Retirement Party Humor Themes

Need some retirement party humor themes for a cheeky guest of honour? The following funny retirement farewell party ideas should help inspire you to fill in the rest of the details like appropriate food, decorations and retirement party games. Make sure the retiree has a sense of humor before you go ahead!!

• Don’t Bug Me: For the individual who is retiring and doesn’t know what they want to do, except not be bothered any more, a “Don’t Bug Me” party would be lots of fun. Bug themed, you can have plastic bugs on the tables, or hanging from the ceiling, bug spray (disguised air freshener) and mosquito nets. Encourage the retiree to “Bee themselves” and humor them by saying that you know they are “itching to go”.   Present the retiree with items such as a Sour Face mask, a walking stick they can wave threateningly, a Beware of the Crank sign for their front gate, so that they can enjoy a peaceful and people-free life.

• Your Sentence Is Over: Jail themed “fun” party for an individual retiring. Black and white striped shirts, discarded ball and chains and handcuffs with keys in them, a “get out of jail free” card blown up and put on the wall. "Last Meal" fantasy food could be served on the disposable compartmentalized paper trays available at many grocery stores.  Present the retiree with items to use in their new-found freedom, such as portable flashing lights for when they want to just run night or day, a fake phone for pretending to call the boss if they have slavery-withdrawal, and Steel Bars decal for their windows to feel more at home!

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• Another One Bites The Dust: A retirement party humor theme based on Rock Music, with covers of Rolling Stone as decoration, lots of rock music, you could ask everyone to wear their favorite concert tee shirts.  This is a good theme if music is the retiree's main passion - after the party, diehard fans hang out with the retiree for a concert or pub pand.

• Out To Pasture: Based on the idea of being “put out to pasture” this would have to be used for someone who has an excellent sense of humor. Use horse themes, a saddle, riding boots, riding crop, sunsets etc., as decorations.  For a darker theme, have a picture of the glue factory with the name "glue factory" crossed out and "Corn fields rest home" written over it!  Why be subtle? Play "Pin the retiree to the scene" with a full body picture of the honored person, and a mural of many scenes e.g. holidays, the glue factory, the picnic under trees, babysitting etc, to see where they will end up :)

This is a good theme for anyone located in a rural area.  Make a weekend of it with camping!

• Over The Hill: A retirement party based on the premise that the individual retiring is now “over the hill” this could only be successfully used if the person has an excellent sense of humor. “Over the Hill” theme decorations can be found in any party store. 

Images of a stone teetering on the edge of a hill, or the same stone gathering speed down the other side of the hilll would be funny (maybe stick the retiree-to-be's face to the stone, upside down).  Add to the images some other stones waiting in line near the top of the hill then stick other faces to those stones for a big Hint Hint  ;)  Get a picture of someone from HR kicking those stones!

There's more than one way to have a ball! Click for more retirement farewell themes!

• The Twilight Zone: “Now that you are retiring, you are entering into the Twilight Zone” . If you can get someone to do a voice-over with the Twilight Zone theme, that would be an excellent intro for the party, low lighting, hang tinsel from the ceiling and in the doorway. Announcer could introduce the retiree – and doing a running comedy narration of their exploits – a slide show used with an overhead projector would be great for this – sepia toned of course to fit the mood.

If you want to be really dark (instead of festive!) the theme could merge with a "Logan's Run" (dystopian movie based on an ageist society requiring the death of anyone over the age of 21) atmosphere!  Dark humor required here!  For workplaces such as morgues, funeral parlours, hospitals, legal offices, any place where the burnout is high and the work involves the darker side of life...

• Every Day Fever: A Disco Themed retirement party, based on the premise that after retirement Saturday Night Fever isn’t just for Saturday nights anymore.

A real live disco would be optimum for this, with dance music and a disco ball and strobe lights, but a good disc jockey could pull off the same effect and would probably cost less.

Dancing IS the activity here.  Get the DJ to play iconic songs from every decade the retiree has lived through.  The retiree or similar aged friends could demonstrate the moves they learned!

• The Snuggie Slumber Party: A retirement party based on the idea that “now you’ll be able to work from home in your PJ’s”. Sleepover snacks for the food. Everyone has to attend in a snuggie or PJ’s.  This would be a great idea if the retiree just wants to binge watch episodes of Law and Order or Agatha Christie or whatever - so once the niceties/festivities are over the real business can begin - only devoted fans will kick on for the rest of the night.

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