Cultural differences in children's birthday parties.

[TheNameIsDickDarlington]

I was recently at a child's birthday party where one of the mums questioned the classic cheese and pineapple on a stick birthday snack. Apparently, she had never seen this before.

This led me to think about children's birthday parties and how much of what I would consider a traditional child's party is specifically cultural to England (which is where I have always lived). Do most countries have the typical Bouncy castle in a hall and buffet food type kids parties or does each country have its own version of that?

Yep hall, bouncy castle and buffet seems to be standard for little ones...maybe it's a part of the country thing. We're in the North but when we lived down south parties seemed to be in the home or at a soft play place.
Cheese and pineapple on a stick, cheese and a pickle on a stick amd mini cocktail sausages on a stick all also seen at most buffets

Both when I was little and now at the DC's parties (different areas of England) the takeaway cake wrapped in a napkin was the norm.

Occasionally a cupcake wrapped in a napkin
Very rare to have eaten the cake at the party.

Interesting thread. I'm in Spain.

Under 5/6 generally a soft play party.

7/8 trampolining, bowling, zip wire thingies.

Then they move on to escape rooms and virtual reality.

The menu has always been a choice between pizza or a hotdog, a chocolate spread sandwich, and some crisps provided by the venue. Parents provide the birthday cake which is eaten during the party.

Usually money is given (€10) and the parents by one big present for the birthday child which is opened during the party.

As someone up thread said, often children with birthdays close together will have joint birthday parties and the whole class will be invited.

Things on sticks was very much a 1970s trend. My mum always did mini cocktail sausages (like mini hot dogs) on sticks as well as cheese and pineapple or cheese and a pickled onion. Best served stuck into half a potato covered in foil! The party would either have been at home or in the local church hall or similar venue and consisted of traditional party games like Pass the Parcel, Musical Chairs, The Farmer's in His Den, Hunt the Thimble, Blind Man's Bluff etc.

I've done this for my own DD in the past in a retro 'ironic' sort of nostalgic fashion mainly aimed at the other mums who were children of the 70s as well.

It's not the norm now though to do this- most kids parties are in a Play Gym, a trampoline park, or some other themed place where they just turn up. Many parents don't want to do anything themselves or be involved with the children these days.

You can’t be a child of the 70s when all parties were at home! Mums always made fairy/butterfly cakes, meringues, chocolate crispy cakes, top hat cakes….Ive done it for some of my kids’ parties and they went down a storm!

Snap. But there would have been no hummus or falafel etc. food changes that’s all it is as do styles of party. When I was little, parties were at people’s houses with pass the parcel and sleeping lions.

Getting told off at parties seemed to be a thing. Usually just because the hosts family did things differently to your house rather than any deliberate rudeness on a child’s part. I bet kids don’t get in trouble as much at parties now !

Bouncy castle and buffet for me as a child in the 90s from about 3-10.

We had cheese on a toothpick. Usually with a pickled onion! But I have seen them with pineapple.

People like to get their money's worth regardless of ethnicity.

If it's a home, church or space reserved for half a day then people turn up very late.

If the hall/space is hired for 90 minutes to 2 hours people aren't more than 10 minutes late.

Then other parents are roped into getting the place setup and even cleaned up as quickly as possible.

Incidentally there is a park near me that has signs forbidding you from having a party in the play area so hogging all the benches.

Bouncy castle and buffet in the village hall has been 90% of all class birthdays by DC have ever been to or hosted.

I remember going along to a staff student mixer where we had to take a dish along. These were post graduate students. I felt very pleased with myself taking cheese and pineapple on sticks as a hedgehog and iced party rings. I remember one German student really questioning me about the party rings.

For my 50th birthday I had a party at home. We ordered in hot food from a caterer and I also did a children’s 1970’s style children’s birthday tea, with the cheese and pineapple and jelly and ice cream which we had plus champagne.

I never hired a bouncy castle as just didn’t want the chance of little whoever breaking their arm. I did hire soft play a couple of times. DS had about 10 children round and I bought pizza bases and chopped up loads of ham, different veg, grated cheese and they made their own pizza toppings. They loved that, one lad insisted on having wotsits on his pizza, who was I to judge, he ate it :)

It's often parties in a hall with buffet, bouncy castle or disco etc here. My dd had a swimming one last year, as did one of her class mates. We are in a very rural area though, so not many options. Im guessing its different in cities. Haven't seen cheese and pineapple on sticks for a very long time.

I help run a Village Hall. Given demand our insurance specifically covers bouncy castles which I would estimate we see in 50% of the kiddies parties we host.

I’ve been to so many different types of parties, and thrown lots of different types too. Bouncy castle in a hall is definitely a thing but only one of the many types of parties around here. People tend to do:
Parties in the park/playground with picnic etc
Parties at home or garden often with bouncy castle
Hall and bouncy castle
Hall and magician/ entertainer/ disco
Then all the soft plays, trampoline parks, bowling, climbing etc etc
Food tends to be sandwiches or pizza, cakes, crisps, party rings, cucumber sticks etc. I’ve never once seen cheese and pineapple!! Other than I did it myself once’s as a 90’s throwback. Parties in halls/parks/ homes often do booze for adults
Party bags are a very big deal!
(I’m in south England)

Another birthday memory from the Netherlands - birthdays at school:

• it was normal to bring in a treat for the whole class - from little bags of harribo or cakes to party bags
• children also brought in a large blank card and a box of chocolates. They would then go round all the classrooms and offer a chocolate to each teacher. In return the teacher would sign the card.
• in reception the first part of the day would be dedicated to the birthday child. The whole class would make a sash for the child which would be hidden in the class. There would be games played to find the sash.
• still in reception. A big cardboard 'cake' would be produced complete with candles. One of the more responsible children would be sent off to borrow matches/lighter from one of the smokers. The teacher would light a candle for each year of the child's life and talk about what the child was able to do at each age. A final candle would be lit for the coming year to talk about what the child was learning to do in the coming year.

All totally bonkers and absolutely zero thought to health an safety but absolutely lovely!

We used to play a game where the kids took turns rolling a dice and if you got a six you put in hat scarf and gloves and then had to cut up and eat chocolate with a knife and fork. The aim was to eat some chocolate before the next 6 was rolled

I’ve moved from Uk to Australia and here they have fairy bread which is white bread, butter with sprinkles on I alway forget this at parties and it’s a faux pas

A friend of mine moved to Brazil and found that children’s parties at 9pm on a school night took some getting used to.

That’s a good point mentioned up thread, cakes do tend to be a part of the party food, cupcakes, fairy cakes etc. then birthday cake done at the very end and goes into party bags to enjoy at home

This is my experience too. Love, love, love cheese and pineapple on sticks!!

No one drove really - as PP said as the population’s so dense everyone’s either in walking distance or they would most likely hop on the bus.

Dense as in lots of people in a small area, not thick BTW 🤣

😳 when my kids were little and before the age that parents would just drop off we always held whole class birthday parties and we always served champagne and beer to the adults. This thread has made me think I must have been the talk of the playground for being some sort of alcoholic 😬

Which children's parties have you been attending? 😂This is literally a child's party starter pack.

I went to two birthday parties this weekend. One for a 5 year old, the other for a 7 year old. Both parties had cheese and pineapple on sticks.