Help needed for childrens party

[Deeps2025]

Hi everyone,
I’m hosting my kids' Frozen-themed party tomorrow at the village hall from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. We have around 18 kids attending, plus their parents, and there's also an entertainer booked.
Originally, I had arranged kids’ snack boxes and a buffet for the parents, but the food provider has just backed out. It's too late to order supermarket platters now, and I'm feeling really overwhelmed—this is my first time hosting a kids’ party.
Could anyone please suggest how I can manage the food in just one day? Any easy, quick ideas for both kids and adults would be so helpful. Thank you so much!

Make some sandwiches, get some crisps, sausage rolls and cut up some fruit and veg as a healthy offering! Add some cupcakes or biscuits and you're done. Either get some party platters or some of those square party boxes to do individual ones if you don't want to do sharing.They never eat all the food anyway.

I wouldn't expect to be fed as a grown up.

You can still do snack boxes if you have the actual boxes? If not, they sell them in my local tesco?

Make them up beforehand:

Cheese/ham/jam roll
Pack of Crisps
Sweets/mini roll/kipling cake
Paper cup with blueberries/strawberries
Juice carton
Jugs of water on table.

Parents just need tea/coffee/biscuits

Or go to Costco if near one? They have loads of platter style food.

Mini pizzas pre cooked at home and served cold. Individual packets of crisps, treats and whatever. Some cut fruit and carrot batons with humous!

Enlist family if you can to prep up lots of sandwiches! Jam, cheese, ham on white and brown.
Lots of crisps and pretzels and sausage rolls in little disposable bowls
Fruits and veg and sweets interspersed
Like a giant snack board on a few tables
You can do this! You've got today, tonight and tomorrow morning.
Think classic 80s kids party! Cheese and pineapple sticks if you desire.

Do you have a Costco near you? They do big party sandwich platters, salads etc.

It might not be too late to order from M&S if you don’t want to make sandwiches.

I hate making sandwiches, a lot of children aren’t that keen on them anyway. I would just order pizzas to be delivered, and cut up some crudités, put out crisps, etc. Don’t over complicate it, the food is rarely the highlight of a birthday party and it’s an odd time to eat, people won’t want more than a snack. I can’t imagine the parents eating at that time, maybe a handful of crisps.

At that party time I wouldn’t provide sandwiches etc, just crisps, fruit and cake!

I think pizza delivery is the easiest solution here.

It will be pricier than supermarket but if you have a Pret A Manger nearby, they’ll be able to do it. Have used for work functions

It’s easy enough to make sandwiches for kids and add crisps, raisin boxes and some juice.
Parents don’t need fed. Some biscuits out if you want but I never expect to be fed as a parent

I messed up once with party planning, so I bought a load of meal deal sandwiches, cut them into triangles and did a beige buffet. Sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, crisps and a bit of fruit. None of them need any preparation. Not at the cutting edge of party food admittedly but it did the trick.

I agree completely with this. I would provide simple snacks for kids like fruit, bread sticks, hummus, crisps etc. As a parent, I have never expected food at a kids party.

I did food prep for a children’s party recently - one thing I would say is don’t over do it! I’m a terrible over-caterer usually, and kids just end up touching everything so you don’t really want to be taking too many leftovers home, or throwing loads out. Keep it simple, crisps, cucumber and tomatoes, grapes, strawberries and blueberries, and watermelon. I cut up 2 watermelons for a party of 30 kids and it almost all went. Individual bags of party rings/cookies. And sandwiches - cheese, ham and jam all went down a treat. At that time of day I wouldn’t worry about the parents, it’s between meals and they’ll probably raid the left over sandwiches anyway (most can’t resist a kids sandwich, something about the cheap bread!!) just make sure you have some tea/coffee available, and squash for the children.

Don’t bother with sandwiches- buy a selection of sausage rolls and a few cheese/onion rolls, multi packs of crisps, some cheap squash, some chocolate bars of some description, some of those pre cut carrot batons and just put it out on a couple of disposable platters- in my experience most parents aren’t expecting you to provide a meal, and most of the food goes uneaten anyway. Unless you’ve specifically said you’re feeding adults I don’t think they would expect to be catered for either. Don’t panic it’ll be fine!

I definitely do not agree with this. I tried it once for a party that finished at 3pm and I actually heard the mums whispering about “not enough food … why didn’t she do enough food, there’s hardly any sandwiches”.

No food or drink is needed for adults but definitely needed for the kids.

Hope you get it sorted

I was at a kid’s party and the hosts ordered pizzas. They were a big hit

The last time we did a hall party I cooked a bunch of pizzas on foil trays the night before, then served them cold from the trays. (Or for extra simplicity get pizzas delivered to your venue!)

I did one dairy free, one gluten free and a few standard margherita pizzas to cover all the dietary requirements we had.

Then you just need a box or two of strawberries and blueberries, some bags of crisps, and some biscuits. (Jammie Dodgers and Party Rings or similar.)

Given the party times you don't need loads, and the beauty of pizza is the leftovers last much better than sandwiches do.

You don't need to do anything for the adults. Couple of big plates of sandwiches, couple of types of crisps, some cucumbers and carrot sticks, mini cakes, some babybel type cheeses, cocktail sausages and some fruit like strawberries and blueberries. It doesn't have to be fancy or particularly well presented!

We went simple which didn't involve loads of bits and did jacket potatoes, grated cheese and baked beans. Just meant turning up early enough to stick all the potatoes in the oven.

Yep I agree with this too. I've been to/hosted a LOT of kids parties!

Dominoes!

I would do a couple of platters of sandwiches - cheese, ham, jam
Sausage rolls
Cocktail sausages
Couple of cooked pizzas cut up
Bowls of crisps
Grapes/Strawberries/Melon

Parents don't need separate food, they can pick at the buffet once kids are fed.

Not sure if it's too late, can you explain and ask everyone if they could bring a plate? If you're not comfortable asking the parents, then ask your family to help

Yeah, I’m not seeing much of a problem here. 18 ham / cheese sandwiches. A couple family circle boxes of biscuits and a few multi packs of crisps. Half an hours work.

Jacket potato, beans and cheese. How is that simple for a kids party??!