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Original poster

Children's party

50 replies

PinkKecks · 31/10/2021 08:10

Shamelessly posting for traffic.

How much do you spend on your child's birthday party? I grew up in an era of party in the garden with musical statues and a cheese and pineapple hedgehog, but that doesn't seem the norm anymore.

My DS will be 5 soon and he has been going to a few parties for school friends. A couple have been in soft play centres where the whole class has been invited. A couple have been in village halls where the parents have hired entertainers (magicians, Disney princess impersonators, face painters etc) and/or equipment (bouncy castle, soft play apparatus, ball pools, ride-on cars/tractors etc).

I have no idea the cost of these and wondering what is a "normal" party for the area you live in and what is the average spend?

I haven't had to worry about it before as DS was too young to compare and then we had lockdown so no parties for 18 months, but I'm worried DS will expect the same and be disappointed. All of the parties seem to be whole class things, but I live in a flat and wouldn't be able to host that many people in my home and the price of hiring a hall/soft play centre would be crippling.

What do/did you do for your 5yo's birthday?

OP posts:
Fallagain · 31/10/2021 08:16

Those kinds of parties cost some where in the region of £300 to £350. A way to bring the price down is see if anyone else in the class has a birthday near to the same date and wants to hold a joint party. Parties at home with a few kids are loved and do happen but if your child hasn’t been invited then you just don’t know that they are happening. I just did a Halloween party for 8 kids and I probably spent £30 on party bags/prizes, £20 on food and £10 on decorations. That maybe an underestimate.

purplemunkey · 31/10/2021 08:29

We did this for DDs first ‘school’ birthday. Same as you, this appeared to be the norm so we did something similar. All in it was about £200. Hall with bouncy castle and music was £150ish, then cake, food, party bags etc was the rest. We made a load of sandwiches and got multipack crisps/fruit etc from supermarket to keep costs down.

She loved it but I’m glad we only did it once TBH! Covid meant the next birthday didn’t allow for anything like that. She now has a solid group of friends and just wants to do something with them this year.

44PumpLane · 31/10/2021 08:35

My twins turn 5 soon and we have arranged a trampoline park birthday party.

£17 a head for an hours bounce and then 45 mins in party room where they eat and play a couple games.

On top of £17 a head I will do a pass the parcel and musical statues prize, cake, balloons and party bags.

As its one party for 2 children the party bags will be "decent" as I already have guilt that we are effectively expecting 2 gifts in return for 1 party (I feel the need to add that we always send 2 proper gifts when they are invited to parties so I spend £25-£30 when I send them to parties)

Lolly86 · 31/10/2021 08:37

For my DD 4th, 5th and 6th parties I did the hall hire, entertainer, food ,goody bags etc. Roughly came to £350 each time, hall hore" £60, £220 entertainer, £40 food and then goody bags bits. Last year we couldn't so did a party of 3 kids (rule.of 6 with parents) in the woods for a treasure hunt which was very cheap and lots of fun in the end. This year I didn't want to risk having to cancel if DD got covid etc so we went for a party at home that was easily rearranged if needed.
8 girls altogether, a £20 escape room set printed off Internet, some food (£15), teddies to stuff at home and t shirts to decorate themselves (£80) cheaper and they had a lot of fun.
I did miss doing a big party so maybe next year we will go back to something like that...but anything we have done Iver the years has been really loved by DD and that's what matters.

BluebellCockleshell123 · 31/10/2021 08:47

We’ve done loads of organised “out the house” parties - soft play, trampolining, hall with magician/entertainer, football, tubing, karting etc.

The ones they have loved best have been the ones in our house for a small group of friends. It is a bit more effort to cater, decorate & organise, but in my experience they all love a bit of musical statues, musical chairs & pass the parcel.

DukkaDukka · 31/10/2021 08:49

I did soft play party at that age, didn’t invite the whole class though. Invited about 10-15 kids who DS was friends with.

SeasonFinale · 31/10/2021 08:56

Seriously have the party you want to throw. If that is a small group doing musical chairs, statues and pin the tail on the donkey with sandwiches and sausage rolls go for it. The kids will love it and it will be different to the identikit soft play, magician, trampoline parties.

Sleepyteach · 31/10/2021 08:59

Have a look at your local leisure centre, we paid £100 for room hire, bouncy castle, Sound system, soft play equip and balance bikes. Last two probs too babyish for your age, but bouncy castle and games would be perfect for that age. We then did our own food for about £50-60 including feeding all the adults. This was for about 25 kids.

hangrylady · 31/10/2021 09:13

At that age I use to hire our village hall £11 an hour, a bouncy castle to go inside hall £50 and do some party games and a buffet lunch so it wasn't too expensive. Now DCs are older we tend to do an activity with a few of their closest friends, cinema, trampoline park, go Ape type activity and it costs a lot more.

Bicnod · 31/10/2021 09:17

I hired village hall and played party games at that age. Kids loved it and it didn't cost a lot. Just make sure you're super organised with your list of games and have more up your sleeve than you think you'll need.

SuperbOwls · 31/10/2021 10:09

I need this thread. I have to plan my dds first ever proper party and have literally no idea what I'm doing. Our house is too small to host tons of 4 year olds but alternatives all seem to be £££

HiJenny35 · 31/10/2021 10:20

London, the entrainment is £160 (all that price now, no cheaper options) the hall is 30 an hour at weekends, £90, party bags 1.50 a child, cake £20, food and drink £50, table clothes, cups, plates, balloons, banner £30. Realistically around £400 hopefully just under. Our local softplay is £18 a head so £540 for the class without cake etc.
It's all got so expensive. I'll do it this year as she didn't have one last year but its a huge amount of money.

yoshiblue · 31/10/2021 10:25

We've never done the big party out or with entertainers etc. We both have high incomes but it's still so much money for a couple of hours. I don't want 30 extra small presents coming into the house either!

At 3/4/5 we did little parties at the house for a few friends. A bit of food, party games/crafts and something to take home. My son loved them and didn't cost too much.

We've missed birthdays 6/7 with Covid and now moved on to a trip out with a friend at 8....Clip and climb, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Minecraft!

My advice to you is either do it yourself or do something out of the house once. Age 5 is the year of whole class parties. You may be better to do something small this year and spend money in Year 1 or 2 when his friendship groups emerge more.

Original poster
PinkKecks · 31/10/2021 23:22

@Lolly86 - would you mind posting a link to the escape room page? Love this idea! Thank you

OP posts:
Original poster
PinkKecks · 31/10/2021 23:25

@SeasonFinale - that's the problem though, I can't throw the party I want to throw! I don't have space at home or money for a different venue! 🤷🏻‍♀️

OP posts:
Kanaloa · 31/10/2021 23:26

I would actually love a proper old fashioned birthday party with party games, eating a chocolate bar with cutlery in my coat and scarf, playing blindfold hide and seek, and sandwiches and party rings. Soft play parties were always dull because we visited soft play once or twice a month anyway.

Original poster
PinkKecks · 31/10/2021 23:26

@SuperbOwls - Exactly this! If you find a solution, please let me know!

OP posts:
Kanaloa · 31/10/2021 23:27

Obviously I mean I’d love to take my kids to one. It wouldn’t be for my own birthday.

Stroan · 31/10/2021 23:55

It obviously depends where you are, but I've just booked my almost 6 year olds party. £30 for church hall hire and £159 for two hours entertainment (singing, dancing and games, Inc prizes). We can have up to 50 children so it meant we could invite the whole class plus family and friends.

I'm doing sandwiches and finger food, but don't expect the food to cost much more than £30-40.

Our local soft play and inflatable centres are now £20 per head for a weekend party. I am far too stingy to pay that!

Stompythedinosaur · 01/11/2021 00:21

Entertainers are the expensive bit - our hall hire is £28 for the day. We did our own entertainment - homemade playdoh on a table, traditional party games, a couple of years we made a castle out of cardboard boxes.

Later on we got a bouncy castle as things got a bit easier financially - that cost around £80 for half a day.

5foot5 · 01/11/2021 00:43

No reason why you should feel you have to host the whole class.

I guess 5 is tricky as you may not be sure who the main friends are yet. I admit at 5/6 we did go down the whole class, village hall and entertainer route.

But I think the best parties were the ones we did at home from 7 onwards when we could just have a small group of the kids DD was particular friends with. And even at 7 they loved the traditional party games

TheOriginalEmu · 01/11/2021 00:48

What would your son want? Mine were never interested in the whole class at a venue thing. I did a few tea party at home types and took 3/4 kids bowling or gokarting etc and that was fine.

Lolly86 · 01/11/2021 05:38

@PinkKecks
escape-kit.com/en/
It went very wellGrin but there are lots online

Notdoingthis · 01/11/2021 06:02

I budget about £200 for a 'big party' and they know that is not every year.
My son has had one for his 3rd and 6th, in a village hall with an entertainer/disco and lots of friends. That cost covers hall hire, food, entertainment and party bags.
For his 8th he is having a climbing 'party' where we pay for 8 friends to the climbing centre and they do food. Similar cost (extortionate). I find the idea of paying for everyone else to do an activity, and providing a party bag, a bit bizarre, but it seems to be what they do. He knows it is costly, so from 9 onwards I am hoping for more cinema/ sleepover type things.
His little sisters have so far only wanted parties at home.
Short answer: £200

DockOTheBay · 01/11/2021 06:14

I would estimate a soft play or hall with entertainer party without cost around £200

I'm not willing to spend that amount. My daughter is in reception but she already has a group of about 8 friends who she mentions playing with regularly, I'm sure she gets on with the rest of the class but I don't want to pay £200 for her to play with her 8 friends at a soft play whole 20 other kids play together and she wouldn't care less if they were there or not.

We will probably do a party at home for those 8 kids which I estimate would cost under £50

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