Washington ( CNN ) -- While the first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha were away this weekend , President Barack Obama has been enjoying what some have jokingly referred to as a bachelor 's weekend with friends -- golfing , playing basketball and grilling out on the South Lawn . The festivities are all part of a belated birthday celebration of sorts for the president , who turned 49 on Wednesday . First lady Michelle Obama and youngest daughter Sasha , 9 , were on vacation in Spain , while 12-year-old Malia is attending camp . Friends from Hawaii , Chicago , Illinois , and college joined the president on Saturday at Andrews Air Force Base for a round of golf . The sports outings continued Sunday with a basketball game at Fort McNair where Obama -- along with such NBA stars as LeBron James , Dwayne Wade , Grant Hill and Earvin `` Magic '' Johnson -- played in front of an audience of wounded servicemen and participants in the White House mentoring program . Obama was scheduled to return to the White House Sunday evening with friends and some of the basketball players for a seafood barbecue on the South Lawn . Workers were seen setting up grills on the lawn Sunday morning in preparation for the party . Tables set up with white and yellow linens and adorned with centerpieces of lemons and limes dotted the lawn . The menu is expected to include shrimp from the Gulf Coast , where the seafood industry has been hard hit by the BP oil disaster , according to White House aide Katie Hogan . CNN 's Jonathan Helman contributed to this report .
The president turned 49 on Wednesday . The first lady and the couple 's daughters are away this weekend . Obama played golf on Saturday and basketball on Sunday . Comment: