How to get Birthday Song advancement in Minecraft

Introduced in Minecraft 1.19, the Birthday Song advancement is one of the many in Java Edition. However, it's also one of the six advancements hidden within the game that will only appear once they are obtained.

Since it's a hidden advancement, finding out how to achieve Birthday Song can't be accomplished by viewing the advancements tab. Instead, players will have to look elsewhere in the game's code, the cheat console, or posted by other players and content creators online. It's also possible that a Minecraft player could accidentally stumble into unlocking this advancement.

But how do players unlock this elusive advancement? To be honest, it isn't too difficult, but a few things will be needed.

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Unlocking the Birthday Song Advancement in Minecraft

Since Birthday Song is hidden, Minecraft players may inadvertently unlock it without knowing it's there (Image via Minecraft Bug Report)

Players must have an allay mob drop a cake at a note block to obtain the Birthday Song advancement in Minecraft: Java Edition. This is relatively easy to pull off as long as players can quickly craft a note block and two cakes. Finding an allay can take a little while, but once players have found their little blue friend, getting them to drop the cake is pretty simple.

Here's how you can unlock the Birthday Song Advancement:

1. Find an allay. These mobs tend to spawn in cages near pillager outpost structures but can also be found imprisoned in woodland mansion structures.
2. Free the allay and either place your note block or bring the allay to a note block you've already placed. Using a lead is helpful here to ensure the allay doesn't wander too far from the note block.
3. Give the allay a cake. Then, drop your second cake as close to the note block as you can.
4. Activate the note block. The allay should fly to the note block, drop the cake it's holding and pick up the cake you dropped on the ground. Afterward, the advancement should unlock and this will be confirmed by a notification.

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While there are many other ways to accomplish this advancement, the method listed above should be straightforward. If the allay doesn't fly to the cake that players have dropped near the note block, it may be necessary to reposition the note block closer to the allay. Since these mobs like to fly about and wander, using a lead to keep the allay nearby can be helpful. However, players should note that the lead will detach when they give the allay their cake.

Additionally, if Minecraft players still need help acquiring this advancement due to allays wandering off, there's a nice alternative. Instead of freeing an allay from its prison room in a woodland mansion, it's also possible to enter the prison room with the allay and perform a note block/cake trick. This will prevent the allay from wandering off and it should still collect the cake as intended. Some woodland mansions even contain multiple allays in their prison rooms, making the method easier to pull off.