50th anniversary gift ideas for parents
After 50 years, they have the things they need. Give them back something from when they were young. Here are 7 ideas.
The quick list
| Gift | Best if |
|---|---|
| A concert they went to together, rebuilt | They have a concert from their dating years they still bring up. |
| Their wedding photos, restored | The wedding album is falling apart. |
| Their first-dance song, framed | They had a song. |
| Letters from the family | There’s a big family to pull in. |
| A trip to where they met or married | They still talk about where it began. |
| A dinner with the people from the wedding | They’d love a party but would never plan one. |
| Something gold | They like tradition. |
1
A concert they went to together, rebuilt
$89
A private page about a show they saw as a young couple: live music from that tour, the setlist, and the story of the night, written to both of them. Our records are thinner for the early 1970s than the 80s, so tell us what you know and we’ll say quickly if we can find it.
Best if: They have a concert from their dating years they still bring up.
How the story could start Sample
Mom and Dad, it was a Monday in February 1977. Fleetwood Mac played the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley. You were there together.
A sample opening line, built from a real night: Fleetwood Mac in Berkeley, February 28, 1977, early in the Rumours tour.
Find their show See a real one
Ready in about a week. Order by December 18 for Christmas. Full refund if we can’t find the show.
2
Their wedding photos, restored
Old prints fade and crack. Have the best ones scanned and restored, then framed or made into a small book.
Best if: The wedding album is falling apart.
3
Their first-dance song, framed
A print with the song title, the date and the place they married. Or the record itself in a frame.
Best if: They had a song.
4
Letters from the family
Ask kids, grandkids and old friends to each write a page about them. Bind the letters into one book.
Best if: There’s a big family to pull in.
5
A trip to where they met or married
Plan a weekend back where it started: the town, the church, the place they had their first date.
Best if: They still talk about where it began.
6
A dinner with the people from the wedding
Gather the friends and family who were there 50 years ago. Ask everyone to bring a photo from back then.
Best if: They’d love a party but would never plan one.
7
Something gold
Gold is the traditional 50th anniversary gift: a small piece of jewelry, a gold-framed photo, or a gold-trimmed keepsake.
Best if: They like tradition.
How to find their concert
- Ask them which concerts they went to when they were dating. Most couples remember at least one.
- Ask an aunt, uncle or old friend who went with them.
- Work out the year: a couple married in 1976 was likely dating in the early to mid 1970s.
- Type the band and the year into our finder.
Questions
What do you get parents for their 50th anniversary who have everything?
Something about their life together: a night from when they were young, their wedding photos restored, or letters from the family.
What is the traditional 50th anniversary gift?
Gold. Many families also mark the 50th with a party or a trip.
What if they don’t remember the exact date of the concert?
The band and about when is enough to start. If we can’t find the show, you get a full refund.
Does this work for a 40th anniversary too?
Yes. Couples married in the 1980s often have even better luck: our records for 80s concerts are the most complete.
Updated October 30, 2026. We don’t earn anything from the ideas on this list that aren’t ours. Also see: Gifts for baby boomer parents · Gifts for a classic rock dad