A 60th often has a different feel from a 50th. The party is more likely to be organised by the children, and there may be grandchildren running around. The birthday person is usually looking at the next part of their life with some excitement, whether that is retirement, more time with the family or the trip they have been talking about for twenty years.
The birthday speech guide covers the general structure. This page is about what makes a 60th speech different, especially when a son or daughter is giving it.
What 60 usually brings
By 60 most people have a long working life behind them, and many are either close to retiring or have just finished. Some are becoming grandparents for the first time. Others are caring for a parent in their eighties or nineties, or helping their own children with a first house. It is often a time when people pick up something they put aside years ago, such as golf, painting, travel or learning a language.
A 60th speech can look back at what they have done and look forward at what they are planning. Mentioning their plans is a nice touch, because it shows you have been listening.
Growing up in the 60s and 70s
Anyone turning 60 in 2026 was born in 1966, the year England won the World Cup. Plenty of dads that age like to remind people of this, even though they were a few weeks or months old at the time. They started school around the time decimal money arrived in 1971, and they were teenagers in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Ask them, or their brothers and sisters, about the details: the Chopper bike, the first record, the Saturday job, the holidays in a caravan. Their own parents may be at the party, and they will have stories you have never heard. These early details are good for gentle humour, and they give the younger guests a picture of a person they have only ever known as Mum, Dad or Grandad.
If you are a son or daughter giving the speech
Speaking about a parent is lovely and can be surprisingly emotional. A few things help:
- Tell stories from your childhood from their side. What were they doing to keep the family going while you were growing up?
- Include your other parent, or their partner, by name. If your parents are separated, talk to them both first.
- Check with your brothers and sisters, so the speech speaks for all of you.
- If there are grandchildren, say something about your parent as a grandparent. It's often the part that gets the warmest reaction.
Tips for a 60th speech
- Keep it to three or four minutes, especially if other people are speaking.
- Welcome any older relatives by name, particularly their own parents or aunts and uncles.
- Joke about their taste in music, their driving or their love of a bargain. Leave out anything about their health or memory.
- If a parent or someone close has died, a short, warm mention is enough, for example "Nan would have loved this."
- If they are about to retire, mention their plans. It helps to finish the speech on something they are looking forward to.
Example 60th birthday speech (about 3 minutes)
This example is from Ravi for his dad Sanjay's 60th, at a family party at a banqueting hall in Blackburn. Sanjay has just retired after running a newsagent's for over thirty years.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Ravi, Sanjay's son. My sister Anita and I have been given strict instructions by Mum to keep this short, so I'll do my best.
First, thank you all for coming. A special welcome to Dad's brother, Uncle Mahesh, who has come all the way from Bolton and has told us three times already how bad the traffic was. And thank you to Mum, who has organised every detail of tonight, including the seating plan, which I'm told took longer than planning our weddings.
Dad was born in July 1966, three weeks before England won the World Cup. He has always talked about it as if he was there at Wembley with a rattle.
For thirty-four years Dad ran the shop on Whalley Range. He was up at five every morning to sort the papers, six days a week, and he knew every customer by name and most of them by their order. When I was about nine, I asked him why he didn't have a lie-in like other dads. He told me that the people of Blackburn needed their Lancashire Telegraph, and that was the end of the conversation.
He is also the most loyal Blackburn Rovers fan in Lancashire. He took me to Ewood Park for the first time when I was six. Rovers lost three nil, it rained the whole game, and on the way home he told me it had been a great day out. He has said the same thing after most games since, except the season we won the league, when he was too hoarse to say anything.
In March he handed the shop over to the Patels from Darwen, and he now says he is busier than ever. As far as we can tell, this is mainly because of the driving range and his granddaughter. Tara is eight months old, and Dad has already bought her a Rovers shirt in every size up to age five.
Dad, everything Anita and I know about working hard and being kind to people, we learned from watching you. We're so proud of you, and we hope the next sixty years have more lie-ins.
So would you all please raise your glasses. To Dad. Happy sixtieth.
Why it works: Ravi thanks his mum and welcomes family, and gives a picture of his dad's working life that everyone in Blackburn will recognise. The teasing is about football and the World Cup, and it ends on his dad's new role as a grandad.
Other milestone birthdays
If you are speaking for your partner, the 50th birthday speech page has an example from a wife to her wife. For a grandparent, see the 80th birthday speech guide, and for an old friend, the 70th birthday speech. If the birthday coincides with a retirement, the retirement speech guide may help too.
Common questions
What should I say in a speech for my mum or dad's 60th?
Thank everyone for coming, give a few highlights of their life, and tell one or two stories from your childhood that show what they are like. Say something about them as a grandparent if that applies, and finish with a toast to them by name.
What happened in the year people turning 60 in 2026 were born?
They were born in 1966, the year England won the World Cup at Wembley. They started school around the time decimal money came in, in 1971, and were teenagers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Should my brothers and sisters and I give one speech or several?
Either works. One of you can speak for everyone, which keeps things short, or you can each take a part. If you split it, agree the stories beforehand so nobody repeats one, and keep the total to five or six minutes.
Is it all right to joke about retirement at a 60th?
Yes, if they are looking forward to it or have just retired happily. Gentle jokes about golf, gardening or having nothing to do on a Monday usually go down well. If retirement is a sore point, leave it out.