Lockdown birthdays. We’ve pretty much all had one by now. Even though there is light at the end of the tunnel and premature summer plans promise to be a glee-filled triumph of celebration, there’s still a few months to get through. With restaurants, date nights and public experiences out of the question, this article will give you a few ideas that will make your lockdown birthday bearable, or at the very least, memorable.
1) Dining in at home
This is simple, but effective. Set up your space, pop on a restaurant-inspired Spotify playlist (a Nandos one maybe?) and light some candles. Dining at home can be just as fun as in a restaurant. Even though there’s a few more steps involved, this extra effort will be appreciated even more by the birthday-haver. There are multiple ways you can make it a fun experience, with revered places like Pizza Pilgrims or Padella pasta offering cook-at-home kits.
You’ll need drinks though. And although supermarkets are well-stocked, it can be a real pain to get all the bottles you want. That stuff is heavy. To give yourself one less thing to worry about, why not get them delivered? Alcohol delivery services like DrinksHouse247 will get them to your house in less than half an hour. Make use of it. You’ve got a cake to bake. And a three course meal to cook. And candles to buy. Good luck.
2) Book a virtual experience
There are a myriad of options for virtual experiences— and this doesn’t mean just watching a live stream of a gig. These are personalised, immersive experiences that are brought into your home.
One example is a virtual cocktail making class. First you send a DIY cocktail making kit to your home, along with all the people you want to take part. After you’re set up, you all log on to a Zoom link where a pro cocktail expert will guide you through a classroom, showing you how to mix the ingredients in different variations. Once the class has finished you can enjoy them with your friends still on the call.
Alternatively, book a murder mystery experience. In this immersive experience ‘you’ll be sent clues and videos each day, piecing together the events of the mystery. On your final evening, you’ll meet your suspects – played by professional actors – over a video call. Interrogate, quiz, and work together to figure out who committed the murder. It’s a step up from Cluedo, anyway.
3) Organise a post lockdown celebration to look forward to
Some might say this is a cop out— but it’s not if you do it right. The most important thing is to have an actual date in mind, because vagueness will be greeted by grumpiness.
Booking a restaurant is the obvious choice. Lots of restaurants have already started to take booking long into the future, so get on it fast if this is your plan. It feels good to get it done and shows commitment to the person you’re celebrating for.
It’s not just restaurants that are bookable through, there are plenty of other attractions you can go for, such as gigs, theatre productions and art exhibitions. You know your birthday hero the best, so think outside of the box. What would this person look forward to?
4) Bring the holiday to your home
Since we can’t go on holiday, why not bring the holiday to your house? It’s too early for Skyscanner browsing, so resorting to this is warranted. Get some flags, ornaments, anything you can think of that is related to your dream destination.
Let’s say you’re doing it for Italy. Get your Italian chef on and make some authentic carbonara. Don a classic Italian football shirt. Wipe the dust off of your Canzone Napoletana record (or just hit play on Spotify). The important thing is to create a vibe for the country in question; even if it’s not that good, it will still be fun. We can barely remember what it’s like to travel for real anyway.
Effort is always appreciated, but you’ll get out what you put in, creating memories that will last forever. Better than paying £50 for a fillet steak anyway!
