40 Amazing And Funny 90th Birthday Ideas

What do you do when the candles cost more than the cake? You turn that into a party!

Reviewed by JoAnn Moore, Master Wedding Planner JoAnn Moore JoAnn MooreMaster Wedding Planner facebook_iconinsta_icon
Written by , MA Gracia Odile MA linkedin_icon Experience: 3 years
Edited by , MA (English Literature) Madhumati Chowdhury MA (English Literature) linkedin_icon Experience: 7 years
Last Updated on

It can be overwhelming to organize a birthday, especially a milestone birthday like 90! This special day needs to be celebrated in style to make it memorable! Organizing a 90th birthday means celebrating someone’s lifetime experiences. It must have decorations, cakes, gifts, hugs, music, smiles, and the people who mean the world to them. They have touched so many people’s lives in these 90 years, and it is only fair that we remind them of that. It can be challenging to find everything for such a special birthday, and we have you covered with all the information you require. Scroll down to check out 45 fantastic party ideas and suggestions to help you start planning!

40 Amazing And Funny 90th Birthday Ideas

90th Birthday Ideas For Dad

Looking for the best 90th birthday ideas for the person who says he wants nothing? We have your back!

1. Organize A Jazz-Themed Party

If your Dad loves jazz or a particular style of music, hire a local band to play some of their favorite songs at the party. It will certainly take them down memory lane. Check with the local high school or college to see if they have a jazz band to hire for a couple of hours. Live music is a lot more fun and you could be helping out a local music program.

2. Go For Fishing

If you have childhood memories of your father taking you fishing, now is the time to relive them by taking him to a fishing spot. However, you might need a fishing license. Check into it before you arrive at a fishing spot.

 3. Print A Book Titled “90 Reasons We Love You”

Get a print framed or a memory book compiled with 90 qualities, quirks, or things from friends, family, and colleagues that they love about the person.

4. Make A Card Of Significant Events

If history interests your father, give him a card or a printed version of things that happened on this date in historical years. It can also include quotes from famous historical figures that he admires.

 5. Host An Award Ceremony

Yes! You heard that right. Why not celebrate all he has done for you without taking credit by hosting a small ceremony at your house with an actual award bearing his name?

6. Go On A Hot Air Balloon Ride

What can be more thrilling than a hot air balloon ride? Soar above breathtaking landscapes and create unforgettable memories as he enjoys a bird’s-eye view. It can be a symbolic adventure, reminding him of the magic of a life well-lived.

7. Charter A Yacht

Set sail on a yacht charter, embracing the sea breeze and luxury for your father’s 90th. It will allow him to spend timeless moments surrounded by family and friends as you celebrate his incredible journey. Sail through the waves of laughter, raise a toast to a life well-lived against the backdrop of a stunning sunset, and create memories that he will cherish forever.

protip_icon Quick Tip
When preparing the food menu, keep dietary requirements in mind, like soft meals, sugar-free cakes, or other healthy options.

90th Birthday Ideas For Mom

If you’re looking for ways to celebrate your greatest critic, confidant, teacher, and friend on her 90th birthday, look no further! We have some ideas for you!

6. Host A Tea Party

Decorate the garden, keep various tea options from oolong to Darjeeling, and invite her closest friends to attend dressed up. If she doesn’t like tea, take it up a notch and throw a champagne party. Turning 90 certainly deserves a toast!

7. Organize A Cinema Evening

Reserve a theater room or transform the living room into a movie theater and show her favorite movie while serving her favorite snacks and drinks. Remember to invite all of her friends! It will be more fun if you all dress up as the characters in the movie you plan to watch.

8. Organize A Karaoke Party

If your mother enjoys music, set up a karaoke machine for her and her friends to sing her favorite songs or give her tickets to see their favorite band or performer in concert. It will surely put a smile on her face and show her how much you care.

9. Have A Board Games Night

Game nights are entertaining and refreshing! A night filled with easy-to-learn games with friends is an excellent way to stay mentally fit, boost cognitive skills, bring people together, and have a lot of fun. Add in a few drinks and snacks to make it an unforgettable night.

10. Host A Dinner Party

Nothing is as heartwarming as an elegant formal dinner. Choose a place that serves your mom’s favorite cuisine, decorate the table with lovely flower arrangements, light some candles, and let her spend quality time with her girl besties. Also, provide lots of photos around the room of a life well led.


protip_icon Quick Tip
Be conscious of your family member’s mobility concerns. Whether the location has elevators or facilities for people in wheelchairs or if the party should be held at their home as it may be more comfortable.

90th Birthday Ideas For Grandma

Grandma receives a card on her 90th birthday
Image: Shutterstock

Looking for gift ideas for the person who has been there for you in almost every aspect of your life since you were a child? Keep scrolling to know more!

11. Organize A Picnic

Visit one of your grandmother’s favorite beaches or parks with her, drive, and stop at a scenic spot with a picnic basket filled with snacks and fresh fruits. Add a handwritten note inside so that it melts her heart when she opens it. However, have a backup plan for the weather, and plenty of tables and chairs. Shade is equally as important as cold beverages for a hot day.

12. Make A Homemade Meal

If you love your grandmother’s cooking, gather your family members and cook her favorite homemade dish or a cake to return the favor. Of course, remember the dessert afterward! Provide stories from the family and friends in attendance. It’s important to share memories.

13. Throw A Knitting Or Crochet Party

Grandmother teaching crochet
Image: Shutterstock

Gather her friends for an afternoon in the comfort of your home and provide them with fingerless gloves, balls of yarn, and spare needles to get their party started. Serve some hot cocoa and chips with it, too!

14. Have An All-Time Classic Movie Night

Plan a grandkids’ gathering, snacks, and her all-time favorite movie. Add some hand-picked flowers, a card, or a special gift, and she will genuinely love being pampered and celebrated on her special day.

15. Host A Garden Party

If you know she loves plants and flowers, get her friends to join in on planting some seeds and saplings. Gather supplies like potting mix, seeds, clay pots, and paints to paint on the jars, along with some munchies and beverages on a large table, in the backyard, or in a garden.


protip_icon Trivia
People in Vietnam celebrate their birthdays on the first day of the New Year rather than the day they were born, and it is everyone’s official birthday.

90th Birthday Ideas For Grandpa

Struggling to think of a birthday gift for someone who helped shape who you are? Here are a few suggestions for making your grandpa’s birthday special.

16. Create A Photo Room

Rent a hall and invite your grandpa’s friends and relatives, ask them to bring pictures from his younger days, and then decorate the room. Fill the room with photos using twine and clothes pins. Hang the twine on the walls and from the ceiling and perhaps organize the photos by the decades. Then, let people share some of their most cherished tales with your grandpa.

17. Host A Sports-Themed Party

Invite his friends and let him play his favorite sport with them. If this isn’t physically possible, get him tickets to a game or match featuring their favorite team or player. It is a beautiful way to let him know that you care for his passions and interests.

18. Throw A Barbecue Party

Grandfather enjoying a barbecue party
Image: Shutterstock

Get your party-planning brains at work! Decorate the backyard, set up the grill, and get a lot of meat, and you’ve got yourself the perfect barbecue party! It will be easier if you have a setup and breakdown plan. All you need now are his friends and family to join in on the fun!

19. Go For Wine And Cheese Tasting

Pick out the perfect cheeses to accompany his favorite bottle of wine for a night of dining and entertainment with his friends. Extra points if you live near a vineyard that offers wine tasting. Hire a sommelier for the tasting. Make it truly educational. Add some music in the background for a wholesome experience.

20. Organize A Casino Night

It’s perfect for a 90th birthday because it doesn’t require a lot of physical activity. A table with pizza, a few card games, a jelly bean roulette challenge, and a spin-the-wheel game will do the trick. You can also incorporate prizes into these games, like cash, trophies, and handmade certificates.

Themes For 90th Birthday Party

Elderly people holding balloons
Image: Shutterstock

When you’re the host of a party, one of the first things you will need to do is decide upon a theme. Here are a few party theme ideas that might help you.

21. The Best Times Of Your Life-Themed Party

Put on their favorite music, decorate the room in the color they love, and have an array of memories and highlights of the guest of honor’s life achievements and family events. Then, you can hang them around the room.

protip_icon Quick Tip
Keep name tags in the entrance hallway for everyone to wear and to make them feel  welcomed and recognized. It can be a helpful reminder to prevent awkward situations when you forget someone’s name.

22. The 1920s Themed Party

Decorate with thrift-shopped antique pieces and color coordinate everything in black, white, and gold. Play jazz music in the background and display vintage photographs of the birthday person. It can be an exciting way to relive an exciting decade!

23. Hollywood Themed Party

Lay a red carpet on your front porch or door, get family and friends to dress up as movie stars, and decorate with glitter and black and gold streamers. Next, set up a photo booth with famous dialogues and props. And lastly, set up a director’s chair for the guest of honor. Remember to buy lots of popcorn.

protip_icon Quick Tip
Add a gold Hollywood star with the birthday person’s name to the carpet and make it look like the Walk of Fame.

24. In the Year You Were Born Themed Party

Know as much as you can about the celebrant’s year of birth. Then, take inspiration from popular movies, stars, fashion icons, music, events, and soap operas from that year and deck up the venue with that information.

25. Sports-Themed Party

Decorate the venue using colors, décor, and props like foam fingers, pom-poms, or other sports-related items from their favorite sport or team. You may also ask the invitees to come dressed as different players.

90th Birthday Party Decorations

One of the best parts of any birthday celebration is decorating the venue.

There are many imaginative ways to make any birthday special, from picking the ideal color scheme to selecting one-of-a-kind decorations. Here are some suggestions for birthday decorations for a loved one.

26. Photographs

Print out pictures of those great memories for your loved one or ask people to bring their own and hang them up at the venue at different spots to make it more personal photos are always worth the smiles and tears. You can also try making a photo album as a beautiful means of reminiscing the good, old days.

27. Lights

String lights are a simple, popular choice to light up any party or gathering. They are an inexpensive and creative way to decorate any outdoor area, creating a cozy atmosphere. In addition, they come in various colors and sizes, making them perfect for backdrops.

28. Photo Booth

Setting up a photo booth station is super fun as you can create even more memories with existing ones. Add a lovely backdrop and fun props to hold and use for photos.

29. Interactive Elements

Have activities that allow guests to contribute or make everyone feel included. For example, have a board, a frame, or a scrapbook where people can come and share a memory, a photograph, or an encouraging word. The idea is to interact with each other and discover things about the person on their special day.

 30. Celebration Stadium Candle Holder

It is almost impossible to display 90 candles for this celebration, isn’t it? Purchase a stadium holder, which includes a personalized cake topper and colorful party supplies, and can hold any number of candles you desire! It is easy to attach to the cake and great for photos. Many party rentals have stadium candle holders in their inventory. Perhaps a rental would be less expensive than a purchase.

Games For 90th Birthday Party

Playing games makes it easy to have fun and helps make parties more enjoyable and less intimidating. Even at 90 years old, people can find joy, entertainment, and intellectual stimulation. We’ve provided a variety of senior-friendly games below; check them out!

31. Bingo ​

For a game of bingo, have large print and markers available, and consider making the squares related to the honoree to make it more interesting; it can be their interests, such as their love for movies, gardening, the names of their grandchildren, their favorite authors, and their travel destinations. Have theme prizes on hand for the winners.

protip_icon Trivia
The “beano” was renamed “bingo” after someone accidentally yelled “bingo” at a carnival.

32. Scrabble
Playing scrabble
Image: Shutterstock

To make it fun and accessible for all age groups, Scrabble has now been developed with large-print tiles. On a board in crossword style, the four players in this game must strategically form new words or add to those that already exist. This is undoubtedly going to be a fun one! You can also play yard games like croquet, corn-hole, and yard dice.

protip_icon Trivia
Scrabble was initially called “Lexico,” which was created by American architect Alfred Mosher Butts in 1938. The word “lexico” has Greek linguistic roots meaning “of or for words.”

33. Puzzle

Get a unique jigsaw puzzle that features something that interests them and let everyone come together to get it finished, piecing it together to reveal the picture underneath. It can indeed be made memorable!

 34. Two Truths And A Lie

Two Truths and a Lie can be a fun game, especially for this age group, since they must have done everything under the sun, and others might not be aware of it. It encourages participants to share their secrets and stories that others might not know.

35. Great Minds Think Alike

Ask everyone to write their responses to a few questions you’ve printed out about the celebrant. The more people get the same answer, the more points they win. This fun game is a great way not only to get to know the celebrant better but also to allow everyone to interact with each other creatively.

90th Birthday Party Invitations

Milestone birthdays are a big deal, so sending a proper invitation is a must! It makes it more meaningful and specific and is also the best way to ensure your guests understand the importance of this event.

 36. Photo Invitation

Use a single photo of the celebrant or make a collage with a set of pictures over the decades. It will showcase memories and milestones made throughout the celebrant’s life at a glance.

37. Newspaper Invitation

Take the invitee back to the past by stepping back in time with a newspaper invitation where all the details are mentioned in a news article.

38. Vinyl Invitation

If the celebrant is a music enthusiast and a retro theme works great, then by all means, send these vinyl record invitations with their names and other details. Add more information on the flip side of the record.

39. Cassette Tape Invitation

This party invitation is ideal for any 1980s or 1990s-themed party! Add all the details to a cassette-themed template and send them out!

40. Funny Invitation

Make your invitation stand out with a funny element! Whether it’s a clever pun, some fun imagery, or something else that tickles your funny bone, give your birthday party guests something to look forward to.

Infographic: Top 8 90th Birthday Party Ideas

As the party’s host, you are in the remarkable position of mediator between the celebrant and the guests. It sure is a huge responsibility when you love them. You want to make them have fun, get bestowed in the shower of elderly care, shed a few happy tears, and have the time of their lives. Check out this infographic for the top ideas that we think can make your grand celebration top-notch.

top 8 90th birthday party ideas (infographic)

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Final Thoughts

We hope these 90th birthday party ideas have inspired you to plan a fantastic birthday party. Celebrating 90 years of life and creating a memory that you will both treasures is a huge task and an achievement at the same time. Remember to make the birthday party as personalized as possible and highlight all their beautiful accomplishments, such as family, children, or career highlights. If they prefer it, keep it simple and intimate in the comfort of your own home. Some fun yet relaxing senior activities, organizing a family gathering and much more on their special occasion will effectively light up their day. You can also think of ways to celebrate the family member who may be in a nursing home or other care facility. Reach out to family members to send photos of memories and cards. Deliver them to the birthday family member. Organizing a party for a person in their 90s requires attention to detail and loads of fun!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the stone for the 90th birthday?

Diamonds or emeralds are used for a 90th birthday or an anniversary. The 90th milestone is celebrated with either a diamond or an emerald stone.

Is turning 90 a milestone?

It is a significant milestone that deserves to be celebrated because the celebrant has lived for nearly a century or is getting close to doing so.

What is the color for the 90th birthday?

The official color for a 90th birthday party is purple, which often represents wisdom and can be paired with other contrasting colors. However, if the guest of honor has a different preference, it is acceptable to go with their choice.

What is a 90 years birthday called?

A 90th birthday is commonly referred to as the “Stone” or “Granite Anniversary” since granite is one of the most popular and robust rocks in the world and is renowned for its durability.

Key Takeaways

  • A milestone event like a 90th needs to be celebrated in ways that they feel loved and appreciated.
  • Be mindful of what they might enjoy most. It can be as simple as putting together a jigsaw puzzle or extravagant as a barbecue party.
  • Keep in mind their medical history and mobility while planning a party.
  • Remember to enjoy the time and create a memory that adds value to their remaining years.
  • Stick to board games or other games that don’t require a lot of physical activity for game night.
  • Try highlighting the guest of honor’s achievements and milestones during the party.
  • A fun way to keep the guests entertained at your party is to include an interactive element.

Illustration: Amazing And Funny 90th Birthday Ideas

90th birthday ideas

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team


Celebrate your loved one’s 90th birthday in style! Click on the video below for some fun and unique party ideas to get inspired!

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JoAnn Moore
JoAnn MooreMaster Wedding Planner
JoAnn is a Master Wedding Planner, a Certified Professional Wedding Consultant, a Certified Green Wedding Planner, and a Certified Sandals Specialist. She has 25 years of experience and has also authored a book titled “Laughing All the Way to the Altar.

Read full bio of JoAnn Moore
Gracia Odile
Gracia OdileBeauty & Lifestyle Writer
Gracia Odile is a teacher-turned-beauty and lifestyle writer with three years of professional experience. She has a bachelor's degree in English from St. Stephen's College, a master's in Anthropology from the University of Madras, and a degree in education from GGSIPU.

Read full bio of Gracia Odile
Madhumati Chowdhury
Madhumati ChowdhuryAssociate Editor
Madhumati is an associate editor with seven years of professional experience. She has previously worked as an editor, proofreader, and a writer with various organizations, helping her navigate through the various facets of content creation and refinement with ease.

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