Fizz for parents appropriate at a 5 year olds soft play party

[TwinkleTwinkleX]

We are hosting a party for my daughter in reception at a local soft play with a party room and inviting the whole class. It will be in the afternoon and I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to bring some fizz for the adults or if that’s weird? Obviously not for a boozy one but to offer them a glass?

I do think it might be a regional thing, my northern in laws were surprised but I've been offered wine in about half the parties round here (also London). I must have been to at least 25 whole-class parties by now and my dc2 has barely got to party age.

I’ve never seen alcohol at a kids party especially not to a soft play - which likely wouldn’t let you as they won’t have a licence or won’t let you bring your own food regardless.

Here they usually put some money behind the till for parents to have a hot drink or can etc

I think must just anti social! If you can be in a separate room for a drink I don't think you need to be there at all and I would make a sharp exit.

Same tbh

It was standard at all the kids parties when I was in London and all the soft plays in Australia sell alcohol… so I’d say it’s fine.

Im in london and it is pretty normal to have fizz at kids parties. One of the parties had aperol spritz etc!

Is the venue licensed? Are you allowed to bring alcohol? Are the parents driving?

Its a new one on me but would certainly improve the experience 🍾

Actually I have been to a soft play party with drinks once but that was a pretty hipster place where the soft play was within a food court and the parents put on a free bar. I don't think the standard leisure centre soft plays would allow it. (Also in London)

In the morning I’d find it a bit odd but in the afternoons yes we adults often have a class of fizz each toasting with the cake!
I have only served it at my sons christening not at his soft play parties but that’s mainly as I had to lug the food their myself and lots of single mum logistics to work out even with help, if id booked at a small soft play cafe they tend to cater including fizz

Parties at home or private location (village halls etc) - yes 100% the done thing where I live.
Soft play or location parties - its usual for the host to pay for the parents first coffee. Usually because you don't know about alcohol licences.

Alcohol at kids parties is extremely unusual round my way, but we're rural and everyone would be driving to/from parties.

With a soft play I'd check with the venue to see if alcohol is allowed in the party room. It's more standard round here for the host parents to set up a tab for coffees.

I think this is more common when the party is at someone's house. Suspect most people would rather have tea and coffee if that's possible.

You don’t need to be drinking in the middle of the afternoon when looking after children.

I'd guess the soft play venue wouldn't allow alcohol.
Coffee flask?
And I'd consider supporting British "fizz" in the form of the "apple wine of England" Westons British Vintage Cider.

What separate room? Op said they have a party room in the soft play, usually that's where everyone goes when it's food time for the kids. Also presumably you can still tend to your child if they get hurt, bored or need the toilet even if you are standing in an adjacent room.

This would be normal at the parties near us (London). No one drives, and no one has more than one or two.

None of those partaking need to drink, but it does make things more fun. It’s a very sociable class so the parents are usually as happy to hang out as the kids.

Do you ever "need" to drink? You drink because you want to, surely, rather than need to.

Is it more or less ok to have a glass at night at home alone in front of the TV or a glass together with friends at a daytime celebration?

I think it's cultural and I think the latter is a healthier way to drink. Obviously if you don't drink at all, that's that, have the coffee instead, but I don't think a glass at a daytime party is any less noble than a glass in the evening

This might make me not drop and go 🤣🤣🤣

I’ve never experienced this - I’m in Ireland though and parents tended to barely stop their cars as they dropped off their kids !

I also think a lot of people see a children's party is an awful event for parents to just grimace and endure, rather than a lovely celebration of a child surviving/thriving to the current age. Why can't we all celebrate rather than just look grimly on?

Well if it’s in soft play then it’s hard not to look grim, it is grim!

It depends - I've been to parties where it's a small soft play cafe and they book the whole place and it's quite nice. If it's the large chain type ones and you just get a room, I agree, that can be grim.

But I don't think the surroundings make as much of a difference as the refreshments and just generally the attitude of the host. We've all been to weddings at fancy venues where you can barely get a bite and it's miserable, vs a wedding in a village hall with a home cooked buffet and byob, that's really fun.

If you're hosting a party expecting it to be grim, it will be.

Yeah, I don’t understand this either.

I am literally just at the point where DD will go and play with her friends rather than insist I go in with her (she turned three in midsummer.) So it could be I have low standards but to me a soft play party or even just soft play generally is a chance to sit down, either chat with other adults or browse my phone in relative peace, have a drink made by somebody else and generally just have my child(ren) entertained for a couple of hours.

I am not sure what is not to like or ‘grim’. I genuinely don’t know what I’m missing.

I would assume there was strict regulations about alcohol on the premises of a place that is licensed as a children's play centre.

Surely people would need to drive home, which makes this very irresponsible. Also, I would hope my local softplay doesn't sllow alcohol - lots of adults sitting around drinking is not the vibe.