Which party option?

[PartyPanties]

DH and I disagree on which party option is best for DTwins (turning 7)

Both parties at the same venue - huge play centre with laser quest, electric climbing walls, rope climbing course and massive soft play.

What do you think is best?

Option 1) £250
15 children so each child can invite 6 friends plus cousins (+ 1 adult per child) includes hot party food & 1.5 hours of play in the soft play and climbing walls only & 30 mins food.
Unlimited squash for kids and 1 hot drink per adult.
Party bags and invites included.
Afternoon slot 2-4 / 4-6

Option 2) £400
Exclusive hire for 120 guests (this would probably be 60 kids + 60 adults) so could each invite their whole class plus a few outside of school friends / cousins.
Exclude use of all facilities. Adults allowed to use the electronic climbing walls and rope course whilst their children play.
No food or drinks included but parents could buy from the on-site food bar (20% off menu prices for the night)
No party bags
2 hour session 6.30-8.30pm on a Saturday night.

DH is concerned option 2 has no food included and parents would be funny about having to buy their own if they want anything - we can't afford 60+ meals on top of the £400 but I think it's late enough in the eve that it wouldn't really matter.

DH also thinks option 2 is too late in the evening for 7 year olds. Venue is 20 mins away from school. It would be during Easter holidays.

Sorry I've just heard back from the venue and option 2 is for 120 children, all of whom can bring a supervising adult not 60 kids and 60 adults!

1

Who is supervising those kids in option 2 when the parents are of having fun?

Party 1, for a mix of 6/7 year olds. The second one is too late, and seems aimed at an older group.

Option 2 is a quite late since I assume plenty of their school friends will still be six.

How many friends do they want to invite? I’m not sure either option is really completely right; either few friends or very late and no food. Are there any other venues?

Option 1
Option 2 sounds horrendous
Bigger is not always better

Option 1.

Option 2 is too late when families might have plans on a Saturday night and 6:30-830 is right across a mealtime. Think you need to at least provide some food/drink for a children's party. And hosting a party for 60x children sounds extremely stressful - what if 40 parents just drop and go?

Option 1. For sure.

Option 2 sounds overwhelming & chaotic. No party food, party bags etc.

Party 1 just seems so few friends for them to invite, agree party 2 sounds massive. We wouldn't invite 120 kids, probably more like 50 (2 classes). When they made lists of who they want to come they had about 20 each. So annoying they don't offer something inbetween unless I could pay for 2 x option 1 parties and merge them so they could have 30 kids.

Supervision is with parents plus 6 members of staff to supervise.

Yep, 1.

No food is a pita. 2 is too late, and the numbers are crazy overwhelming.

Option 2 is too late and has no food and you’ll just be inviting people you don’t care about. It’ll also piss everyone off for being so big.

I'm not taking my kid to a whole class party (where I'll have to pay to feed them) on a Saturday night.

Supervision is with parents plus 6 members of staff to supervise.

I honestly wouldn't rely on parents to supervise, I was amazed how many just dropped off the children for a party even at 6/7 years.

Option 1 - option 2 sounds a complete and utter nightmare with far too many guests.

Option 1. They are too little for option 2

No way should you choose 2. All the parents in both classes will judge you for thinking it's OK to have a 7yr old party so late on a sat night. It's irrelevant if they stay up later at home, 9pm to get home after travel time is still late and some people, especially those with younger siblings will be very judgey.

There's no way I'd want to go to an Option 2 party. 50/60 kids running around in the evening close to bedtime? Sounds like a recipe for disaster

Not sure where the random dot came from but it was meant to say number 1!

Option one for sure.

Maybe start a WhatsApp with all the parents to see if they want to do a whole class trip there at the end of the summer term (splitting it's cost per child) with the birthday party and need to cater for the kids totally taken out.

But for this? Deffo option 1.

Option 1 all the way. Option 2 is too late. Will also be weird and spooky if you’re at less than 50% capacity. Kids will be tired. Adults will be pissed off that you’ve ruined the bedtime routine and not paid for food. My child is nearly 10 and that would be annoyingly late for us.

Why do they have to have a shared party? Do their cousins have to come to the school friends party? Can you have one child’s party at 2 til 4 and the other’s at 4 til 6 at the same venue on the same day?

Option 1. Option 2 sounds dreadful. Too late, too many people, no food. Also, I really doubt 120 would show up to a 7 year olds birthday party.

If you can afford option 2, could you do separate parties with option 1? Book back to back slots and have a party for twin 1 and a party for twin 2?

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Option 1 but neither seem ideal.

Option 2 sound alike much more of a nightmare. I wouldn’t take my 6yr old at that time they’d be exhausted and it’s far too many people. I wouldn’t expect adults to want to join in with climbing etc themselves. Lots drop or just sit and have a coffee. I’d hate to be expected to be active at that sort of event. Also loads drop and run so you might not have the supervision you’d imagine. Plus no food is pretty rubbish - kids love that part of the parties at that age and the party bags.

Option 1 would be much better though it’s a shame the venue don’t do whole class size numbers like up to 20/25 at least. Seems a strange set up between 15 and 120 kid options there.

Love this idea for a class celebration at the end of the year!

Maybe their party rooms (for food) only seat up to a certain size.