Planning a surprise birthday party is such an exciting experience. You get to create a big moment for the birthday honoree and show them how happy you and their loved ones are about their big day.

While planning any party has lots of moving parts, planning a surprise party has even more considerations as you have to keep everything hush-hush from the guest of honor. To help you prepare an unforgettable (and well organized) celebration, use this surprise birthday party planner to get you from the very first idea to the grand reveal.

Surprise Birthday Party Checklist: 9 Tips to Keep Everything on Track

When you’re planning a surprise party, there are a few extra steps you’ll want to consider. To ensure the honoree is kept in the dark until the big reveal, you’ll likely need help from others to make sure that happens. Here’s your step-by-step guide on how to plan and throw a memorable surprise party for someone special.

1. Plan the Date and Time

Before you can jump into the fun parts of party planning, you first need to cover the basics — starting with the date of the big celebration. Try to choose a date that’s close to the honoree’s actual birthday, but also consider the most convenient day of the week, the guests’ likely schedules, and what you’re hoping to do in terms of activities.

Have a list of proposed dates ready, then find a sneaky way to check these against the guest of honor’s calendar. If it makes sense, you could check yourself and block the party date out with a different event — or ask a loved one to make sure they keep the date and time free.

2. Come Up with a Distraction

Design: Jen Montgomery

Throughout the party planning process, having a distraction or decoy can help make planning easier and keep it a surprise for the guest of honor. Depending on the honoree’s curiosity levels, this can be easier with some people than others.

Ask the guest of honor to spend the day or evening with you for dinner and drinks, or plan a spa date for the two of you. When the surprise birthday party date rolls around, you could either begin your surprise party with these elements or do a bait and switch and introduce them to a room of waiting guests instead.

If you think the guest of honor might not want a complete surprise, try a different approach. Let them know you’re planning a party for them but that you’re keeping some of the details a surprise — like the theme, venue, decor, and menu. This is a fun yet more subtle surprise that considers the guest of honor’s personality (and makes it a bit less challenging for you to keep the party planning process a total secret).

3. Decide on a Theme

Next up, decide on a theme for the surprise party. You don’t have to throw a themed party, but it’s a great way to take your party to the next level — and perfect if you know the honoree would love the added excitement.

As you’re thinking of themes and birthday party ideas, consider what the guest of honor would enjoy the most on their special day. You could host a relaxed house party or backyard party with their closest friends, or book a private dining room at their favorite restaurant for a luxury experience. Perhaps the birthday honoree would be thrilled with a swanky Great Gatsby soiree, Hollywood theme party, or totally awesome 80s birthday party.

You could go to a karaoke bar or retro arcade, or plan a scavenger hunt across their hometown for a nostalgic way to celebrate a milestone birthday, such as a 30th birthday or 40th birthday.

4. Get Others Involved

With your event planning in full swing, you might need an extra pair (or two) of hands. Not only are you planning an event but you’re trying your best to keep it a secret, so call in the help of family members and best friends to make it a success.

Ask them to take on specific roles like finding a caterer or shopping for party supplies, or to help you pry for birthday gift ideas and party inspiration without looking too suspicious. Beyond their roles, encourage them all to help you keep the celebration a secret!

5. Find the Perfect Party Venue

When you’re planning any kind of celebration, the party location can transform it into something magical. The event space you choose influences whether you can pull off your theme successfully, how much fun you’ll all have, and how your guest of honor feels about the event.

The perfect party venue could be a party room that you rent or a family member’s home and backyard for an outdoor birthday party. It could be the honoree’s favorite museum or art gallery, or a local park or other natural environment that’s special to them. Choose a place that matches your theme or feels personally significant for the honoree. Make sure it has a great spot for you to stage the reveal too — maybe there are trees or shrubbery that guests can hide behind.

6. Send Out Surprise Birthday Party Invitations

Design: Jen Montgomery

Once you’ve got the initial planning stages sorted, you can start inviting loved ones to the surprise birthday party. Narrow down the guest list with help from the honoree’s closest friends, then send out a fun party invite that makes it very clear it’s a surprise birthday party — like this surprise party invitation.

Our collection of surprise birthday party invitations are an ideal way to announce the big event. We have lots of lovely designs across different themes and color schemes, each of which you can customize with your own wording and details. If you want extra space to elaborate on your surprise party plans, you can use our details panel to share some insider secrets with your guests — and to remind them not to break the news on social media!

7. Plan Your Menu

The birthday cake will take center stage when it comes to your menu preparations, but no party is complete without food and drinks. This doesn’t have to be complicated — some bottled drinks, chips, and dip work perfectly for a cozy house party vibe.

Stick to party classics like pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream, or work with a caterer to create a fun themed dining experience. Hire a food truck, host a DIY pizza making party, or ask everyone to bring a dish for a potluck — the menu options are endless and can fit almost any budget.

8. Plan Your Party Decor

To help transform your party venue into a special backdrop for the big day, you’ll want some fantastic party decor. Think about your theme, color scheme, and what you’ll be doing, and go on the hunt for party supplies and decor to match.

Make sure you have party classics like balloons, streamers, and banners. Think about tableware too, as you might need glasses, dinner plates, table linens, and centerpieces. Depending on the venue, you might also want to get in touch with a rental company to rent furniture like chairs, tables, and audio visual equipment.

9. Decide How You’ll Do the Reveal

Last but definitely not least, spend some time thinking about how you’ll handle the big reveal. There are lots of fun ways to do this, but it’s likely to be the moment they remember first — so don’t leave it to chance.

You could have your guests hide behind chairs and tables in the dark, and shout “Happy birthday!” as the guest of honor enters the room. You could invite the honoree to a casual dinner and then have all the guests lined up ready to greet them. Think about your theme and the guest of honor’s personality, then plan a reveal that honors both.

Celebrate a Big Moment with These Surprise Birthday Party Ideas

Planning a surprise party is a huge honor — you get to help make joyful memories that the birthday honoree won’t soon forget. Use this guide to help you plan and throw an incredible surprise party that they’ll remember forever.

When you’re ready to let the guests in on the secret, use our surprise birthday party invitations to help you reveal the news. Find the perfect design, customize the layout, colors, and wording, and send it out with a reminder to keep the party a secret. It’s just the first step in what is sure to be a wonderful time!