Ideas for a 100th Birthday Party

Living for a century is a milestone that not many people reach and it should be honored and celebrated. Place an announcement in honor of the 100th birthday in the local paper. Plan well in advance for this celebration to ensure it goes smoothly. The primary focus of the 100th birthday party activities should be to commemorate and celebrate the birthday person's life.

Put together a picture slide show with photos and even pictures from different events in history from the person's life. Have narration slides that provide information on what is coming up in the next segment of the slide show. For example, Aunt Rose goes to college. Following that narration slide, have a sequence of college pictures from Aunt Rose's life. In the birthday celebration area, set up the slide show to automatically run and display the pictures on a screen or wall during the entire length of the party.

Have each guest sign a page in a memory book, writing a story or memory about the guest of honor. After the book is filled, have everyone read out the memories they wrote. A memory book like this will make a wonderful keepsake to treasure and pass down through the generations.

Ask each guest to bring one to five photos they have of the guest of honor and their family members. On a separate piece of paper, have the guests write down information about the photos. For example, a picture could be labeled "Aunt Rose and Susie swimming at the beach." If possible, include the date of the picture was taken. One designated person can collect the photos and papers as guests arrive. Put together a scrapbook to present to the birthday person toward the end of the party. Or you can set up a table that guests can add their own photos and comments to a scrapbook.

Write down a question on an index card about the birthday person's life. On the other side of the card, write down the answer. During the party, have guests draw an index card from a jar or hat. Read the question out to the group. Keep a tally of who gets the most questions answered correctly.

Some possible trivia questions could be: What college did Aunt Rose graduate from? Where did Aunt Rose go for her first vacation? What was the name of Aunt Rose's first pet? This type of trivia game is a fun way for guests to learn more about the life of the guest of honor.

A 100th birthday recipe book is a great way to share family recipes, if the guest of honor was famous for cooking. Ask each guest to type one or more recipes on one side of the page, given to them through the years. Bring a three-ring notebook, and clear plastic sheet covers to the party. Ask guests to please insert the recipe(s) into the sheet covers and place in the notebook. Leave a stack of colored index cards and pencils on the table. Guests can copy recipes that they don't have and would like to try. The recipe notebook can be kept as a family heirloom and keepsake for the guest of honor.