HOW PONCY IS MY PARTY IDEA- BE HONEST!

[noonar]

DD is going to be 6. she wants a swimming party. the first leisure centre i called charge £230 for 25 children, including pizza and chip lunch.

i called another leisure centre, as the first was v expensive, imo. now, it just happens to be next door to a pizza express...which has a £5 children's menu. so...the total cost to hire pool and eat at pizza express would be £180 for 25 children. (we could have less children)

what i'm asking is, do you think it is just to ridiculous to have a 6th birthday at pizza express, on principle. too poncy?

btw, we move house the same weekend as dd's birthday, so we really do have to go somewhere that'll involve zero effort on our part.

thanks flo. i think that you'll find it the norm for tea and biscuits, or nibbles and wine to be offered, but never a meal for the adults. that's my exp, anyway.

gosh no adults will not expect to be fed.

At lunchtime parties I have occasionally offered food and even then have been refused.

When DH's cousin had a swimming party her mother put out a three-line whip to her own family members (including DH and me) to make sure there were enough adults.

What are you expecting the accompanying adults to do while the children are at Pizza Express, though, if you're not going to feed them? Unless there's also a handy pub the other side of the leisure centre (if so, I am moving to wherever you are ).

I have to say i would not be keen to get in the water at a kid's party. Most parents enjoy having a couple of hours of freedom while their kids are at a party, i do anyway!

I think it sounds fine but remember to add the cost of drinks at Pizza Express to the cost (unless the child menu includes them) That could easily add another £50+ to your cost. Also, if you have adults there and buy a couple of bottles of wine... and then I wouldn't offer wine without offering soft drinks too, so I think it may well cost more than you think.

My DD had her 5th and 6th birthday party at Pizza Express, although we only had a few guests. It was great and everyone had a good time. I took one of those rols of plain paper and spread it down the table so that before the food came, them. It kept them occupied till the pizza arrived.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

oops, half that post vanished. Obviously I meant that the children all happily drew a great birthday picture whilst waiting for the pizza to arrive.

If the birthday girl is 6, can you not get enough adults from you and DH, gran, any other of your rellies (brother, sister?) and then just rope in a few close friends to get in too?

That's what a pal of DD's parents did when she was 6. IIRC they had 19 children and actually only needed to ask two couples to help out - I'm guessing in your scenario of Pizza Express they would be good enough pals that you could say to them "of course we won't be able to provide food" and at 5pm won't they just stand around the table and make sure everyone has food, drinks etc? Say you had 20 kids, that would only be 10 adults inc you and DH and any other family. I think that would be fine - have myself been to many a party where I "helped" in that manner and never expected feeding.

ok guys. have booked the party, and yes, with dh, mil, close friends etc etc, i'll only have to persuade 5 random parents to get wet, so shouldnt be too hard .

pizza express will do jugs of cordial for free . the swimming pool is in the town centre, so no shortage of places for parents to go to for a quiet drink if they dont want to hang around pizza express, unfed. anyway, i am a primary school teacher-as are my 2 closest friends, so we are used to doing crowd control without any parents around