50th Birthday Party Ideas For a Woman (+Gift Ideas)

Whether you are throwing a party for the 50-year-old woman in your life, or it is your 50th birthday I’ve compiled a list of ideas. These are themes and gifts that I would love. Since this year I am 50 I know a little bit about the subject.

50th Birthday Party Ideas For a Woman

Party decorations can be based on the personality of the person being honored.

My friend Kim celebrated her 50th with Llama decorations at a Mexican Restaurant! It was absolutely fabulous. As we left her party, my husband asked how I’d like to be surprised for my fiftieth birthday.

Let me tell you, the surprise I got wasn’t a party. Besides the restrictions and limitations brought about by the pandemic, we’d just moved out of our apartments and into a house. As if all that was enough, I was trying to cope with the severe symptoms of adenomyosis.

So my fiftieth birthday came and went without any fanfare. As have all of my birthdays since I became an adult. Typically, I’m the one throwing the party!

On that note, I can tell you I’ve thrown some fun parties; here are some suggestions I’d make if I was preparing a party for your 50th birthday!

50th Birthday Party Themes

We’ve all seen the “over the hill” parties with black balloons and gag gifts, so we’re going to steer clear of that nonsense. After living 50 years on this Earth, you deserve to be celebrated. After all, this is a milestone birthday!

Try a few of these classy ideas:

Retro theme – dress up in the style of the year you were born. You can likely find some clothing at local vintage or second-hand shops as well as on Amazon.
Wine tasting – perfect for the wine lover, have a local winery deliver cases with a variety of flavors. Before the event, you can get real wine glasses from antique shops instead of plastic or disposable. (Make sure to recycle those wine bottles!)
Karaoke or Dance Party – Create a club atmosphere in your living room and dance the night away, just like you did when you were 16 and your parents went out of town! Set up a selfie station or leave a few polaroid cameras lying around to commemorate your birthday celebration. (This was what I was thinking of as my first alternative for my 50th birthday.)
Take a trip to New York, or Paris with your best friend; or, do the opposite and get away to nature at Blackberry Farms with your loved one. While you’re there do some yoga and forest bathing.
Dinner under the stars – Set up a beautiful dining table outside with real tablecloths and napkins, gorgeous flowers and candles for the centerpiece, silverware, etc. and have a dinner catered for the birthday girl and her closest friends. String lights in the trees, and if you can spring for it, hire a string quartet, it might be more affordable than you think! (My second choice for my 50th birthday party was something like this.)
Sunday Brunch Celebration – Find the best restaurant in town for brunch and invite her favorite people.

50th Birthday Gift Ideas

I love the idea of gifting experiences instead of material items or keepsakes. For me, the best 50th birthday gift would be to travel to another country with my family members.

Tangible birthday presents are always appreciated as well. When searching for awesome gifts, consider the personality of the recipient. Is she a champagne flute, whisky tumbler, or beer glass kind of woman? Thinking of my closest girlfriends, I know which one fits each category.

Gift cards are usually appreciated but they’re not all that memorable. Not like small blue gift boxes!

Although, gifts do not have to bee expensive to be appreciated. You can give her a DIY type gift you found on Etsy or even something with her birth year, like this bag.

I got sidetracked for at least an hour just browsing items under “gift ideas for 50th birthday” on Amazon. Ended up ordering this Vintage 1971 t-shirt.

Other ideas:

Gift basket with her favorite sustainable beauty and skincare products, her favorite wine, and some candles.
Sports Enthusiasts – Maybe her idea of a happy birthday would be season tickets or skybox reservations for a season. Tuck the tickets into a tumbler with the team name or emblem.
Gift set jewelry with her birthstone.
Foodies might love a tote bag filled with charcuterie.
Fitness guru – try a bicycle built for two. My neighbors have one and they’re grandparents. Seeing them hop on and ride off down the greenway makes my husband say, “awwww.”

The idea here is to put thought into making the gift personal to her. The most thoughtful gift is the one that highlights the unique personality of the recipient.

Remember, the best gifts are the ones that are heartfelt. What might be the perfect gift for one woman may not be ideal for another. Case in point, I think a great gift is any gadget or tool for my kitchen, but I’m not so crazy about new clothes or the latest smartphone. If you gave my sister a kitchen tool for her birthday, she’d probably throw it at you. But give her new clothes and she’d hug your neck! We’re all different.

What 50th birthday ideas do you have? I’d love to hear the