J.M.
My husband's turning 40 in a couple of weeks. I got a bunch of tickets to a Bruins (hockey) game and I'm surprising him with a trip to the game with a bunch of his friends and we're going out to dinner at a local place afterward. Because everyone bought their own tickets (I checked for interest before I ordered) and everyone will buy their own drinks, etc, it's not a very expensive get together. It's different, and something that he loves too.
Hope this helps!