Renaissance Man Birthday Ideas

Let this party celebrate his special talents.Paper Boat Creative/Lifesize/Getty Images

If you are celebrating a person's birthday with the Renaissance Man theme, you have many options from which to choose. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a Renaissance Man as "a person who has wide interests and is expert in several areas." When designing your Renaissance Man's party, keep in mind his special interests and talents, and think of a way to bring his strengths into the limelight.

Award Show

When creating an award show party, look to events such as the Video Music Awards or the Grammys. Make a list of your birthday boy's talents, and create catchy rewards to match, such as "Best Dancer 2010", "Most Improved in Singing" or "Inventor of the Year". Design certificates of appreciation, or if you have the time to get fancy, create trophies with customized plaques. Create a video or picture slideshow of the birthday boy performing the acts he will soon be rewarded for, and broadcast them on a computer, television or projector screen to the guests before welcoming him on stage to accept his reward. All night long on his birthday, the Renaissance Man will be the only reward recipient. Use this activity as a way to highlight all of the different things he is good at. Have guests dress up like actors, singers and other celebrities to encourage participation in the party theme. Decorate with a red carpet, Christmas lights, caution tape, and microphones. Have two or three guests pretend to be paparazzi lining the entrance to the party.

If your birthday boy is truly a Renaissance Man, let him show his skills in front of the party guests. Create three or four contests, such as a singing contest, a dancing contest and a long math problem, depending on what the birthday boy is good at. Invite guests to compete with him in each contest, whether it be karaoke, learning and performing dance steps or solving a long math problem on a white board. In the spirit of celebrating the birthday boy, make sure to set him up for success. Hand out his gifts as prizes for winning each contest.

Rally potential party guests into foregoing the traditional gift giving. Instead, have each person donate the money they would have spent on a tangible gift for an experience gift. An experience gift might mean hiking, rock-climbing or visiting a science museum. The experience should let the birthday boy practice or explore the creative gifts that make him a Renaissance Man. Invite guests along to do his favorite things and celebrate his talents.