It’s always fun to throw a surprise party for a friend, boyfriend, or family member. We show you the best tips and the best ideas to get it right.

When a special date is approaching for a loved one , we have to break our heads to think about the perfect gift and some kind of surprise, like a party. Next, we are going to give you some ideas and guide you to organize the best surprise party you have ever prepared.

Create a WhatsApp group for the occasion

whatsapp

The simplest and most common in these cases is to create a WhatsApp group in which to include all the friends and family who will be present. This WhatsApp group will be the means by which you will communicate and inform yourself of all the ideas, news and advances in planning.

Start preparing the party well in advance

calendar

If you are two days away from a person’s birthday and you still haven’t prepared anything, forget about surprise parties, it is most likely a disaster.

Choose the date that best fits your calendar and when all or most of the guests are available. If the birthday falls on a Monday, perhaps it is better to advance the celebration to Saturday, since for study and work reasons people usually have more free time on weekend days. Also, it is always preferable to have the party well in advance, instead of having it the same day or delaying it.

And of course make sure the birthday boy has no other celebrations for the chosen day. Can you imagine a surprise birthday party without the protagonist appearing?

Choose the venue

choose venue for birthday

If the time is in summer , you have an advantage. You can choose an outdoor venue for the celebration, giving you more options and freedom to organize. On the contrary, if the party is in winter you should choose a closed place to prevent cold, rain, etc. Any spacious house or premises will be fine.

If you decide to rent a premises, contact the owner as soon as possible, to prevent other people from renting the site before you. And if you want to play loud music, try to make the party a conditioned place for it, to avoid the sound of the speakers disturbing the neighbors. For the choice of songs, add some of the protagonist’s favorite music groups .

Decorations, always important

decorationsSurely you know the honoree well and you know what his hobbies are , if he has a special predilection for a series, if he is a fan of a soccer or basketball team, if he likes pop culture from the 80’s … Nor can you miss the typical balloons, pennants and confetti. We also recommend that a good part of the decoration be in your favorite color.

Other tricks are creating photocalls. Think of something original that catches the attention of the guests and, of course, that our protagonist likes. Add the typical accessories for the photo: masks, funny glasses, mustaches, hats and everything you can think of . You can also write some “sandwiches” with funny phrases.

To finish off the decoration, buy some letters that say “Happy Birthday”, other letters with his name and some inflatable balloons with the number of years that the protagonist turns. We already explained how to make balloon arches for decorating parties and birthday celebrations.

You can also go further and prepare a themed party in which the guests are dressed up on a specific theme. In this case, all the decoration of the premises must be related to this theme. And leave a costume for the birthday boy. If it can be a leading costume, the better. It should be the center of attention!

Other fantastic ideas

birthday

For example, notify that great friend or relative of the birthday boy who has not seen for some years because he went to live far away. If you can get that important person to be present, the surprise will be even greater and it will surely be a day that the protagonist will not forget for the rest of his life.

Print many photos of the face of the guest of honor and make many masks with his face. It can be fun that when he arrives you have his surprised face immortalized in a photo. Are never more games for even more fun the parties and prepare different activities, such as a gymkhana with creative and fun tests.

There must be entertainment for all present. If there are children, you can rent an inflatable mattress or hire a clown or a magician to put on a show.

The day of the party

Notify the guests well in advance of the scheduled time for the honoree to arrive, at least an hour and a half or two hours before. On the other hand, there must be at least one or two allies to take care of the birthday boy.

They are the ones who should try to meet him with any excuse (have a beer, go to the movies …). Some small white lie to actually take you to the venue at the appointed time. And with so much decoration, do not forget the most important thing: the drink, the food, the cake and the gifts. To enjoy!

Craig Sandeman

Craig Sandeman is South Africa’s go-to guru for all things gift-giving, blending psychology and cultural insights to curate perfect presents. A Cape Town native with a global perspective, he’s renowned for his blog, workshops, and media features that delve into the art and science of thoughtful gifting. If you’re ever stumped on finding the ideal gift, Craig’s expert advice is your ticket to gifting success.