The 20+ Best 40th Birthday Party Ideas in San Francisco
Forty is a big year. Some people panic about a “mid-life” crisis, but we’re the kind of people who prefer to celebrate and embrace getting older, instead of panicking about it! To celebrate looking ahead to the next half, we’ve put together a list of our favorite 40th birthday party ideas in San Francisco. From sailing to a real island to drinking on a fake one, these ideas span from active to very relaxing, so you can spend your day however you want to—and hopefully with a drink in hand and some good food nearby.
Our Top Picks for Birthday Party Ideas for Your 40th Birthday
- For Foodies: We have ideas from birthday party food tours to the coolest dinner experiences.
- For Gamers: Why not try a historical mini golf course or an old-school arcade?
- For Entertainment: Bathe in sound at The Audium or take in John Foley’s Dueling Pianos.
- For Him: Bring the gang to Giants Stadium or drink your way through Oakland’s best breweries.
- For Her: Take the girls to the Korean Bathhouse or enjoy a Paint and Sip experience.
Best Party Ideas for a 40th Birthday Party
1. Escape to the Islands…Kind Of
Head to the Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar for fake thunderstorms and real (and really strong) mai tais and pina coladas. It’s fun to dance alongside the big crowd to the sounds of the live band, which floats on a tiki boat above the pool. And if you want a really memorable party, the Tonga Room can be rented out for private events. It may not be quite the same as renting out a private island for your 40th birthday, but it’s the closest you’ll get in San Francisco proper.
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Price: $$+ or $$$$ (to buyout)
2. Mission District Food Tour
One of the best parts of San Francisco’s culinary scene is the incredible Latin cuisine this city has to offer! We can guide you to all the best gems on our Mission District Food Tour. The Mission District is incredibly rich in culture and history, as well as excellent food. There is street art everywhere, and many photo opportunities that your Avital guide will make sure you don’t miss. We know the best restaurants in the Mission, and with us, you can skip all the lines. You might be tasting dishes like: Peruvian Tamal, Tunisian Kromb, or Black Sesame Dessert Buns on this tour.
Neighborhood: Mission District
Price: $$+
3. Go Mini-Golfing and Learn Some History
Just because you’re 40 doesn’t mean you can’t play like you’re 4, or 14! Stagecoach Greens offers a great 18-hole mini-golf experience. They also have food trucks and a Beer Garden on the premises, so there will be plenty of food and drink to go around! The golf course tells the story of San Francisco, and as you play, there are many photo opportunities at iconic historical moments along the course. Mini golf is fun no matter your athletic skill, so it’s a great birthday party activity that everyone invited can enjoy!
Neighborhood: Mission Bay
Price: $$
4. Sail the Bay
Hit the high seas and join Captain Kirk for a private yacht charter on the Bay. You and your crew can learn to sail, or leave the work up to him while you admire the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Alcatraz. Want to make it even more special? Book a private picnic or barbecue on Angel Island, where you can add on a hike, wine tasting, or scavenger hunt.
Neighborhood: SoMa
Price: $$$
5. Indulge in Chinese food on a Chinatown Food Tour
Did you know that the Chinatown in San Francisco is the oldest one in North America? This historic district is home to some of the best eats in the whole city! Join us for a pampered journey to 3-4 of the best restaurants in the area, on our Chinatown Food Tour. Skip all the lines and tuck into dishes like scallion and beef dumplings, avocado salmon egg rolls, or chocolate xiao long bao, on this three-hour odyssey through Chinatown.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Price: $$+
6. Be “Lazy” with your Friends
A meal at Lazy Bear is a meal that’s booked for a special occasion. What’s more special than a 40th birthday? Snag tickets for you and your closest friends at Lazy Bear, a communal dining experience that changes each night but always has 14+ courses and interaction with the chefs. You won’t know what’s coming out of the kitchen next, but that’s the fun of it. Embrace curiosity and the unexpected.
Neighborhood: Mission District
Price: $$$$
7. Let it Roll(er Blade)
Rent out the Church of 8 Wheels and re-enact the skating birthday parties of your middle school past. The church-turned-roller-rink is available for private parties, and when you’re just among friends, you won’t have to be as self-conscious about falling flat on your face. The rink lets guests bring in food and beverages and even has a sitting area with some couches once you’re sore from going ‘round and ‘round. Choose the music, grab some friends, and get rolling.
Neighborhood: Fillmore District
Price: $+
8. Go on a Birthday Party Food Tour
For a special birthday meal, get treated like a VIP at a public or private Birthday Party Food Tour in San Francisco. You’ll get to taste some of the most unique, quirky, authentic flavors of San Francisco, all while enjoying stories and the neighborhood and its history. It’s a different kind of birthday party, but going to dinner and drinks has been done many (many, many) times before, right? You can even add hands-on experiences like cocktail making to make the tour even more special. This is your 40th birthday— see the city in new ways, eat great food, and blow out some candles during dessert to celebrate a new year!
Neighborhood: Multiple
Price: $$+
9. Cool Off with a Pool Party
You don’t have to head to Vegas for a birthday pool party. Instead, welcome year 40 with a party that might be downtown, but looks more like Miami Beach. The Phoenix Hotel has pool parties on Sundays during the summer, complete with drinks and a DJ. Book one of the hotel’s hip rooms and have a staycation slumber party with friends. The pool is heated, which makes it a little easier to hop in during San Francisco’s foggy season.
Neighborhood: Tenderloin
Price: $$$
10. Go Wine Tasting in Sunny Sonoma
Rent a limo or bus to take you to beautiful Sonoma County. It’s a little less commercial than Napa and more off the beaten track. Start with a group tasting at Hamel Family Wines, a stunning ranch with a modern architectural building and friendly, welcoming staff. As you listen to the large soothing stone fountain and sip superb Sauvignon Blanc, you won’t care that you’re a year older. From there, move on to Scribe, everyone’s favorite hipster winery with a rustic hacienda for a tasting room and a stunning hillside view of the German grape varietal vineyards.
Neighborhood: Sonoma
Price: $$$
11. Take in the Sites and Tastes of North Beach on a Walking Food Tour
Join us for a North Beach Food Tour! This is the perfect experience for lovers of Italian food. While we bring you to each of the 3-4 Best Restaurants in North Beach San Francisco, we will tell you the history of this area, the Barbary Coast, which was one of the most notorious spots in all of America during the Gold Rush. If you would like to upgrade your experience, we have three perfect beverage pairings on offer. Without spoiling the surprise, some dishes you might get to sample on this tour would be: cioppino (a tomato-based seafood stew invented in SF!), wood-fired pizza, or cannolis!
Neighborhood: North Beach
Price: $$+
12. Experience the Dueling Pianos at John Foley’s
Many native San Franciscans will tell you the best birthday parties they’ve attended took place at John Foley’s! The dueling pianists set up shop in the basement from 9 pm to midnight every Friday and Saturday, and for the right price, they’ll play any song of your choosing. Make sure to bring cash so you can tip and request songs all through the night. This show is a blend of musical skill, comedy, and audience interaction, which makes for an incredible party experience. Especially if you keep a tab open at the bar upstairs and keep steadily drinking through the three-hour experience!
Neighborhood: Union Square
Price: $$
13. Get Bathed in Sound at The Audium Circle
The Audium Circle is a venue you must visit at least once in your life if you live in San Francisco, because there is nothing else quite like it. Where else can you experience “spatial sound art”? Sit in total darkness with your friends while 176 speakers immerse you in a world of sounds and movement. Afterwards, head over to the Liho Liho Yacht club (a perfect birthday restaurant) to enjoy heaping plates of Swordfish Katsu, Shaved Pighead, and Baked Hawaii while you talk about your favorite moments from the show.
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Price: $$
14. Book an Interactive Meal Experience with Us!
For the ultimate hands-off experience, book an Interactive Meal with Avital Food & Drink Experiences! Not only do we partner with the best restaurants in SF, but we also offer comprehensive per-person pricing and give you the ability to sit back and enjoy your special night. In addition to providing you with a four-course meal composed of the restaurant’s best dishes, we guide your guests through three interactive experiences, like shaking up their own cocktail, Food and Drink Trivia, and a flavor-twisting finale. You get a delicious meal, exciting group activities, and an unforgettable night when you book with us!
Neighborhood: All
Price: $$+
15. Dance the Night Away at an Upscale Club
You’re turning 40, so if you’re spending the night at a club, it has to be a little less seedy and more glamorous than the one you went to when you turned 21… Enter Monroe! A vibrant lounge and nightclub in North Beach with art deco-inspired decor, plush golden sofas, and great vibes. Every Friday, they do an event called Battle of the Decades that is worth waiting in line for! Not only are drinks only $1-$6 all night, but every hour the decade of music they’re playing changes. So get there early and take a journey from the 1960s to the 2010s!
Neighborhood: North Beach
Price: $$$
40th Birthday Ideas for Women
1. Get Pampered with a Spa Experience
And not just any spa experience! If you’ve never been to a Korean Bathhouse, you are missing out. You can always expect to experience the most beautiful and well-maintained facilities and the best treatments. At Pearl Spa, you can book a massage, scrub, and/or body wrap, but be sure to arrive much earlier. You need time to try out the steam room, dry sauna, hot tub, cold plunge, sitting and standing showers, Himalayan salt room, and red clay ball room. Every toxin and bit of tension in your body will seep out as you go from room to room chatting with your friends and enjoying the facilities. Bring all the girls for a full-day spa experience like no other!
Neighborhood: Japantown
Price: $$$
2. Keep it Classy with a Tea Party
Celebrate your 30th year with a tea party. It’s cute, quaint, and unique— if you’ve never done tea at the Japanese Tea Garden, it’s worth the experience. Spend the afternoon drinking Japanese tea accompanied by some Japanese sweets in a beautiful garden. It’s one of the more relaxing 30th birthday party ideas in San Francisco, and it’s certainly one of the most lush, as well. If you want a high tea experience, try the Fairmont’s Laurel Court. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s your birthday! Drink some soothing hot tea and enjoy some petit fours, tea sandwiches, scones, and more. Plus, toast to a new year with a glass of bubbly. Check out this list for other afternoon tea spots that will make you feel classier than the Queen.
Neighborhood: Multiple
Price: $-$$$
3. Sip some Wine while you Paint your Masterpiece
Paint and Sip classes are a lovely way to spend your birthday. Paint the Town offers private Paint and Sip classes and has many packages that can help you fit this experience into your party budget. They can also bring the supplies and instructor to you if you have a different venue in mind! Classes like these make party planning easy by getting you all the supplies, setting up the easels, and pouring the wine while you sit back and relax. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also DIY it! Head to your local Michaels and buy a few paint sets, packs of brushes, and some small canvases for everyone attending. Pair that with a few bottles of your favorite wine (or maybe more than a few), and a nice charcuterie board, and you have just created a night in that rivals any night out!
Neighborhood: Multiple
Price: $$+
40th Birthday Party Ideas for Men
1. Take a Trip across the Bay for the Best Breweries
If you and your buds consider yourself beer aficionados (or at the very least, big fans of the drink), a bar crawl through the best breweries in the Bay Area might just be the perfect party idea! SF proper has a few good breweries, and if you want to stay local, we’ll point you right to House of Pizza (by Cellarmaker) in the Mission District. But true hop-heads know the best beer is in the East Bay, and it’s only a train ride away! Start at Original Pattern Brewing, then walk to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, which is right next door to Cellarmaker House of Pizza. After grabbing a few slices to sober up, pile into an Uber, and start heading towards the beach, hitting Almanac Adventureland and Brewery on the way, and ending the night at Faction Brewing with views of the Bay!
Neighborhood: Oakland
Price: $$+
2. Take the Boys Out to the Giants Game
If your birthday takes place between April and October, celebrate with the eight-time World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants! Games take place often, and there are different tiers of seating options. Book a box for you and your friends to hang out in, or get a bunch of bleacher seats and have your buddies meet you out behind center left field. Before the game, sip on beers and nosh on bar snacks at Public House or 21st Amendment. After the game, go to Momo’s to keep the party going.
Neighborhood: SoMa
Price: $$+
3. Celebrate with a nostalgic trip to the Arcade
You like games, but you don’t want to choose just one or two? Emporium Arcade Bar has got you covered! This arcade bar has the largest collection of games in San Francisco. They also have generous drink and token packages for big parties that will keep you sufficiently liquored up and gaming for hours. So, whether you’re looking for classic arcade games, pool, or skeeball, you want it, they’ve got it. They also have a live DJ in case you want to boogie the night away in between games.
Neighborhood: Alamo Square
Price: $$
Best Party Themes for an SF 30th Birthday Party
1. Masquerade
All this theme requires is for your guests to don a glamorous or hilarious mask, put on their finest dresses and suits, and bring their dancing shoes! It’s a theme that balances being fancy with being quirky and giving guests room to play. The photo ops at a Masquerade party are countless and will be incredible keepsakes to look back on for years to come. This is a great theme if you are taking your friends to a venue with a dance floor, because looking around at a sea of people getting down to Pitbull while looking 18th-century chic is a highly entertaining experience!
2. Murder Mystery
This theme takes a little planning, but we promise it’s worth the extra effort! When you send out your birthday party invites, include in each a character description for what role your friends will be playing at your murder mystery theme party. You can keep it basic and assign them whether they’re a guest or the murderer, or you can create elaborate character profiles for everyone. Or it could be fun to base it on the game Clue and assign everyone a familiar character! No matter which route you go, a murder mystery theme is one of the most engrossing interactive party ideas that will keep your guests entertained for hours.
3. Tropical
Bring Island vibes to your birthday party when you choose a Tropical theme! San Francisco has beautiful sunny days and gorgeous beaches, so why not take advantage and throw this party outside? A tiki bar is a great touch, as well as having a few tiki torches scattered about. Set up a blender so you can keep plying guests with icy drinks like piña coladas and daiquiris all night long. Dress code is bathing suits, and Hawaiian shirts—and grab a few packs of Leis from Party City for the finishing touch!
4. Casino
Turn your Home into a casino for one night only to celebrate your 40th birthday! All you need to do is set up a few fold-out tables, some packs of cards, poker chips, and keep the alcohol flowing. No real money needs to be involved to make this night a hit! You could either play with something like wrapped candy, start everyone out with about 25 pieces, and allow them to take home their winnings at the end of the night. Or give out 100 poker chips per person, and for every 50 each person has won/kept by the end of the party, give them one lottery ticket. End the party with a drawing to see who wins the silly or special items you pick out as prizes!
5. Oscar Party
Embrace Hollywood Glamour with an Oscars-themed birthday party! Turn your home or venue of choice into a VIP Oscars afterparty for one night only. It doesn’t even have to coincide with Oscar’s season. This theme is all about dressing chic, embracing your cinephile side, and sipping your drink of choice out of champagne flutes (which can totally be plastic, we won’t tell). Put your favorite movie posters up on the wall, some old black and white film on the TV as set decoration, and roll out the red carpet for your guests to walk in on. Bonus points if you acquire a few of those life-size cardboard celebrities for hilarious photo ops with your guests!
Final Thoughts on Party Ideas 40th Birthday
We here at Avital Food & Drink Experiences are all foodies, so you’ll probably be catching us touring one of the best food neighborhoods in SF when we celebrate our 40th birthdays. But if you and your friends are more into gaming, sailing, or dancing, there’s certain to be an option on this list that is enticing!
We’ve also got ideas for your birthday for years to come! No need to wait 10 years, check out our 50th Birthday Party Ideas in San Francisco right now. Or, if you feel like you’re actually getting younger every year, you might prefer some of the ideas in our post about 30th Birthday Party Ideas in San Francisco.
Book With Us
Interested in booking a private Food Tour as a unique 40th Birthday Party Idea in San Francisco? Learn more on our Private Food Tour Page or send an inquiry to [email protected].
