to think that this was a very weird party?

[AKMD]

DH, DS and I were invited to a child's birthday party on Saturday in a large village hall. The parents were really pushing the message not to be late so we got there in good time. It was just us, the DJ and a couple of people blowing up balloons. We sat, we waited. Two hours after the start time, the birthday child and their parents had still not arrived and there were only a handful of other guests. We went home rather nonplussed.

I don't know when they eventually turned up but there has been no explanation, no apology etc. and as they eventually did arrive they are all alive and well.

AIBU to think that this was rude and strange behaviour?

Did Jeremy Beadle turn up at some point?

None of this makes any sense to me.

Change??

what the jeff did they need change for??

curiouser and curiouser........

My guess is they had a massive argument. Or sex. Or both.

Black, me neither.

We knew a couple of people there and we just hung on assuming they would be back any minute. After two hours we were bored, DS was restless and we thought screw it, let's go. Other people were a bit about the whole thing but they amused themselves same as we did. The party did take place in the end apparently but I have no idea when they turned up.

I don't know why they needed change No reason that I could tell but who knows!

The most sensible theory at this point is the family of cat burglars...

Thanks for the update OP but I expect nobody's any the wiser? That's so weird! Why do they need change?

Are they fiddling the meter?
Was there a raft of vending machines against the back wall?
Were they trying to release shopping trolleys into the wild?

I reckon they had a big family arguement and made up an excuse why they were late.

possibly popped home TO change? Then ended up having some kind of wardrobe malfunction?

this kind of snafu might delay them a little...

If there were enough people there I'd have just started the party anyway! Did no-one call them to find out whatcwas happening?

You stayed for 2 hours? What child will put up with waiting 2 hours for a party to start?

So the DJ just waited around too? Did anyone tuck into the food? (I would have done! )

Perhaps PFB? birthday child decided to have an impromptu nap and they didn't want to wake it.

How bizarre. the only other explanation I can think of is if the child whose birthday it was had gone to sleep and didn't want to be woken up.

Why didn't anyone ring them to ask where they were?
Did you leave the present?!

And why were there only a handful of other guests?

Where was everybody else?

I am having trouble imagining this

There is more to this... there has to be....

They hired a village hall for a 1 year old's birthday party?

This has potential. Classic potential.

"They hired a village hall for a 1 year old's birthday party?"

One of my friends did. She wanted all her new mum friends and babies to come and her house was too small to accommodate them. The hall wasn't that big and there wasn't a DJ or anything like that.

I get the village hall for a first birthday, but wouldn't have gone with a DJ.

I went all out for DDs first b'day. Luckily it was at home, as she slept through it. I had a great time.

I'm always amazed at these huge parties for one year olds. Something often goes wrong and for sure, the event rarely has much impact on the one year old.

Fortunately things were kept nice and simple for dgd's birthday because she vomitted her way through it having had the misfortune to celebrate being one by catching her first proper D & V bug.

Didn't the dj ring them? How bizarre!