Adult birthday party speech

Are you expected to give a speech at an adult birthday party? Saying something memorable and appropriate requires some planning.

Kids' birthday parties are easy:  games, balloons, cake and ice cream. Maybe a mascot but no speeches.  Grown-ups have different expectations?  If you have to make a speech at an adult birthday party, it's a bit more challenging that just saying, "Happy Birthday." And if you're the one being honored, you need to say something to friends and family who have gathered to help you celebrate.

Let us help you create a birthday party speech that is entertaining, thoughtful and engaging.

Perhaps you will not be as dramatic as Anthony Hopkins was in this scene of the 65th birthday party in Meet Joe Black . . . 

 . . but you can draw on ideas from birthday parties of the past to add interest (and perhaps a humorous comparison) to the birthday party where you will be speaking.

Here are some ideas for adult birthday party speeches taken from a whimsical look at birthday parties through the ages -- the simple and the lavish -- that can appeal to the (grown) child inside.

Adult birthday party speeches - Some ways to add interest

Surprise them with interesting traditions and history

The Egyptians started it. Did you know the earliest recorded birthdays in history can be traced to ancient Egyptians who used such celebrations to honor their pharaohs. But leave it to the Greeks to go one better.  It was the Greeks who started burning candles as a way to honor their gods and goddesses in their celebrations. 

Then come the Romans who started the tradition of lighted candles on birthdays for us mortal beings. Of course, the Romans limited their celebrations to the important people -- emperors or senators whose celebrations were recorded by historians. These gatherings, that featured lighting candles in honor of the "birthday boy", cemented the connection between candles and birthdays.

Putting candles on a birthday cake arrived much later. In the 18th Century, the Germans developed the association of candles with a child's birthday cake -- a candle for every year of age. At that time, the candles were not blown out but instead allowed to burn down before the cake could be eaten. 

How many candles?

So at what point do you stop adding a candle for each year for adult birthday parties?  Talk to the fire marshal! While dozens of candles could create a magical aura, it's much better and easier just to put one spectacular candle on the cake to represent many years of good living.

Add international flair with traditions from adult birthday parties around the world

In China, a culture that values age and wisdom, birthday celebrations involve eating longevity noodles, also known as long-life noodles. The person with the birthday is supposed to slurp the long strands without biting down or breaking them since the noodles signify a wish for long life. 

Ear-yanking is a tradition in Spain. Hungary and some other countries. When someone has a birthday.  you pull on the ear for the number of birthdays the person has had. Then there's an extra strong yank as the last pull for good luck. Works best for those younger than 20.

If you want to spice up your birthday party menu, you might follow the tradition in Ghana. Their birthday specialty is a dish called OTO which is a patty made from mashed sweet potato and eggs friend in palm oil.

Australians celebrate birthdays with fairy bread -- slices of buttered bread covered with colorful sugar sprinkles. 

Chocolate cake is a traditional birthday food if you celebrate in Peru.

Take birthday party speech ideas from celebrities

Most folks can't throw a lavish party like the celebrities who have to put on a spectacle to maintain their status.  But these extravaganzas are fun to talk about in a birthday speech.  To give their fans something to talk about, celebrities have no problem spending tons of money. Their birthday parties range from simple and classic to eye-popping over-the-top events..

Here are some examples you might work into your birthday speech.  First, the more subdued celebrations:

Former president Barrack Obama had plans for a huge celebration for his 60th birthday but the Covid pandemic cut down the guest list. Instead, he had a small celebration at home with friends and family. 

Fred Rogers, the beloved Mr. Rogers from children's television, celebrated his 70th birthday in his rose garden surrounded by close friends. The location is especially appropriate given his love for simplicity and nature.

Ernest Hemingway celebrated most of his birthdays by going fishing. No surprise for the famed author of The Old Man and The Sea. That idea will appeal to sportsmen as well as those Hemingway fans.

Other famous people have celebrated their birthdays in more glamorous and ostentatious ways.

You could always talk about Marie Antoinette and her passion for parties. The legendary queen of France was famous for her gatherings. The ultimate celebrations were reserved for her husband, King Louie XVI. She hosted elaborate masquerade balls with lavish decorations and fancy waltzes.  Too bad she lost her head after all that work. 

Here's an idea you might borrow from Agatha Christie. On her 50th birthday she entertained guests with a mystery -- perfectly appropriate for the queen of mystery-writers. The invitations contained hidden clues and mystified guests spent the evening figuring out how to solve the murder. (Wonder if she took them to the Nile or on the Orient Express.)

Soccer icon David Beckham rarely does things in a small way. If you made the A-list for his 40th birthday, you traveled to a ritzy resort where hosts took you on an imaginary trip to Morocco for the party scene. The set-up recreated a Moroccan market and even featured a camel.

The poor-man's alternative to Beckham?  Give your audience a chuckle by showing a stuffed camel or perhaps bringing a cat as a featured element of your speech.  

Fashion mogul Ralph Lauren's 80th birthday celebration featured a birthday cake custom-designed to resemble his favorite car in his legendary vintage collection.

Rock superstar Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones celebrated turning 50 by treating partygoers to a sexy circus. The burlesque circus performances, with their extravagant costumes and plenty of skin, provided entertainment for guests and fodder for the tabloids.

Daughters of Kim Kardashian threw her a surprise party for her 40th birthday with a Great Gatsby theme mimicking the wealth and class of the privileged. The tabloids put the price tag at a cool $2 million.

And then there are the stars who think birthdays are too cool to celebrate on just one day.  When Justin Bieber turned 21, he rented a private Caribbean island for a party that spread out for days. His guest list numbered several hundred of the Who's Who in show business.

Not to be outdone, Paris Hilton held her 21st birthday celebration over five days -- one day each in several cities. The locales ranged from New York and Las Vegas to London and Tokyo.  Published reports estimate she spent $75,000 on each guest and yet was a no-show for two of those gatherings. Now how would you write a thank-you note for that?

Other adult birthday party speech ideas

Ask friends who have known the birthday person for years to write a letter about a special memory they have. Then use these notes as tributes to the person being honored.

If it's your birthday, take friends on a short but humorous trip through your life, highlighting memorable moments, mishaps or special relationships that have brought you to this birthday. What did you want to be when you were age 4?  12?  20?   Keep it light-hearted until your parting remarks when it's okay to leave some heartfelt thoughts of gratitude.

You could talk about your life in terms of experiences you've had and lessons you've learned. For example, Because of a scary accident I had when I was 10, I will always be super alert when I'm driving and see a kid riding a bike on the sidewalk.  Or I'm grateful for what I learned when, as a kid, my father lost his job, and friends gave us a temporary place to live. That taught me to be generous with others.

Another idea is to give a speech with imaginary quotes from celebrities who could be saying something about the birthday person. Think about celebrities that people would immediately recognize. What advice might Donald Trump, King Charles, Beyonce, Shaquille O’Neal or the celebrity-of-the-moment give to the person being celebrated? 

Use these ideas to add some color, gasps or appreciation in your own birthday party speech. And be grateful for the fact that people are coming together to celebrate what is uniquely you on your special day.