a lot of people’s bucket lists. Why not make this next decade one of bucket list adventures?

Go out for a big casino night.

Get dolled up for a classy night out at a casino, whether one nearby or in a destination city. It’s not every day that you turn 30, so why not go big?

Set up a little public razzing.

Get friends and family to participate in some loving razzing through Instagram stories tagging the birthday star. Fill them with funny old photos, “I remember when” videos, and more.

Geek out with a Saturn theme.

Saturn takes 30 Earth years to orbit the sun, so if the milestone maker is into science, throw a Saturn-themed party. Give a gag gift in the form of a certificate, awarding the birthday VIP with “one Saturn lap around the sun.”

Play off the pearl anniversary theme.

Since the 30^th wedding anniversary is the pearl anniversary, you can use pearly elegance for a 30^th birthday party. Decorate with shimmery pearl-colored décor and ask guests to come dressed in their best.

Get everyone excited about a sitcom theme.

Since sitcom episodes are traditionally 30 minutes long (and the birthday star’s childhood was filled with them), turn the big day into a sitcom-themed party where everyone comes dressed as their favorite sitcom characters.

Throw an “Around the World in 30 Days” party.

Make the 30^th birthday bash a travel-themed party decorated to represent multiple destinations. The food can come in a multinational spread, too. Can you find ways to represent 30 different places?

Simple 30^th birthday ideas that are just as memorable.

By the time we hit 30, some of us feel a little fatigued from the pressure of big birthday parties. Others among us never liked the attention in the first place. Fortunately, fun ideas for 30^th birthday celebrations don’t have to be all-out bashes.

Turn to these simple 30^th birthday ideas that are quick and easy to organize, but still filled with feeling. These are your easy ways to commemorate the milestone without undue stress.

Put on the music and have a dance party.

Forget the decorations and the fancy bar. Just put on good music and have people over to dance. Everyone can bring food and drinks to share.

Make a timeline with “30 memory milestones.”

Keep the decorations simple but poignant with a “30 memory milestones” timeline. Hang 30 photos or pieces of memorabilia from the birthday star’s life. Multiple guests can contribute to make this even simpler to achieve.

Host a wine and cheese night.

Get out the wine and cheese for a night of chatting, sipping, and remembering.

Everyone’s a mixologist.

Set up a cocktail bar with plenty of ingredients (from the common to the not-so-common) and task guests with inventing 30 cocktails they dream up on the spot. Write down all the recipes, because there might be some hidden genius in the room.

Make vision boards for a decade’s worth of inspiration.

Make vision boards together, or simple collages or posters, with images and quotes that serve as inspiration for the next decade. What should the 30s entail?

Memory “show and tell.”

Have close friends and family over to sit and share memories they have with the birthday star.

Get friends and family to run a 5K together.

Since 5K is just over three miles, why not take advantage of an existing event and get people to run a mile for each decade of the birthday star’s life?

Have a “glow up at 30” party.

With the growth that people experience in their thirties, it’s apt to host a “glow up at 30” party with highlighters and neon glow sticks. Everyone wears neon outfits, and you leave the music on all night.

Cute 30^th birthday ideas for heartwarming celebrations.

Whether it’s for your partner, your best friend, or your child, there are times when someone’s 30^th birthday fills your heart. Moms and Dads might think of their “babies” turning 30, for example, and feel a surging desire to come up with cute 30^th birthday ideas that match.

For a dose of sweetness and a lasting sense of “aww,” peruse these 30^th birthday ideas to celebrate the big day with full hearts.

You’re not too old for a slumber party.

Turning 30 doesn’t make someone too old for a slumber party. Enjoy some time together with friends and have a nostalgic slumber party with junk food and the works.

13 Going on 30.

As a reference to the popular movie 13 Going on 30, throw a party with all the favorites from 17 years ago. Send out a themed invitation, make sure to have the best middle school sweets on hand, and turn on the movie for good measure.

Crowdsourced slideshow of 30 years.

Ask friends and family to send their favorite photos of the milestone maker, then make a slideshow to share.

Movie marathon.

Pick some of the most memorable movies that came out when the birthday star was born and set them up on a projector (indoors or out) for a movie marathon. The invitations can be made up to look like old movie theater tickets.

30 stories around the bonfire.

Organize a bonfire where friends and family gather to share 30 stories about the birthday star. There will be plenty of heartwarming, funny, and adventurous tales to commemorate 30 years.

Awards ceremony with custom certificates.

Host your own awards ceremony for the roles everyone has played in the milestone maker’s life. Don’t forget a certificate for the birthday star for “one Saturn lap around the sun.”

Set up a senate campaign.

Since turning 30 also means you can run for the U.S. senate, friends and family can come up with a senate campaign including posters and flyers that flaunt your 30 years of achievements.

Lunar party theme.

A lunar month is 29.5 days, which is rounded to 30. You can turn the 30^th birthday bash into a lunar theme for either an elegant or a spooky vibe.

The more you know about the number 30, the more ideas you’ll have.

There are so many interesting things to know about the number 30 that you might think of more 30^th birthday ideas based on these facts.

• The months with 30 days are April, June, September, and November.
• The minimum age to become a U.S. senator is 30.
• In Ancient Athens, citizens could serve on the Council of 500 once they reached 30, too.
• Julius Caesar was appointed as a governor of a Roman province at 30, marking the start of his political career.
• The zodiac divides the night sky into 12 signs, each occupying 30 degrees of the 360-degree view.
• The lunar month is rounded to 30 days.
• A full orbit of Saturn around the sun takes 30 Earth years.

Exercise: Razz and roast using banners, posters, cards, and more.

For anyone trying to roast the birthday star in good fun, there’s plenty to say about a milestone birthday like 30.

Picture, for example, any of the following on a card or banner:

• Your warranty on youthful recklessness just expired
• Turning 30: when candles on the cake become a fire hazard
• Thirty and still a masterpiece in progress
• Thirty and the fun’s just begun

To come up with your own funny banner or card ideas, ask yourself these questions:

1. What does the birthday star no longer have time for at this age?

2. What’s a new responsibility he or she has now?

3. What is the birthday star secretly really proud of?

4. What can the birthday star no longer do that he or she could do as a twenty-something?

Adobe Express can help.

Adobe Express has templates and customization tools to put your favorite 30^th birthday ideas to work. If you want to use these 30^th birthday ideas in cards, letters, posters, banners, collages, flyers, invitations, or other creative projects, Adobe Express makes it as simple as picking a template and personalizing it, or making your own idea with easy-to-use tools. Whatever message you want to transmit, Adobe Express brings it to life, no experience required.

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