A birthday in a castle is the new hit of Generation Z. Turning 30 is like something out of a fairy tale
In the evening, guests appeared in corsets and chain mail, and then went to the point where they created their own potions. A medieval-style pop playlist played in the background while they drank champagne.
It was just the first night of a three-day 30th birthday celebration that Tolbert had planned for herself. She invited 21 friends to a French chateau, located about 130 km south of Paris, spending about 2,200 euros ($2,557).
— If I can really afford it, why wouldn't I? Tolbert said.
Celina's birthday theme was an enchanted forest
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private archive of Celina Tolbert / businessinsier.com
Birthday boom in the castle
Tolbert, an American social media strategist based in Paris, is among a growing group of older Gen Zers and young millennials who are turning bars and restaurants into castles and palaces for important occasions.
“Our data shows a clear shift towards experiential birthday celebrations,” Oliver Bell, co-founder of British luxury rental company Oliver's Travels, told Business Insider. — Travelers are increasingly choosing unique, historical places for important occasions, and this trend applies to both the domestic and foreign markets.
A castle near Paris that was rented by Celina Tolbert
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private archive of Celina Tolbert / businessinsier.com
Oliver's Travels reports that in their analysis of data from the last five years, nearly 40 percent inquiries about stays to celebrate birthdays came only from the last two years. In terms of bookings, around one in three 30th birthday bookings during this period were made in the last two years.
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According to the company, castles, manors and palaces are the most popular as the background for such celebrations. The most frequently chosen destination is France, then Great Britain, and most customers come from the USA and Great Britain.
The French castle where Millennials hold their parties
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Beks Lockie private archive / businessinsider.com
Airbnb is also observing an increase in interest in staying in castles among younger travelers. Gen Z travelers are increasingly swapping city breaks for stays in countryside castles, and the trend is “accelerating,” says Lisa Marçais, Airbnb's general manager for the UK, Ireland, Northern Europe and the Middle East and Africa.
Bram Gallagher, director of economics and forecasting at AirDNA, a company that collects data on short-term rentals, among others. from Airbnb and Vrbo, claims that the demand for stays in castles in France has “been systematically growing for three years.”
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According to AirDNA data, the number of overnight stays in the 12 months to the end of April 2026 was almost 16%. higher in France than in the same period in 2022
In his opinion, this is the result of the fact that round birthdays are part of a growing trend on the short-term rental market – experience-oriented travel.
A new wedding replacement
For Tolbert, organizing her birthday in a historic French castle was also a way to make up for another occasion.
“Some of us don't get married or didn't have money when we got married,” Tolbert said.
In 2023, she entered into a civil union and celebrated modestly “for the sake of finances”, but – as she admitted – it never “satisfied this need” to do something bigger. When she turned 30, she felt she could finally allow herself to be a little crazy.
“I don't plan to have children and neither do many of my friends,” he says. — I can think of it as: I spend the money that my friends spend on children on myself. I could buy a very expensive dog or rent a castle.
Celina Tolbert on her birthday
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private archive of Celina Tolbert / businessinsier.com
Amanda Rollins, a 35-year-old internet creator from Boston living in Paris, has made birthdays at the castle a tradition. “I did it last year, two years ago, and I'll do it this year,” she tells Business Insider.
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For her 34th birthday, Rollins rented the Chateau de Rubelles, about 60 km southeast of Paris. The 38-hectare estate is inhabited by deer and wild rabbits, there is a decorative pond and a grand ballroom inside. The rental and private chef cost approximately €7,700, of which Rollins covered €4,450. Her 26 guests paid an additional EUR 125 per person.
Amanda Rollins on her 34th birthday
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Amanda Rollins private archive / businessinsider.com
A year later, for her 35th birthday, she rented a 19th-century castle in Manou, about 120 km southwest of Paris, via Airbnb for about EUR 5,500. Surrounded by a moat and soaring towers, it looked like something out of a fairy tale, although – as Rollins admits – it was more rustic inside than the previous location. This time it covered about one fifth of the costs, and 36 guests paid EUR 120 each.
Amanda Rollins' birthday
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Amanda Rollins private archive / businessinsider.com
Like Tolbert, Rollins sees these celebrations as a replacement for lavish weddings. “My friends, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful women, are single by choice right now,” says Rollins, who is also single. — So if there's no wedding, why not have a big party?
Collecting experiences
In some ways, the boom in castle birthdays fits right in with trends specific to millennials and Generation Z. Today's Americans are getting married and having children later than earlier generations—often only in their late 20s or early 30s, rather than in their early teens—and typically prefer to invest in experiences rather than things. It's similar in Europe.
A castle near Bordeaux that Beks Lockie rented for her birthday
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Beks Lockie private archive / businessinsider.com
“Millennials are reaching traditional milestones later in life,” Justin Hacks, a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual, told Business Insider, “which allows them to be more flexible when it comes to travel and spending on celebration trips.”
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It may also indicate a change in spending habits. Northwestern Mutual's Consumer Sentiment Survey of 2,511 people, published in April, found that families who spend consciously in uncertain times feel more in control of their finances. The study described such conscious spending as “well-planned splurges that last a lifetime.”
“Thirty is special”
For Beks Lockie, a London-based media lawyer originally from New Zealand, her three-day, 30th birthday at a castle near Bordeaux in 2024 was an opportunity to create important memories with her loved ones.
Beks Lockie
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Beks Lockie private archive / businessinsider.com
“Whether it's a concert, a vacation or something else, I think people are increasingly willing to invest in experiences and making memories,” Lockie says. — In the era of artificial intelligence, real experiences become more valuable.
The birthday trip, including accommodation, flights, a private chef, shopping and a tour of vineyards, cost approximately USD 8,700, divided among 13 people, approximately USD 670 each. from a guest.
Lockie thinks it was worth it because it's rare to get the opportunity to “dress up and run around the castle with your friends.”
She predicts that when she turns 40, such trips will be more difficult to organize because more and more of her friends will start families.
— I don't think it would be that easy to convince 13 people to go to the castle for a long weekend, he says. —Thirty is truly special.
The above text is a translation from American edition of Business Insider
