I love birthdays and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Yes, I am the type of person who declares that it’s their “birthday month.” Yes, I like to plan out how I’m going to celebrate weeks in advance. Yes, I enjoy having one day a year when I can bask in gifts and compliments – let a girl live!
Hence, here is my guide to planning a unique birthday party in the greater Phoenix area.
PRIVATE PARTY AT GREAT SKATE
I’m actually stealing this idea from a family member, but I love it so much I have to share. Regardless of the fact that I was rejected for a couple’s skate in the fifth grade here, I need someone to do this and invite me because I wanted to go to a 1970s-themed roller skating party. For you and your 40 closest friends, the price ranges from $20 to $25 per person depending on which package you want.
10054 N 43rd Ave, Glendale, 623-842-1181, unitedskates.com
IRONIC DINNER AT THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
Hear me out, if you attended middle and/or high school in the early aughts, you probably got “dressed up” and went to a birthday dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. You definitely took pictures on a clunky digital camera, ate about 2,000 calories in one meal (RIP to my 14-year-old metabolism), and you left feeling really cool because you just had an “adult” dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Why wouldn’t you want to recreate that feeling?
2402 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, 602-778-6501, thecheesecakefactory.com
DOWNTOWN PHOENIX BAR SCAVENGER HUNT
This is the 21+ version of a birthday party I went to when I was sixteen. At the time, my friend got together a group of eight friends, paired us off and had us run around a shopping mall taking pictures of ourselves in ridiculous situations. Now that alcohol can legally be involved and the quality of phone cameras has vastly improved, you can give people a list of things to “find” in a certain amount of time and let the games begin.
