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Original poster

If you’ve recently organised a birthday party for your 5, 6 or 7 year old...

44 replies

Ohfgsnotagain · 13/03/2022 17:32

What type of party was it? How many children did you invite eg whole class or select few/bunch and how much did you spend?

I’m trying to organise a party for my 6 year old. The standard in her class seems to be whole class, hired hall, hired entertainer to run it (which is fab but approx £250 for 2 hours) plus decorations, food, cake, goody bags etc..... it’s totalling to an eye watering amount of around £700! Seriously considering taking 10 friends to a soft play party package instead.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ohfgsnotagain · 13/03/2022 17:33

Before anyone asks state school not private!

OP posts:
LairyMcClairy · 13/03/2022 17:35

15 at softplay. Mainly school friends but a couple of neighbours and nursery friends. Hot dinner and ice cream included in price so just bought cake and party bags. About £300 all in.

RandomDent · 13/03/2022 17:36

10 at a laser blast place. £200 all in.

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6 year olds
delilabell · 13/03/2022 17:36

Around here it's whole class in a sports hall or few friends to soft play. For our dd who is 6 she had about 15 friends to the house for a tea party including treasure hunt and face painting. That is a hideous amount for a party. What does dd want?

Cuddlywaterfall · 13/03/2022 17:36

Just had a party for my 6 year old. We invited 6 of his friends from school to our house, they played Running Around Like Lunatics for about 30 mins before I kicked them out into the garden! Then we had cake, pizza, Mario Cart and pass the parcel. Parents collected at 5, party bags and home. Everyone happy! This is not out of line with other parties we have been to. State school, SW London (not the posh bit)

TeddyTonks · 13/03/2022 17:37

I did whole class, village hall, entertainer. Age 5. 35 kids:

£55 hall
£150 entertainer
£40 on sandwich box each, with half sandwich, raisins, chocolate and biscuit
£20 on balloons, hats, secs
£35 on 35 X £1 sweet cones for 'party bags'

£300 total...

OneForTheRoadThen · 13/03/2022 17:37

I've booked a party at Gravity with Pizza Express food. It was £450 for 17 children. Luckily my ex paid half as I wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise

TeddyTonks · 13/03/2022 17:37

Oh, and made my own cake for about £15

SouthOfFrance · 13/03/2022 17:38

I've not organised one recently but my child has been to a few. All softplay ones, some whole class, others around 16 children.

I agree hiring a hall, entertainer and food all adds up, but not as much as £700! You must live somewhere more expensive than us. Here it would be £250 for the entertainer, £30 for a hall hire then food and party bags on top. Soft play is a lot simpler and cheaper to organise I agree.

Some leisure centres do a bouncy castle and gym equipment hire in their sports hall, if you need a different option

devildeepbluesea · 13/03/2022 17:39

Did a trampoline party, joint with her friend with a similar party. Zero effort, maximum fun. They had hot dogs and chips then cake for pudding. Haven’t had the bill yet but I think all in it will come to about £100-150 per family. Bargain.
That was for girls of the class, around 18 in total.

Original poster
Ohfgsnotagain · 13/03/2022 17:40

I know it’s a ridiculous amount of money! I think DD would rather have about 15, all the girls apart from 2 who she’s always said are really mean but I’m uncomfortable with just leaving 2 girls out although I have a feeling one of the girls left just her and one other girl out of her party. And literally about 4 of the boys, so about 15 in total.

OP posts:
GregBrawlsInDogJail · 13/03/2022 17:44

Trampolining. Ten kids, food included, £200 plus I also paid someone separately to make the cake (ain't got no time for that shiz). Oh, and I suppose there was probably another £30 odd on party bag shite.

TheSpanishApartment · 13/03/2022 17:53

Trampoline park, 10 kids, all food and drink included but we made the cake and took party bags. Did the whole class party in the hall thing for 5th and was so much hard work, I swore never again. Trampoline park was zero stress.

bobblesandbows · 13/03/2022 19:04

I have learned that kids parties cost either your time or your money. If you spend the money they you don't need to spend so much time organising. But if you're saving the money you have to look at other ways to make it work. There are loads of websites online that can give you ideas. I also make the cake which saves money - but again, that is time!

We did a pretty cheap secret agent party for my 6 year old. We have a small 3 bed semi and we squeezed them all in. We had the 15 girls only from the class. I drew a map of the 'town main street' with her name on it - ie - XTown - and dh recorded a video saying that he was the chief secret agent of XTown and the jewellery shop had been robbed and they had to track down the thieves by following their tracks into some of the shops. As they came in they had to take their shoes off and put each one into a different bag. (We had already put a shoe with a clue into one of the bags) and they did some colouring until everyone had arrived. Then they watched the video and it led them to the party shop (balloons with clues inside that they had to pop them), which led to the bed shop (all went upstairs and the birthday girl had to find the next clue hidden amongst her teddies) then to the shoe shop (emptied all the shoes out of the bags and they had to find the clue) then to the dress shop (in teams make an outfit out of toilet paper for one person in your team) then the best outfit got given the next clue, which led to the theatre (taught them a dance I made up based using the music to Mission Impossible) then they all got a paper puzzle I printed out of a man carrying a parcel which led to the post office - and they played pass the parcel. The parcel inside was a packet of sweetie watches and they all got one. Then they had tea and played with balloons until they were picked up. The girls all loved it! I've done this 3 times for each of my girls as they turned 6 and they all loved it - their friends still talk about it to my oldest and she just turned 11!

Another friend did a superhero party, another turned their house into an escape room - the theme seems to be that there is a problem to solve and they have to work out the clues / do the party activities that you choose to get the answer / win the game etc. Lots of fun but it does take time to set up and you have to plan the timings as well to make sure you can get through it all...

SouthOfFrance · 13/03/2022 19:14

BobblesandBowsthat's such a great party idea, how lovely that you did all that organising and fun and how well it was remembered.

TheSnowyOwl · 13/03/2022 19:17

Is there another child in the class with a birthday at a similar time, so you can share the costs?

NameChange30 · 13/03/2022 19:19

Just did my DS's 5th birthday party at soft play.
They charge £15/child and we had 12 (including DS) so £180.
I spent about £25 on party bag stuff, hate the damn things but it seems they're not optional.
DS didn't like the expensive cake I'd ordered for his actual birthday so for his party I let him choose the one he wanted in the supermarket, £8.50.
Apparently it was actually quite nice Grin
Total about £215

In the past for DC's birthdays we've hired a hall plus bouncy castle (3rd birthday) or soft play equipment (1st birthday), plus ordered a nice cake, bought food and drink. The parties have been lovely, nice for the adults and kids, and we've been able to invite more people as plenty of space and not paying per head. It's a lot of work though to sort all the food, set up and clear up.

If you want to invite the whole class I think a hall is more cost-effective. If you do something like soft play or trampolining or whatever, that charges per child, it makes sense to limit numbers.

Does your DC have a friend or cousin with a birthday close to theirs? If so maybe you could save money/effort by doing a joint thing.

NameChange30 · 13/03/2022 19:21

PS how the hell would you spend £700 on a hall party?! I think ours were about £250

Normandy144 · 13/03/2022 19:24

We're in the south east and did a party for 23 kids in the village hall earlier this year with entertainer and it was just over £400 all in. Party food was basic: ham,jam and cheese sandwiches, crisps, choc fingers, cocktail sausages and fruit shoot.

Hall hire: £32
Entertainment:£250
Food: £45
Party bags: £50
Decoration/food boxes.£30
Cake: £15 home made but bought some cake toppers.

Leggingslife · 13/03/2022 19:24

4 friends, tea party at home, I made the cake. 40 quid tops. I don't get all this money spent on kids' parties I'm afraid.

NameChange30 · 13/03/2022 19:29

Oh and I meant to also say, DS has attended a couple of low key 5th birthday celebrations this year. Small party at a friend's house. Trip to soft play with friend after school (not full party just a regular soft play visit) followed by McDonald's. So I don't think it has to be a huge party necessarily. I guess not everyone can afford that kind of money, especially not if you want to get them an expensive gift too.

DelurkingAJ · 13/03/2022 19:33

We’re doing a whole class plus a few party for DS2 who will be turning 6.

Hall hire £36
Party bags £100ish
Cake and food £150ish
Party games and treats £20

We offered DS2 an entertainer (he’s missed two parties due to COVID) but he said he wanted DH to run the games…poor DH has manfully agreed.

Hulahula86 · 13/03/2022 19:49

My daughters on year R so we’ve had a lot of class parties which must cost a fortune!
Luckily she just wanted the girls there is only 11 including her in the class so we’ve booked and Elsa to come to our house to do the party and we’ll do party food and teas and coffees for parents, my partner turned our shed into a bar so will set up the tea and coffees in there so they are nearby but it’s not too crowded for the Elsa to do her thing! X

Solongtoshort · 13/03/2022 19:54

We had a afternoon tea with Anna and Elsa and with 4 of her friends, it was a grouping offer and about £100.

She has been to a few parties lately

A soft play, whole class only about 10, that was £140 l know because l looked into it.

Trampolining party £150 fir £10 children my son had this, a mum was unhappy that her child wasn’t invited and the mum paid for another child, l was shocked she sat there telling us.

And the last one was a community centre with a dj who played games with the kids, it was fab the mum decorated the hall with decorations and ballon arches from Home bargains, girls only from school. It was so good.

She has been invited to a pamper party in two weeks, l am conflicted with this one l am not sure she will be going.

Bugbeau · 13/03/2022 19:55

Just had my daughters 6th bday party. We had 20 children, about 15 from her class, the neighbours & relatives made up the other 5. It was a soft play and party games at the local gym. They did everything, food, party bags etc. We just brought the cake. It cost around £250 in total.