Party for a 10 year old

[Disconcertinglyvague]

Please help! I've never been very good at coming up with party ideas, but I think 10 is an especially tricky age! I'd love her to do something quite physical but I think we are a bit past the jumping/indoor activity stuff now (or at least, she's not very keen) and the weather is unreliable around her birthday. We are in rented accommodation currently and we can't really host it at home. Any ideas please? We're in Manchester.

At that age I think the usual is more a few friends for a house party but if that’s not possible, meal and cinema, bowling, trampoline party, laser tag, indoor climbing walls might be suitable?

Or take a few friends shopping with a tenner each? Pamper party in a salon?

Ds1 10th birthday we went to longleat as a family (2020 screwed by covid for parties). 11th he took a friend karting and McDonald's.

Ds2 10th was a gaming party at home. 11th was laser tag which is as uneffortful a thing to organise as just about anything. Just book the time, WhatsApp the parents and done.

We are doing a cinema party. Private hire works out quite cheap peer person.

Have been to bowling for that age too.

We did a water park with a handful of friends at that age.

Mostly around this age it was bowling, high ropes, lasertag, sleepovers, ice skating (very popular).

I took mine to an escape room for her 10th. And then for pizza. They all had a blast!

DS had a gaming and pizza party for his 10th - we did it at home but there was also the option of hiring a gaming van or there's a gaming place nearby (I don't know Manchester but imagine there would be similar). Other parties he went to and enjoyed were laser tag, climbing and cinema.

She may not be into it but there are some fantastic crazy golf venues around Manchester. Squirrel adventure golf rawtenstall is outdoor and has a nice cafe for pancakes/brunch. Putstars Rochdale has 3x 9 hole courses and a does put and pizza party packages, There is a great 2x 18 hole one in the Printworks with that going into the city vibe and then Nandos. There are some other quite expensive ones with food in town if you wanted to go with a small bunch. You can probably tell we love crazy golf 😊

There is also an interactive carting place called chaos carts I’ve not been but it looks cool.

Maybe also worth looking at Z arts if you’ve not been see what they have on.

When DD was around that age we took a group of her friends to a roller disco, they loved it!

Total Ninja? My eldest went to a 10th there and McDonalds after. Kids loved it!

Thanks so much everyone! Don’t know why I find birthday parties quite so daunting (some kind of PTSD from my own I expect!) but there are some great suggestions in here! What age do they stop parties?!

Cinema and pizza out or climbing wall

DD loves animals so this year we're taking her and a friend to the zoo and we've booked a few animal experiences feeding the penguins, giraffes, tortoises and meerkats.

If her friends are mixed then a Saturday or Sunday value cinema trip with a kids meal at Frankie and Benny's (with a couple of extra portions of chips to share) is quite grown up at that age, (&especially if you sit at a separate table) . If all girls then a small sleepover or all day pyjama party with a lovely film with popcorn and hot dogs and makeovers (you do hair if heat is involved, they do the rest) was great fun for some of mine. It depends what they're into, of course.

Sleepovers, cinema trips, meals out, Ninja Warrior, rock climbing, Go Ape, laser tag, go karting, bowling, and escape rooms have all been popular around that age with DD's DFs and my DFs' DCs. Mostly they are just a couple of friends, but some still have a small group.
DD1 will be 10 in the summer, and I suspect will ask to do either a coached paddleboarding session or cable tow knee boarding. The lower age for these is 10, and she has wanted to do both for a long time. She may also ask to do the Aqua Park again as an option (been a few times before, but not for a birthday), but that will be a firm no as under 12s need an adult to go on. It is stressful enough clambering around and keeping an eye on my own DCs - they're too quick for me - I'm definitely not willing to do it for others'!

We're doing Arcade Club, Bury, for my DC's 11th. A whole day where you can play on any arcade game you like! Plus pizza and hot dogs on site.