Celebrating A Birthday At Darien Lake Park?

10 GREAT BIRTHDAY IDEAS

Going to be at Darien Lake Park for someone's birthday? Celebrate throughout the day with these fun ways to keep the birthday fun going!

These ideas are sponsored by the Great Darien Lake Adventure Challenge - Watch the video below for details!

Surprise the birthday boy/girl with special 'guests.' Do not tell them about your plans to invite one or more of their friends to join you/him/her at Darien Lake Park. Make it seem like a family trip. Arrange to meet his/her friend(s) AT Darien Lake Park. It will feel like an added gift to see their friend(s) there when he/she wasn't expecting it!

Plan a fun scavenger hunt throughout the day at Darien Lake Park. There are all different types of scavenger hunts to go on, each with a different format. Although for some parties having different teams compete with each other can be a lot of fun, for someone's birthday when there is one person to honor, it's typically best to have everyone on the same team - everyone gets to help the birthday boy/girl be successful…when one person wins, they all win! These can be a lot of fun to create, but can take some extra work to make creative (sometimes you'll need more than just a list to excite some teens, for example.) Consider our GREAT ADVENTURE CHALLENGE AT Darien Lake Park - a package for them to open once there filled with all kinds of puzzles and things to do! CLICK HERE to learn more!

Head of times, write down on small pieces of paper different topics for memories to share about the birthday boy/girl while standing in line or throughout the day. For example, you may choose that every 30 minutes a different person (NOT the birthday boy/girl) will draw a piece of paper out of a hat - perhaps the first one says "FUNNY." That person will then share a funny story about the birthday boy to share with everyone. This is a great way to encourage the birthday boy/girl throughout the day!

Make a game out of their actual age number - see how many times you can find that number throughout the day at Darien Lake Park. For example, if the birthday boy/girl is turning 21, everyone must look for the number '21' throughout Darien Lake Park. Award one point to the FIRST person who finds a new one throughout the day and add up the points at the completion. You might find numbers on height requirement signs, menus, ticket pricing signs, phone numbers, etc.

If you'd like to give them a gift for them to open AT Darien Lake Park, consider putting it in a locker first and then wrapping up the key to the locker in a little gift bag. This way you won't have to carry around the gift all day and it's always fun and mysterious to get a 'secret key' as a gift! This also works especially well if you're planning a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt inside Darien Lake Park.

Although this can get a little pricey, it can be a lot of fun. Set out at the beginning of the day to collect a certain number of items at Darien Lake Park. For example, if the birthday boy/girl is turning 14, then have them collect 14 buttons throughout the park. They could also collect different pressed pennies, pieces of candy (the wrappers), signatures from workers, etc.

Bring a bunch of small cake candles with you to Darien Lake Park and stick them in EVERY bit of food that the birthday boy/girl eats for the day - to blow out the candles each time. It will get to be a lot of fun as they blow out the candles on their birthday hot dog, birthday churro and birthday soda!

Have the birthday boy/girl wear a funny hat/shirt/outfit so that as they walk around Darien Lake Park everyone will know it's their birthday. In this way, other visitors at Darien Lake Park will be able to with them a happy birthday!

At one point, buy a helium balloon at Darien Lake Park. Each person there uses a Sharpie marker (that you brought with you) to write down something positive they'd like to wish for the birthday boy/girl for that coming year (or later in life.) Once everyone has had a chance to write them all down on the balloon, allow either each person to share what they wrote or allow the birthday boy/girl to read them all. Finally, let the birthday boy/girl RELEASE the helium balloon in the air and watch their dreams sail up and up - where the birthday boy/girl will 'catch up with them later'!

Pick different events that happened in the birthday boy/girl's life - events that happened somewhat close to each other. For example, different sets might include: (first tooth, crawled, sat up) or (learned ABC's, ride a bike, poured his/her own milk). This will work for adult events as well including (first girlfriend, first job, broke leg.) Everyone else there will have to guess the ORDER that the events happened. Award points as you go and determine a winner at the end of the day. This is a great activity to play while there are lulls in the fun (I.e. while standing in lines)