Price of children' party entertainers

[Tinkjon]

£190 for an entertainer to run a 2 hour party, excluding food & party bags and having to pay for the venue on top - is this really the going rate?!

Bumpity-bump, anybody?

i would have said £50 an hour

I looked into it for DD's birthday last year. We are based in Sheffield and going rate was about £100-£120 for a two hour party.

Sounds feasible I'm afraid .

OK, at least I'm not being ripped off then! Thanks!

Probably depends slightly on where you live. We are in SE and rates tend to be 150-190 pounds for about 2 hours so you may find someone a bit cheaper but you are certainly not being ripped off either! (Annh wanders off to ponder feasibility of a new career ...)

We're in SE too, annh. I hate paying that money for something I could do myself, but I get really nervous at doing the games and being all 'centre of attention' sort of thing, when you have to be in charge of all the kids. It makes me so self-conscious and really spoils the party for me, so this year I thought I could get an entertainer and actually enjoy DD's birthday! Well, as much as you can enjoy something that involves 25 screaming kids hyped on sugar, that is

FWIW the N.W. is no better than S.E. when it comes to the price of kids entertainers and in our experience most of them will only agree to a 45min slot!

The female clown who did DS1's 5th party lives in a mansion, they get hundreds for doing corporate events/hotels too.

"something that involves 25 screaming kids hyped on sugar"

And that explains why children's entertainers are so expensive!

what does a childrens entertainer actually do?

the clown i know certainly doesn't live in a mansion! usual price is around £150 for hour and half.

remember they work weekends too.

SoupDragon, LOL, good point!

Going rate round here seems to be £150 and the good ones earn it imo.

Only problem is that there are a number around that can't hold the kid's attention for the required time, so it's important to get a recommendation or better still use one from a party the birthday boy/girl has been to and enjoyed.

As a profesional Childrens Entertainer I can tell you how much they cost and why...

In london:

£130 - £150 1 hour
£170 - £190 2 hours

You shouldn't be paying much more than that unless you book through a party company who will take a small fee... if you go further outside London and the citys you can drop £20 off that fee approx

Like anything you do pay for what you get so if you pay £120 for two hours then don't expect somthing brilliant. I would however go with a personal recomendation as hireing an entertainer can be hit and miss... so ask other mums.

So why:

Well an entertainer unless local will have to travel and this means paying for fuel (expensive these days!)and car mantinence you can work up alot of miles in this job ;) Parking usually has to be paid for out of the entertainers own pocket and in London this can be up to £10 for three hours (time to set up and pack down) if you are in central London there is sometimes congestion charge to pay £10

Then there is equipment, wear and tear etc. A good entertainer will strive to update their act constantly this involves attending workshops and learning new skills as well as perchasing new equipment where necessary.

There is the cost of balloons and give away prizes or stickers, the printing of flyers and advertising... the up keep of a website...

Time spent phoning you the parent to discuss requirements...

You are paying for someone who is an expert in entertaining children and this knowledge is worth somthing surely...

The entertainer usually works at the weekend... how much would you ask for to do weekend work. A sunday? time and a half perhaps?

Then an entertainer can only do a maximum or two parties on any given day... We need time to get from one location to the next, a good entertainer will offer you either a morning or an afternoon, so this has to be taken into account...

Then theres the preperation that goes into doing a party... Things need to be prepaired, set up, planned... the car or van needs to be packed... music cds need to be burned or ipod charged and music tracks loaded... their not free either!

So there's a lot of costs and time to be taken into account... before the entertainer actually makes any profit at all

I hope this helps to clarify things a little bit

All the best with your future parties...

www.thescallywag.com

Am in SW London and would expect to pay around £200 for 2 hours. I wouldn't have an entertainer for a small party but for a large party they certainly earn their money...

I am an entertainer in Kent and I charge £125 per hour and £175 for 90mins. Included in that cost are two prizes per child, one chocolate each from the treasure hunt, stickers and colouring in pictures, music, dressing up clothes and in addition to the above for the 90min party cakes and decoration and a princess or pirate ring per child. I also arrive at least 20mins prior to starting, take at least 15mins to pack down, am insured, crb checked and include travel costs within a ten mile radius which can be another hour on my time.

Above all it is exhausting lol but great fun. I hope this explains a little of why it costs what it does.

Vintage Afternoons
x

Hi all,

I am just starting off as a childrens entertainer and had a few gigs locally and I did my own research into the price of how much is the current rate around Leeds which goes from £170 - £200 for two hours and then add an hourly rate of £50.

What I do is (I am a singer) I sing a few my own songs for 15 minutes (if there is any song requests from the client I learn them in addition to my set. But we have a karaoke sing a long either with backing track or live instrument (me with my guitar or ukulele and get the kids to group or pair up and perform in a fun talent show (talent show is optional) I keep it varied...Disney, to pop and popular songs. I charge £150 for 2 hours. Thought it might be interesting to get a different perspective.
I don't have any promotional pictures at birthday parties because the clients I worked with requested it that way.

Hope this helps.

SE, last party paid £140 for one hour which did overrun a bit, but the entertainer was very good. For a children's party I've realised you're looking at close to £300 overall once you've factored in venue, cake, decorations, party food and party bags as well as everything else. That seems to be the going rate around here! I think we'll have a small party next year - my wallet can't take a big party every year!