40th Birthday Themes for Him

40th Birthday Ideas that May Inspire Your Own Milestone Birthday Celebration

Celebrating your big day is a great way to experience what you love most. It's a special day to enjoy delicious food, fun decor and spending time with close friends and family members. What better way to kick off a new decade than with some of these 40th birthday celebration ideas.

Our birthday boy probably wanted something more low-key to celebrate the big 4-0. However, you only reach "over the hill" one time in your life. You might as well make it a big deal to celebrate!

And since this birthday guy is the best, it means we only want the best ideas for throwing the perfect party. Get your own party inspiration with these 40th birthday themes for him.

A Special 40th Birthday Party for Him

Pick a Theme

A great 40th birthday idea you can never go wrong with is the "over the hill" theme. Since our guest of honor isn't too adventurous, we stuck with this traditional theme. But here are a few more 40th birthday themes for your big bash.

Other Fun 40th Birthday Party Ideas for A Theme

Murder mystery party
Retro theme with live music
Rent out a bowling alley
A backyard bbq and swim party
Formal dinner party
Favorite hobby theme
Sports theme with a favorite team
Rent out a movie theater
Major milestone birthday
A night of favorites

Choose a Color Palette

Since black is a recurring color scheme for this popular 40th birthday party theme, I opted to stick with that. You can choose only one color, but it's always a good idea to bring in at least one other in case you are limited on decor and supplies. Accenting in gold fit this color palette well.

40th Birthday Decorations

Big balloon garlands are an easy go-to for a big party. And this one was no exception! I got this kit on Amazon for under $20 and made a fun ballon garland using black and gold balloons. It took me about 2 hours to blow all the balloons up and hang them.

Another great idea is to include some kind of big display of happy birthday. The happy birthday banner and 40 balloons from are from Amazon as well. Shop here These are easy party supplies to use if you prepare and order ahead of time.

Dessert Table

Every party needs to have good food. Horrible food can ruin any birthday celebration. We opted for a dessert table instead of traditional appetizers and finger foods.

Donuts are some of the favorite foods around here so we had to include them on a cute display. Don't miss the RIP sugar cookies either. Coming up with 40th birthday themed treats is so much fun.

I also added a few containers with additional candy treats that tie into our party details. We used Red Hots for our "40 and still hot" container and gum for our "40 blows" container. You could also use Hot Tamales, cinnamon bears or blow pops as a substitution.

Food Display

You want to make your food table to look awesome as well as functional for your party guests. Choose displays that will help all of your party food to be accessible, but fun.

To display the donuts I bought these stands on Amazon. When you are creating a food table it is important to find something that can display height so you can layer easily. For the cookies I used white platters (shop here)

For the candy containers I found these cute tins and sign stands from Amazon.

I also found these cake stands on Amazon. They would be great for any party!

Shop Cake Stands Here

Paper Party Supplies for Food

When looking for paper goods to accompany your party food, don't pick any old paper plate and plastic utensil. Find party supplies that accent your theme and will give you a little more stylish bang for your buck.

I was able to find black plates, gold napkins, a black tablecloth and a gold table runner. Layering tablecloths and runners is an easy option for adding a little texture and character.

Party Tip: Get everything you can in your color scheme. It will add so much style to your feature table.