Pre Birthday Celebration Ideas – Plus Captions and Quotes

A pre birthday celebration is the perfect way to extend the excitement and joy of the birthday person leading up to their actual birthday. Pre birthdays are also known as birthday countdowns – and you can celebrate them with or without a party – it’s up to you.

A pre-birthday celebration usually involves lots of fun and special outings leading up to the actual date of the upcoming birthday. It’s a super fun way to extend your big day and not be left with the birthday blues if your birthday is over too fast. After all a happy birthday is the goal of this special day so why not spread the joy out over a long weekend?

Unlike traditional birthday parties that take place on the actual birthday or the nearest weekend, a pre-birthday celebration may start a week or more in advance and extend right through to the birthday and beyond. The celebration period may incorporate a party in the middle or not. Sometimes there are several small gatherings instead of a larger party.

Read on for some super fun pre birthday celebration ideas for adults and kids and some pre birthday celebration quotes and captions to share your pre birthday festivities on social media.

(This post probably contains affiliate links. See the disclosure policy for more information. You can find the disclosure policy here.)

Pre Birthday Celebration Meaning

A pre celebration meaning is any early birthday celebration leading up to yout actual birthday. A pre birthday celebration could be started a day in advance of your birthday or a whole week in advance or more. You can make it as unique as the person who is celebrating their birthday.

You can also have a pre birthday celebration in place of your actual birthday celebration. This can be due to your birthday falling on a weekday or day that you are working or at school. 

Pre birthday celebrations are also important in our current existence where everyone is so busy. It can allow the birthday person to catch up with close friends and family members even if they are not able to make their actual birthday party.

Pre Birthday Celebrations

Pre birthday celebrations set the tone for the upcoming birthday and make the birthday person feel special for days in advance. It is a great opportunity to involve loved ones who may not be available on the day of the actual birthday.

You could also foster some long distance connections in there with phone calls and video calls to celebrate a birthday. When you don’t have to be tied to a time schedule as you do with a party – truly the sky is the limit with how long you’d like to celebrate for.

Pre birthday celebrations can be especially meaningful for milestone birthdays. These are the birthdays that you want to remember and enjoy so by extending the birthday celebration you can involve more friends and family members and ensure the celebration is a good one. It also strengthens social connections among friends and family.

It is important to make sure that the actual birthday is the centre of the pre birthday celebrations and remains the special day. You don’t want the birthday person to feel let down on their actual birthday. Make sure that the week leading up complements the actual day of the birthday rather than overtaking it. And some people would prefer a low-key build up to the big day as well.

Pre Birthday Celebration Ideas

Pre birthday celebrations are not limited to any particular age group. Parents are planning them for their kids, and teens and adults of all ages are getting on board.

If you are doing a countdown week before the birthday you may surprise the birthday person with small gifts every day. Or it could be a special birthday card every day with a special message. (Need inspiration for what to write in a birthday card – we’ve got you covered with these fun birthday card sayings.)

We have a whole list of ideas for pre birthday celebrations for adults and kids below to help you start planning.

Pre Birthday Celebration for Kids

Some super fun ideas for childrens pre birthday celebrations are:

• Pre Birthday Playdates – Organize a different play date with a special friend/s leading up to the big day.
• Pre Birthday Video Calls – Arrange some video calls with friends and family who live far away – you could have some birthday online games or do a virtual cake cutting.
• Play Birthday Games – We have a large selection of free printable party games that are perfect to print and play with the kids.
• Birthday Questionnaires – We have created 6 free printable birthday interview questions sheets for kids. Ask your kids all the fun questions over 6 days leading up to their birthday. Record the answers as a fun memento of their thoughts and personality at this age.
• Birthday Countdown Calendar – There are heaps of printable birthday countdown calendars right here. Simply print out and count down the days with your kids until the big day.
• Pre Birthday Messages – You could also encourage friends and family to send pre birthday messages leading up to the big day. A happy early birthday greeting is always fun leading up to a birthday. Video messages or even snail mail letters would work for this.
• Birthday-themed Craft Days – You could make a special birthday craft leading up to your child’s birthday. It’s a great way to get some crafty birthday decorations put up around the house. We’ve got some free printable birthday banners that you could create and hang up as a fun craft activity.
• Pre Birthday books – Get your kids into reading by having pre birthday story time with special books from the library or give a book a day a pre birthday present. Books are the perfect early birthday gift for kids.
• Birthday Scavenger Hunt – Find heaps of fun printable scavenger hunt ideas right here.
• Pre Birthday Movie Marathon – A movie marathon is a good idea when you want to plan something special but you don’t have a lot of time to plan. Why not watch a selection of your child’s favoritie movies, one per day or do a huge marathon the day before their birthday.
• Birthday Board Game Tournament – Play board games over consecutive days leading up to the big day. Keep a score card for extra fun to see who wins the board game tournament.

Pre Birthday Celebration for Adults

Some super fun ideas for adults pre birthday celebrations are:

• Plan a holiday or a weekend getaway for the birthday person. It could be a surprise or planned holiday – make sure the holiday destination is somewhere they will enjoy their birthday.
• Plan a fun day trip (or several day trips leading up to the actual birthday) to a special place that has sentimental value to the birthday person.
• Plan a spa day or relaxing pampering day – guys can do this too.
• Besties Movie Marathon – plan a chilled out movie marathon with best friends or family and binge watch your favorites with your favorite people.
• Karaoke night – Sing and dance with your friends to your favorite music.
• Sign up for a new hobby such as a cooking class, cocktail making class or art class.
• Plan an adventure activity such as rock climbing or zip lining or something new.
• Plan a personalized photo shoot to capture the birthday person’s unique beauty and personality.
• Escape room – Challenge your friends / family with a fun escape room experience.
• Go on a wine tasting tour – make your own or go on a planned tour.
• Have a day in the great outdoors. Hiking, picnics, bushwalking etc.
• Visit an amusement park with friends and family and take lots of fun photos.
• Sunset picnic – Enjoy a relaxing picnic with friends/family while watching the sunset.
• Plan a games night. – Have lots of board games and card games set up for a fun night in.
• Boating – Hire a boat or a party pontoon for a day out on the water.
• Trivia night – Test your knowledge with a group of friends at a local trivia night at a pub or host your own at home.
• Organize some pre-birthday video calls to catch up with friends and family that you can’t see in person.
• Have a multi-cultural food bonanza. Organize dinner out at a different restaurant with different friends and family for the days leading up to your birthday.

Or if planning a pre birthday celebration for a friends and family ask them some of the birthday questions for adults. There are 8 free printables to download and have fun with.

Pre Birthday Celebration Caption Ideas

Social media has no doubt strengthened the pre birthday trend with people posting week long birthday celebrations leading up to their birthday. This is causing the trend to grow exponentially with people taking inspiration from what they see of their friends and influencers online.

And everyone is doing it: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were recently spotted out and about for Meghan’s pre birthday celebrations.

If you are looking for some fun social media captions to post with your pre birthday photos, we’ve got some fun captions below.

• Pre-birthday mood: Excited and absolutely ready to celebrate!
• Cake, confetti and pre-birthday cheer. It’s time to get this party started!
• The pre-birthday vibes are strong and the anticipation is building. Getting ready for the best fun ever leading up to my birthday.
• Pre-birthday shenanigans: Because who says the fun should wait for the big day only?
• Why limit the celebration to just one day? The pre-birthday party starts now!
• Counting down the moments like it’s New Year’s Eve. But instead it’s my week-long pre-birthday party.
• Cheers to another incredible year. Birthdays are better when you start celebrating early.
• Age is merely a number and the pre-birthday vibes are off the charts!
• This isn’t just a birthday countdown. It’s a pre-birthday adventure filled with joy, laughter, and anticipation.
• Why limit the celebration to just one day? Boring! The pre-birthday party starts now!
• Having the most enjoyable almost birthday celebration. Best birthday ever!
• It’s my birthday week. Time to celebrate!

Pre Birthday Celebration Quotes

Some fun pre birthday celebration quotes to add to your happy early birthday wishes on cards or social media:

• Anticipation is the spice of life and your pre-birthday celebrations are about the get spicy!
• Why wait for your birthday to have a blast? Let’s begin the fun festivities early and make every moment count!
• Life’s too short to not celebrate the days leading up to your big day. Let the pre-birthday fun begin!
• The best way to predict the future is to create it. Let’s start the birthday celebrations early and make it the best birthday ever!
• A little party never hurt anyone. Let’s kick off the pre-birthday festivities in style!
• Turning a year older? Let’s make every moment leading up to your birthday unforgettable.
• The birthday countdown begins. Not waiting any longer to have birthday fun.
• Who says the birthday needs all the spotlight? Let’s shine bright during these pre-birthday celebrations.
• Happy Almost Birthday! Best wishes for today and every day leading up to your birthday.
• Happy Pre Birthday! Hope you have the time of your life.

These pre birthday celebration quotes are great to write on a card or on social media or send in a text.

Please pin for later!

If you’re asking the question: is it okay to celebrate birthday in advance – the resounding answer is yes!

I hope you have enjoyed these pre birthday celebration ideas and that you are getting prepared right now for your next birthday.

But it doesn’t have to stop there. Why not plan a post-birthday celebration too?  Wishing you a great birthday filled with many wonderful birthday ideas.