Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres turned 50 this year and certainly marked the date with some fun party ideas.

She held a carnival at Warner Bros studios which included a big wheel, bumper cars, a carousel, stilt walkers, a dunk tank and 10 ft tall elephant-shaped bushes.

Celebrities who came bearing birthday gifts included Paris Hilton and Benji Madden, David and Courtney Cox Arquette and Tom Hanks.

Newlyweds Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon also made an appearance, after having kept out of the public eye while planning their secret wedding ideas.

Guests indulged in sushi, dim sum, yogurts and red velvet cupcakes while watching Pink, ACDC and DJ Samantha Ronson perform.

DeGeneres' girlfriend Portia de Rossi has previously told the Sun newspaper that she would like to get married if gay weddings were made legal in the US.

This week, Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon has said she too would marry her girlfriend, Christine Marinoni, if New York would allow them to have a civil partnership.