How to Organize the Ultimate Drive-by Birthday Parade

Move over birthday celebrations of the past, there is a new kid in town! Birthday parades have become all the rage recently due to health concerns with the spread of COVID19. Many parents are searching for ways to continue to celebrate during this new normal. We have even received invites for graduation drive-by parades. Which is also a great idea!

We recently celebrated our littlest son’s birthday by setting up a drive-by birthday parade and plan to share practical tips that will help you make your birthday parade a success! You can also find other ways to celebrate at home with these 40 Ways to Celebrate While Social Distancing.

Planning the Parade

Actually pulling off a birthday parade requires a little prep work and organization before the big event. All the planning at the beginning will help make it all go smoother. Trust me! First you need to decide how you are going to conduct the parade. Here are four common ways:

1. Same Drive-By Parade Time For All

This seems to be the most common way. Everyone meets at a predetermined location to line up before the parade begins. Pick a nearby street or parking lot for everyone to meet. Also designate a lead car of a family member or friend for everyone to look out for especially if you are setting up the cars as a surprise.

2. Drive-By Parade By Appointment

Give each friend and family member a designated time slot for them to visit in the driveway. This gives every person a chance to visit and not rush by.

3. Drive-By Window

This is more of a come and go as you please way. Give everyone a time slot of an hour or two for them to drive by at their convenience.

4. Reverse Drive-By Parade

If you live on a busy street or a location just not suitable for a parade, then set up a reverse parade. Determine a location like an empty school or church parking lot for everyone to meet up. Divide the cars into two rows for the birthday guest to walk or ride down the middle.

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Invite Friends and Family

Go ahead and make up an invite to mail, hand-deliver, or send electronically as if you were having an in-person party. We included all the details about the parade, time, location, and even the zoom call after. There is no rsvp needed.

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Reach Out To Police & First Responders

Make the parade even more special by contacting your local police station. We were so grateful that they agreed to be a part of our parade. There were 4 police cars and an ambulance and let me tell you it was loud! You could hear them coming for sure and our birthday boy was about ready to burst with excitement.

Set Up Yard Sign Decorations

We have been aware of these yard sign companies for the last couple of years and due to COVID19 their business has skyrocketed. The reaction from our birthday boy when he saw it for the first time was priceless! It made our house hard to miss for parade-goers plus created a great backdrop. You could even decorate the outside with balloons, sidewalk chalk, and even a special birthday chair for the guest of honor. It was raining just before our parade time so we couldn’t do much more.

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Play Dress Up Or A Fun Theme

Consider dressing up in fun costumes or dress-up clothes to add to the experience. I have seen some little girls wear princess dresses. Our little guy wore his birthday shirt and Hot Wheels Jacket that went with the theme of his party. Get parents involved too! My favorite to date was seeing a family member in an inflations dinosaur costume. Roar!

Decorate Your cars

If you are a party parade guests have fun decorating your vehicle with posters, signs, banners, balloons, and more. For the last parade that we attended, we wrote happy birthday on a long roll of paper that we hung on the side of the truck. Then wrapped the truck in yellow party zone caution tape, tied balloons to the mirrors, hung a birthday banner, and wrote on the windows with chalk markers. Some of my favorite extras have been confetti party poppers and silly string. You can get orders in-store or curbside to help you decorate from stores like Target or Party City.

Hand Out Favors Bags

What kid doesn’t love a goodie bag to take home? Fill a bag with party favors to hand out as people drive by or sit out on an easily accessible table. We packaged ours in boxes and handed them out to kids in each car. We filled it with themed items for his Hot Wheels birthday party. Included in each box was a Hot Wheels car, pencil, sucker, trophy, wheel yo-yo, tattoos, bubble gum, and party blowout.

Send Home ‘Party For One’ Bags

This is a great way for friends and family to join in on the party at home. I have seen others hand out individually wrapped cupcakes, cookies, and even drinks. We gave a bag to each of his classmates that included a cupcake, water bottle, straw, plate, napkin, checkered flag, activity placemat, popcorn container, and popcorn.

Birthday Presents

Gifts are definitely not required but a fun surprise for the birthday boy or girl. After 7 weeks of shelter in place, we were just overjoyed to see the faces of the ones we love. We didn’t expect people to throw out or hand over presents to our birthday boy. Some family members also sent presents in the mail. He opened them all later on a group zoom call.

Plan a Zoom Call

After the parade is all over and everyone has a chance to get back home, host a zoom call to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles. We also invited those to join that were further away and couldn’t drive by. Our 4-year-old was super excited for about 10 minutes to see everyone then his attention span was over. I opted out of a game or anything else and lured him back into the video to open presents.

In the end, the birthday parade is a great way to see friends and the ones we love! We have all been separated for far too long. Have you been to a drive-by birthday party? Share with us your tips on making the best out of our current situation by still celebrating and throwing confetti!