How to Throw a Great Retirement Party
When a person retires, it is important to honour their achievements and mark the beginning of a new chapter in their life with a retirement party. We’ve put together a to-do list to throw a great retirement party, and in this list, there’s something for everyone to make their retiree’s celebration enjoyable and meaningful.
Contents
- 1 What Is the Best Time to Throw a Retirement Party?
- 2 How to Choose the Best Date for Throwing a Retirement Party
- 3 Plan the Entire Event in Your Mind
- 4 Make Sure the Party Place Is Available
- 5 Who to Invite to the Retirement Party?
- 6 When to Send the Invitations?
- 7 Make a Cool Playlist for the Guests
- 8 The Bottom Line
What Is the Best Time to Throw a Retirement Party?
It’s best to have the party around the time of the actual retirement date to keep the momentum going. So, people are aware that someone is retiring and wish to be a part of the celebration. Once you retire, others will consider it “old news” if you announce it before or after leaving the company. Their personal lives take priority above everything else.
How to Choose the Best Date for Throwing a Retirement Party
The guests’ list will determine the date and venue of the event. So, before you choose a date, consider the following:
- How many people will you have at your party?
- Where do you intend to have your goodbye party?
- What kind of party do you want to have for your last day at work?
Your guest list can help you decide which day is best to throw the party. Weekends are better because people don’t have to work and are more relaxed. The time and place of the party you’re having also plays a role in what you should do. Is it going to be at the office? Is it going to be a dinner with your friends?
For example, you should plan an office retirement celebration with coworkers only throughout the week. The end of the day is preferable so that people do not have to return to work.
On the other hand, if only retirees attend the party, it doesn’t matter what day of the week you organize it. The weekend adds that extra party atmosphere, but a retirement celebration lunch on a Monday can be just as enjoyable as one on a Saturday.
Plan the Entire Event in Your Mind
Figure out what you’re trying to accomplish. Understand where to go within the wide boundaries of the retirement celebration.
- Is it a small, intimate gathering or a larger, more robust one?
- Should you have a theme party or keep things plain and simple?
- Should you drink at work or somewhere else, such as a bar, restaurant, or catered banquet room?
- Is the attire going to be formal or casual?
- What kind of presents, if any, will be handed out?
- Who are you inviting? Only current employees? Should you also include retiring employees? Also, are children welcome, or should it be an “adult-only” event?
You’re on the right track to a terrific retirement party when you get the party parameters right. Answer the questions above to begin the process.
Read more: The Best Retirement Gifts to Celebrate the Beginning of a New Chapter
Make Sure the Party Place Is Available
When you organize a retirement party at a venue, the venue’s availability will also affect the date of the celebration.
Suppose you want to hold the event on a Friday or Saturday, but the location is only available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. In that case, you must decide what is more important to the retiree. To help you out, we’ve given a short guide below:
- Coworkers | During the week | Office party
- Friends, family & coworkers | Weekend | At home
- Coworkers & spouse | Thursday or Friday night | office
- Only retirees | Every day of the week | venue or home
- Family & friends | on the Weekend | venue or home
Who to Invite to the Retirement Party?
In general, retirement is a celebration of life. So, it is best to invite your most influential people. By doing so, you can share the joy of this success with everyone involved.
In any case, here’s the short answer:
For a corporate retirement party: Invite all of your coworkers. A small business invites all of its employees to a party at their place, while larger companies will invite direct coworkers to their events. However, you can ask your friends and family if you want a more significant gathering.
For a private retirement party: Invite only the important people in your or the retiree’s life (a combination of family, friends, and close coworkers) based on the size and budget.
When to Send the Invitations?
People will need to know when the party is to make plans. You should send out your party invitations at least 4-6 weeks before the party date. That should be enough time for the guests to get ready and participate. Also, you might want to remind them again one week before the event.
Best Ideas for Throwing a Retirement Party
Speeches: Most traditional retirement celebrations include speeches honouring the retiree’s contributions.
Autograph Book: A blank book where each guest can write something about the host.
Roast Em: A roast is a ceremony in which a group of friends or coworkers gently mocks the honoree while simultaneously honouring them. Ideally, a range of people from various aspects of the honoree’s life should speak.
Toast and Drink Up: Can you make a unique cocktail to honour the retiree? Call it by their name!
Costumes: What about dressing up all of the guests the same as the retiree? It may be a moving and humorous tribute, and it’s simple.
Make a Cool Playlist for the Guests
Music is essential to any good retirement party, and here is where a solid sound system and a well-curated playlist can make all the difference.
You can create a playlist based on the music your guest of honour likes (for example, rock ‘n roll, big band, country, or R&B, among other things). Alternatively, have some fun with the playlist theme and select work-related songs such as Dolly Parton’s “Nine to Five,” Todd Rundgren’s “I Don’t Want to Work,” or Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack” as your soundtrack. You can also choose tracks from the recommended music playlists for seniors.
The Bottom Line
Retirement is a significant life event. The party provides a time to show gratitude to someone and reflect on their accomplishments over their career. Giving your best wishes to a retiree will make the occasion unforgettable and help them plan a happy life after retirement.
Last month, we celebrated my father’s retirement party with our family and friends. We prepared many delicious foods and drinks and a playlist for dancing. In general, it was a great night, and he received thoughtful gifts from his friends.
I decided to celebrate my wife’s retirement and invite her colleagues and friends. I’m looking for ideas to plan a great party for her that she will never forget. Does anyone know if it is better to have this party at home or in a restaurant?
We’re having a small retirement party for my father next week. He is fifty-eight years old, and he got depressed after his retirement. As his son, I want to make this party unforgettable and unique for him. I have arranged everything and invited all of his friends, but I do not know what I should give him as a gift. Can someone help me find the best gift for him?
You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve got excited when I saw this article!
It usually takes a whole week to think about what I should do, what foods I should prepare, or what to do to make everyone have fun. Now I have an instruction!
I only want to add one more tip that I’ve discovered through my complicating party planning process! Game! Don’t forget to find a funny group game. It really can take your party to another level. You can find dozens of group games on the internet, and you can choose one of them based on the character of your guests and party.
Honestly, I do not see the point in throwing retirement parties. I have seen the goodbye parties my co-workers have thrown for an old friend of mine. Everyone expected it to be a happy occasion, but it mostly felt sad. And people did not bring any meaningful gifts.
My retirement party was not as bad, and people were actually in a celebrating mood. But I did not retire to settle down. I got hired by another organization a few days after the party, which, in my opinion, killed the whole purpose of throwing a goodbye party in the first place.
Hey, guys. I have a few questions regarding a goodbye party that I’ve been invited to. My boss is throwing a retirement party in a few days, and he asked me to attend the party. It is at a small rooftop restaurant. There will be champagne and whatever is on the restaurant’s menu.
I can’t decide what I want to (or what I should) be wearing. Should I go with jeans and be more casual, or should I get super dressy? Is it necessary to bring a present or a card? Is there anything specific I should know before going?
If anyone is concerned about the possibility of spreading covid by throwing a retirement party, they should consider throwing an online retirement party. Last year, my best friend and co-worker were getting retired, and we wanted to prepare a goodbye party for him. But the covid pandemic situation was getting worse, and not everyone was vaccinated. For this reason, we decided to throw a party on Zoom to safeguard everyone’s welfare. Despite my concerns, the party went surprisingly well. We watched youtube videos together, toasted to my friend’s retirement, and talked about the memories we shared working for the company.
One of the most wholesome memories I have is from a group of people throwing a retirement party for someone on the same day as their birthday. Funnily enough, they were “partying” in a vast parking lot. They had their cars in a circle and stood 10 feet away from each other due to the pandemic. They’d walk to the space in the center and make speeches about the guy who was retiring and laugh. Then they started cutting the cake and one person, wearing a face mask, gave everyone a plate with a slice of cake and a fork.