Birthdays are a time for celebration and getting together. However, in today’s social distancing climate that does not seems plausible. But just because you can’t meet your friends in person, doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun birthday!
While Zoom is primarily being used for work-related video conferences, today we are going to turn that around and use it to plan a fun Birthday party! Check out our list of the best birthday party ideas on Zoom to help you plan a super fun virtual party.
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Record “Happy Birthday” video
Zoom allows up to 100 participants with its free account. That should be more than enough to get all your friends on the same video call and have them sing Happy birthday! Use the ‘Record’ button at the bottom of the screen to record the whole video. Send the video to the birthday person, as well as all the participants for a fun memento.
Note: By default, Zoom saves recordings in the ‘Documents’ folder of the local PC.
Host a Netflix party
Google Chrome’s Netflix party extension allows users to start a movie viewing party straight from the browser! Simply send the invite link to all your friends to have them join in. Have your Zoom video call going to complete the feel of sitting right next to everyone. Now all you need to do is decide on the movie. That’s easy, right?
Take a virtual trip
Are you missing ‘doing’ something or going somewhere for your birthday? You’re in luck! Grab your friends and go on a virtual tour of any number of museums, zoos, and even theme parks! Check out the artwork in the Van Gogh Museum or go on the Pirates of the Caribbean tour in Disney World! Hey, it’s your birthday. We don’t want to tell you what to do.
Write and sing a song together
This is a fun little surprise to add to your virtual party and make someone’s day even more special. If you know someone who plays a musical instrument, team up with them and write a special song for the birthday person. Then teach all your friends the song, and surprise them when they log on to the Birthday call! Record the whole shebang to and send it to them as a fun keepsake.
Play a drinking game
Drinking games are a fun way to break the ice and have everyone getting along. You may not be sitting next to each other, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a drink together. Break out your liquor cabinets and check out our list of fun drinking games that can be played over a Zoom call.
Use birthday-themed virtual video backgrounds
Zoom allows users to superimpose themselves on virtual video backgrounds. Find a fun birthday themed video or even just an image with streamers, and set it as your Zoom background. Check out our guide on how to change your zoom background. Or if you’re up for it, go ahead and turn a GIF into a video background!
► How to Zoom meeting: Set up, join, host, schedule, use virtual background, and more
► How to use GIF for Zoom background
Set a theme and have everyone dress up
Since you can’t dress up and go out, why not just dress up and party indoors? Select a theme (it could be anything! From beaches to Robocop) and tell everyone to dress up. This is sure to surprise the birthday person. And don’t forget to take a screengrab!
Karaoke session
This is a party staple. And setting it up on Zoom is so easy! Have all your guests singing at the top of their lungs along with everyone else. Did you know that YouTube is full of karaoke tracks? Go ahead and select a karaoke song on YouTube. Then go to your Zoom video call and ‘Share screen’. Now everyone can see what is on your screen i.e the lyrics of the song. Don’t forget to share the computer audio, or you’ll be the other one singing. Just make sure you don’t wake the neighbors!
Cooking and cocktails party
Are games and Karaoke not your thing? Bring it down a notch and host a cooking party! Decide on a menu beforehand and communicate it to all the participants. This way they’ll make sure they have the right ingredients. You could either choose ingredients that are basic and thus guaranteed to be there in the birthday person’s house, or use one of those delivery apps to have the ingredients sent over! And while you’re at it, maybe have some booze sent over too?
Plan a scavenger hunt
Do you want to shake things up a little? Why not plan an indoor scavenger hunt. Have all your friends running around the house looking for items. Use a timer to add even more competition to the game. For an added twist, all the tasks must be completed while holding a glass!
Check out our article on how to plan and play a scavenger hunt over Zoom
► Zoom Scavenger hunt: How to set up and play the game virtually on a group video call
Have a trivia competition
Host a little trivia completion with your friends and see who is the smartest. You could create your own quiz on Quizmaker.com and customize it to the players’ preference. You could even make a quiz about the birthday person, and see who knows them best! Quizmaker allows you to customize the theme of the quiz to make it more fun and party-oriented. Just share your screen, and let the quizzing begin.
Check out some of our other Trivia game ideas and select your favorite from the lot!
► What are the Best Trivia Games for Zoom
Dance party
Let all hell loose, and have everyone dance to their heart’s desire. The first thing you want to do, is creating a great dance playlist. Once you have that all you need to do is share your Computer sound; that way everyone will listen to the songs you are playing in real-time. Add some funky background to your video call for an added effect.
Note: To share computer audio start a meeting > Share screen > Advanced > Music or Computer sound only.
Order take out/Birthday cake
No birthday party is complete without a birthday cake. Surprise your friend and send them a birthday cake, along with candles. Have them blow out the candles on Zoom, while everyone sings Happy birthday! If you can’t send them a cake, maybe just a dessert. After all, it is the thought that counts.
Throw a surprise party!
Ok, we’re playing loose with the word ‘surprise’ here. But the birthday person does not have to know that a bunch of people are waiting on the other side of the call. Just schedule a meeting, and have the birthday person log in. For fun, everyone could duck out of their cameras and jump up when the birthday person logs in!
Here’s wishing a big Happy birthday! to all those that are celebrating their birthdays virtually. We hope this list helped. Can you think of any more ways to make a virtual birthday even more special? Let us know in the comments below.
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