I’m 50 this Sept and it appears you are boring if you don’t do some sort of grand themed party or once in a lifetime trip! I just want to go and have a meal with friends and get drunk in few pubs.

Even the wife rolls her eyes when people ask what we have planned – partially at me for being less than enthusiastic about the whole thing.

The wife thinks I have a complex about being 50! 🙂

So who else did nothing but go to the pub for their ‘big’ birthday?

My last ‘big’ birthday celebrations lasted about a month, had a few smaller celebrations rather than one big ‘do’.

Your birthday, your rules!

While you’re technically correct, if you dont use a big birthday to get leverage on something you want to do, i.e. a bike holiday, you’re definitely missing a trick!

Whistler/Vancover slated for my 40th in a couple of years 😀

Pulls up chair….

…I am 50 next birthday and my wife seems to want to organise a party for me which I would hate. Memorable holiday would be good but the list of things she will not do (getting on a boat, camping etc.) makes this pretty difficult.

If I could get away with it I would just go on a safari with my youngest child. She is the most like me in the family and we enjoy the same things. Would not be popular with family to actually state this though!

Had a “do” for my fortieth but didn’t bother for my fiftieth. I’d a mini-bucket list of things to do in my fiftieth year but I don’t think I managed to do any of them! Mind you I had a climbing accident (my only one in thirty years of climbing) resulting in a dislocated elbow and broken wrist plus a couple of chipped vertebrae – that might have had something to do with it 😉

I’m going to have a massive 48 hour coke-and-hookers binge.

I don’t see why a big birthday should be any different from a normal weekend

Your birthday, your rules!

This.  Why do something on your birthday that you don’t want to do?  It’s the one day of the year you get to be utterly selfish.

As Andy says though, it’s a great excuse to treat yourself to something.

Your birthday your rules +1000

Mrs DB and her eldest daughter went to Finland for a long weekend for their joint 50/25th birthdays, no need for me to get upset about that if they are both happy ☺️

I broadly ignored my 50th, although Herself did take me to Namur for the UCI CX race.

On my actual birthday I went cycling with the club, then home for a late lunch and popped up the pub for a couple of beers. I hadn’t told anyone that it was my birthday because I assume that no one I know is the remotest bit interested in it.

I am also 50 this year so I’m flying out to Vegas picking up an RV then riding my bike in Sedona, Moab and Fruita.  Not taking the other half, prefer to go with two random blokes I met out riding bikes.

nothing but go to the pub for their ‘big’ birthday?

No way, birthdays don’t mean much to me but a 50th is a great excuse to do something special.

…I am 50 next birthday and my wife seems to want to organise a party for me which I would hate.

My wife had the big party for her 50th. That’s what she wanted. That was fine.

I did a big nothing for my 50th. That’s what I wanted. That was fine.

Memorable holiday … If I could get away with it I would just go on a safari with my youngest child

So we did the Safari for our 25th wedding anniversary instead. Just do it. Botswana/Namibia/Zambia. Okavango delta is indescribable.

…at which point youngest child promptly decided she’d have to go do that too, so she’s working in a rhino sanctuary in Kruger NP this Summer under the thin façade of “work experience”.

I totally ignored my 50th birthday just as I do every other birthday.  I don’t really see what is special about getting a year older each year.  If I want to do anything I will just do it and don’t need to link it to the amount of days I have been alive.

If I want to do some thing special with my family I do it.

Doing something because I’ve been alive for another rotation of the sun has never resonated with me!

I ended up having a few of my close friends and family around for a bbq in our garden – so I didn’t do nothing but at the same time we didn’t go silly.

At the end of the day you should do what you want to do and remind those around you that it’s what *YOU* want.

It’s my 50th this year as well.

Spent 6 weeks snowboarding in Canada, 1 week snowboarding in Lofoten Norway and 1 week snowboarding in the Alps. 50 days on the snow for 50 years on ‘this mortal coil’! 🙂

If you can’t spoil yourself rotten when you are fifty then when can you? You’ve only made it this far by either medical intervention or the advances in sciences etc. From now on every day really is a bonus! 🙂

However, I’d rather scoop my eyes out with the back of soup spoon than have some ‘function’ in the backroom of a pub, but each to their own.

Your birthday … your call!

+1 for use it as leverage to do what you want (for the whole year!) and don’t do any pointless gathering just because.

I totally ignored my 50th birthday just as I do every other birthday. 

Something good for the 49th and 51st then? 😉

We did a big party for my wife’s 40th a couple of years back – it was what she wanted and she loved it – brilliant evening.

We took the kids to see the Tinkerbell movie on my 40th. I didn’t want a fuss, my younger brother was in and out of hospital fighting the Big C at the time and it didn’t feel right to do something big/extravagant.

I’m 50 in 4.5 years, and the thought of a party/fuss fills me with horror.

My Brother died soon after my 40th and for some reason i have a bit of a guilt complex regarding celebrating my own birthday – can’t explain it – don’t feel i need to.. Happy to mark the occasion quietly.

I’d be quite happy just going out for a nice dinner with my wife/daughters.

Something good for the 49th and 51st then?

All the winz 🙂

It’s YOUR birthday. Do what YOU want.

I climbed a mountain with the family for my 40th. My choice. It was lovely

My 50th will be the day after my daughter’s 21st. I’m guessing anything for me my well be subsumed in the maelstrom. Which is good!

However, if other people want to have parties for their 40th/50th/whatever, good. Means I get to go to decent parties without having to worry about tidying up

I think as with all birthdays big and small, it’s an excuse to do something big if you want to.

No obligation though.

I had a smallish house party  IIRC 70s themed for the fun factor

I’d say 50 is a decent time to do something. But, as so many people here have said, do what you want to. As long as it is legal of course.

I’d be happy to go for a meal and beers with family. Good meal, then some nice pubs in town, sorted.

A ‘friend’ said she didn’t want to do much for her birthday – what ever. Weekend away, then doo in a pub, then afternoon tea and cocktails – all over two weekends – quiet ?

It was both my and the wife’s 50ths last year, and we got married in secret, and it was my dad’s 80th too. Being a cheap Welshman I organised 1 big party for the summer when the weather was most likely to play ball. Put up a marquee on my flat field, built a dual slalom course, had various other activities like archery, air guns, axe throwing, bale tossing, table footie, etc. I had made several hundred sausages and burgers in advance and got a few barrels and other drinks in, but asked everyone to bring their own bread, salads and some extra drinks. So we had a BBQ for about 200 in the end and we all sat round the fire pit  till about 4am watching a massive meteor storm with 80’s music in the background<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>. Was brilliant. I will hopefully do another one for my 100th 🙂 </span>

You should really do something

I went to Asia with my wife for 3 weeks. Because that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to be sat on a beach in Phuket as I turned 50. Stuff everyone else, it’s not their birthday!!

If I did something special it wasn’t special enough to remember.

Write a list of 50 things to do in the year and work your way thru them.

Mine isn’t for a couple of years but it’s already planned. I’ll be riding a fat bike down a beach in Fuertoventura.

I couldn’t care less what anyone wants to do, that’s what I’ll be doing.

The subject hasn’t been open for discussion. Nor will it be 😀

Didn’t even go out on my 50th, passed like every other day, did have a do with cake and balloons when i was 6 though.

Pulls up chair….

…I am 50 next birthday and my wife seems to want to organise a party for me which I would hate. Memorable holiday would be good but the list of things she will not do (getting on a boat, camping etc.) makes this pretty difficult.

If I could get away with it I would just go on a safari with my youngest child. She is the most like me in the family and we enjoy the same things. Would not be popular with family to actually state this though!

LOL … My 50th felt completely different to my 40th… quite honestly something I was happy to pass me by.

I’ve never made a big thing over them anyway… a couple of times I’ve forgotten until parent called me…

The last thing I wanted was a big 50 party…

Anyway … 2 nights accommodation and uplift for me and Jnr was what we did….

Had a nice meal & stayover with the missus in Newcastle for my 50th ..and the money we would have blown on a party went on a nice Tag Heuer watch ..

Did nowt for my 60th though

Yep do what you want. End of August for me this year. Taking my mid-life crisis car, driving across Europe on a solo road trip, meeting some mates and cycling road bikes up the Dolomites. Also some other family stuff and a small party.

I’d say 50 is a decent time to do something.

On the other hand any day is a decent time to do something.

So who else did nothing but go to the pub for their ‘big’ birthday?

I try to have a meal out with a small group of friends I’ve known since school, I’ve managed to do it pretty much every year for going on 30+ years. The actual numerical value of the occasion is irrelevant.

I had a hip replacement for my 50th birthday, the actual day, have it then or wait three months.

I must be the same age as binners….I’m up for a shared 48 hour party. 🙂

On Welshfarmers flat field? That sounds ace.

Fwiw it’s my bday this week (mheh) , I always try to have a birthday ride*.

*bicycle ride!

I wasn’t looking forward to turning 50, but I decided that it was a great excuse to buy a decent bike. Mrs T and I went to New York also. Big parties are not for me.

Mine is in two years. I’m up for that party in Wales 😀