From left: Perez Hilton at his 33rd birthday party; Sean "Diddy" Combs at his 40th birthday party; Katy Perry at her 25th birthday party; Naomi Campbell at Diddy's 35th birthday party. (Bauer Griffin | Getty Images | Pacific Coast News)
With loads of money and entourages full of famous friends, it's no wonder celebrities throw the best birthday parties. Here are seven steps for aspiring party planners to follow to throw truly legendary parties.
1. Spend a Lot of Money
"Go rock your chain, boss / Pour that champagne, boss / Keep gettin' paid, boss / Do whatcha like." -Rick Ross, "Boss"
Cash flows like champagne when it's time to throw a truly baller birthday party. When Diddy turned 40, he put on a lavish velvet-rope party where he made people like Martha Stewart and Kim Kardashian wait in line. The total cost was reportedly around $3 million and $30,000 of that was just on the orchid display he had installed in the Grand Ballroom at The Plaza Hotel in New York.
Hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is joined by his sons Justin Combs (L), Christian Combs (C) and Quincy Brown on stage to blow out candles on his 40th birthday cake during the Sean "Diddy" Combs' Birthday Celebration Presented by Ciroc Vodka at The Grand Ballroom at The Plaza Hotel on November 20, 2009 in New York City. (Getty Images)
2. Get It Sponsored
"Give me the Henny, you can give me the Cris / You can pass me the Rey, but make sure you pass the Courvoisier" -Busta Rhymes, "Pass the Courvoisier"
What's better than spending your money on a party? Spending someone else's money on a party. Vegas nightclubs are often more than happy to help out with parties for the likes of Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, and corporate sponsors are always available, too. When Perez Hilton threw himself a 32nd birthday party it was sponsored by Alize, Arizona Tea, Lifestyles Condoms, and Cafe Bustelo. Even Diddy's lavish 40th was sponsored by his own vodka company, Ciroc.
Perez Hilton arrives at his "OMFB" 31st Birthday Party held at The Viper Room on March 28, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
3. Hold It Over Multiple Days
"Go shorty, it's your birfday / We're gonna party like it's your birfday" -50 Cent, "In Da Club"
Why have one big night when you can keep the party going? Kim Kardashian celebrated her 30th birthday with big parties in both Las Vegas and New York, but Naomi Campbell really knows how to indulge. For her 36th birthday party in 2006, the supermodel enjoyed a $1.8 million party that raged for three days in Dubai's ridiculous Burj Al Arab hotel. She kept guests like David and Victoria Beckham partying by setting different themes for each day: All White for Day 1, Hip-hop for Day 2, and Brazilian Samba for Day 3.
Naomi Campbell celebrates her 40th birthday at La Voile Rouge and has so much fun she sprays champagne on her guests, including Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Afterward, she joins Lopez and Anthony, along with Campbell's boyfriend Vladislav Doronin, on a boat back to their yacht. (Bauer Griffin)
4. Find an Exotic Location
"This is my party, stroll by if you want to / Or ya'll can stay home / But why would you want to?" -Fabolous, "This Is My Party"
Between Vegas, Hollywood, New York and Miami probably 90% of celebrity birthday parties are covered, but some birthday boys and girls wander away from those well-worn cities. For his 40th birthday, Jay-Z treated his A-list guests to a steamy 1920-'40s-themed party in the Dominican Republic where synchronized swimmers entertained the guests, who partied into the night. The next morning, Jay and Beyonce invited everyone back for a steak and lobster brunch.
Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z arrive at Club 55. (Bauer Griffin)
5. Get Great Gifts
"Stacks on deck / Patron on ice / We can pop bottles all night and / You can have whatever you like." - T.I., "Whatever You Like"
Speaking of Beyonce, the singer was lavished with gifts for her 29th birthday. Husband Jay-Z bought her a $20 million private island near the Florida Keys. Not to be outdone (at least in weirdness), Lady Gaga honored Beyonce by presenting her with leather whip bejeweled with hundreds of diamonds.
Lady Gaga displays a pencil drawing of herself given to her by a fan as she leaves her hotel. (Bauer Griffin)
6. Cake is Essential
"I don't want no cake on my birthday / I want my cake erryday, erry day" - Flo Rida, "Birthday"
When Kim Kardashian celebrated her 31st birthday, the bakers at Gimme Some Sugar made her a cake shaped like her and hubby Kris Humphries riding in a Ferrari. Sure, that's cute and all, but Katy Perry went and outdid everyone at her still legendary 25th birthday party in 2009. In keeping with her Willy Wonka theme, four oompah-loompahs brought out a four-tiered birthday cake, but the frosting was the real treat. Following the formalities of the cake and birthday song, Katy covered her guests – who had been instructed to wear all white – in brightly-colored frosting. The party devolved into chaos as guests such as Taylor Swift, Julianne Hough and Russell Brand danced, partied, and covered each other in frosting.
Russell Brand accompanies his girlfriend Katy Perry for her 25th birthday celebrations at Sunset Beach in Hollywood. (Pacific Coast News)
7. Don't Forget the Music
"Got my hands up, they're playin' my song / And now I'm gonna be OK / Yeah! It's a party in the USA!" -Miley Cyrus, "Party in the USA"
When big-time musicians aren't on the road, they sometimes don't mind picking up a birthday gig here and there. Kanye West and Jay-Z teamed up for a Sweet 16 party in June, 2011. The party was for a girl named Leslie Taylor, who immediately became the coolest girl at her school. Kanye played another Sweet 16 party for artist George Condo's daughter. Condo's work appeared on the many variations of 'Ye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. And while it's not a birthday party, Drake pulled down $250,000 to play a bar mitzvah for the son of former NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker.
President Barack Obama celebrated his 50th birthday with performances from Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder while Lady Gaga and Usher played former President Bill Clinton's 65th birthday party. Topping them all is Sting, who enjoyed performances by Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Will.i.am, and Mary J. Blige at his 60th birthday bash.
Rappers Kanye West (L) and Jay-Z perform onstage during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on August 28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)
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