Birthday parties in the park

[Happymiraclemorning]

I met up with my friend the weekend and we took our kids to a small local park.
There was a kids birthday party there. I couldn’t help feeling a bit pissed off.

It’s a small park- 2 picnic tables that they had covered both with their party table cloths.
They’d put the swings over the bars so
They couldn’t be used so they could hang a couple of piñatas.

It was only us and this party that has about 8 kids and I felt like we had interrupted a private event!

I pulled one of the swings down as my daughter wanted to use it and the dad came running over and said the swings were out of use because they were using the bars for their piñata

They had tied balloons to the gates and the slide- my friends daughter started playing with a loose balloon and the grandma of this party came over saying ‘no that’s not for you that’s for the party’

We we were hoping to use the table for our picnic but obviously that was out of the question as it was not a party table- we left as we felt so uncomfortable.

AIBU to have felt pissed off?
It’s a public play park that they decided to take over!

Is having birthday parties in a public play park the thing nowadays?

I would imagine the OP used the chain to pull the swing down but impossible to put back up if you aren't tall enough.

@Straightupp Can the OP not throw?

@BoredZelda

Why the hell would someone, whilst supervising their own child and with other children running around, stand there throwing a swing up over a bar where it can come swinging down the other side and whack her or anyone else.

It's a public park. The swings are for public use. Those people took over them, tried to prevent other people from using them and stood tutting while a child played. And you think the OP was wrong for not pissing about chucking s swing around?

What planet are you on?

No one has any problem with a party in the park. But they cannot take over play equipment and they to deny access and then expect other people to also chuck the swings out of reach.

They were totally wrong on that. And so are you.

I wish people wouldn’t use these forums as an excuse to just start arguments with people. It’s such a shame.
To go over every sentence someone has written and rip it apart.
Why do people do this? Boredom?

Yeah that's annoying.

I probably would have left and gone to another park as soon as I saw this though, I'm envisioning a very crowded small park with not much availability for your kids to play because of this party.

@Happymiraclemorning

I wish people wouldn’t use these forums as an excuse to just start arguments with people. It’s such a shame. To go over every sentence someone has written and rip it apart. Why do people do this? Boredom?

Agreed OP!!! So many threads descend into this nonsense.

Last year i had my daughter's party in the playground - we had 6 kids, a picnic rug and everyone played together - covid, etc...

But once i attended a party that I felt embarassed to be in - also in a playground - but they had a sign on the door making it look private - trestle tables in a corner AND the worst was an entertainer - with speakers!

Another time someone came round handing cake to the party guests in the playground and actually told a small child "no you are not with the party" when they wanted cake...

i think using the space for a picnic yes, taking over with tables and entertainers, no!

and most definitely no to the bloody swings and pinatas!

A party in a park is absolutely fine but not letting other children use public equipment because they want to hang a piñata up is obviously not.

Park parties are popular near me, especially since Lockdown. Taking over the picnic table is accepted, even a gazebo. But certainly not closing the swings or trying to hog the play equipment. And if you have platters of cakes out, every child in the playground will be circling until they get one, so you don't arrange a park party unless you are willing to share.

Also, in most parks, its perfectly feasible to pop a gazebo up a little way from the playground, but still in sight so you don't have the problem!

Parties at parks are a huge thing where I live (US) but nobody would dream of hogging the playground equipment like that. That was really rude of them.

He did actually let you use the swing though? It reads initially like he stopped uou then it seems he just Asked you to put it back up when done?

They were very cheeky and rude!

Yep, generally fine but that lot sound shit. If I had a party at the park and another child came over I’d let them join in tbh!

He did actually let you use the swing though? It reads initially like he stopped uou then it seems he just Asked you to put it back up when done?

Let her!? He put the swings out of reach of children, and came running over to try and make the OP feel bad about getting them down. Ridiculous behaviour.