5 fantastic tips for hosting a birthday party!

  1. Select your theme

First of all, start to plan and think in terms of your ideal event. You may want to set a budget or gauge a theme so that you have some direction to start brainstorming.

Next, start to narrow things down with a general theme and once you have that, spend some time brainstorming on pinterest, Instagram or online for some inspiration.

Some popular themes include:

  • Unicorn 
  • Fairy
  • Barbie 
  • Trolls – Princess Poppy
  • Princess - you can pick from Belle, Sleeping Beuaty, Rapunzel, Snow White 
  • Mermaid
  • Moana 
  1. Decide on a venue

Next, it is time to decide on a venue. You may wish to have the party at home if the space permits the number of people you want. Otherwise, there are plenty of great function spaces and community halls available in Sydney.

Email us to receive our list of preferred Sydney based venues.

When selecting a venue, consider cost, availability, parking, preparation, decoration and location.

You can also book grazing packages, picnics and high teas with us. We can recommend the best venues for this. 

  1. Prepare the invites

We usually recommend to send out invites 2-3 weeks beforehand. Make sure you include reference to theme if you have one and if you expect the children to dress up. Make sure you also include the party details and an RSVP number and date so you can gauge how many guests will be coming.

Invites are included for free on all our packages. You can email or print these to your guests. 

  1. Food and drink

Think about food for both parents and children. Ideally food that can be prepared beforehand makes it easier so you are not running around while you have guests. If you want to look into catering, the Platter Project do amazing platters. Setting up a food and drink station for the parents (and a separate one for children) can be easier so that you do not need to keep handing food around.

Some popular children’s food include:

  • Cookies
  • Cupcakes
  • Fruit cups
  • Sandwiches
  • Vegetable cups and dips 
  • Cheese and crackers 
  • Popcorn
  • Jelly

Picking a cake is lots of fun these days as there are so many options out there. Ask us to book this for you or send you some recommendations. 

We supply catering for children and adults so let us know what you are after! We also have a long list of incredible suppliers if you would like us to put you in contact with any of them.

 

  1. Decide on the order of events

Allow the guests to arrive and settle in. it can be a good idea to have some food available so the children are preoccupied while waiting for their friends to arrive.

If you choose to book an entertainer, schedule them to come about 30 minutes after the party start time so that you can ensure everyone has arrived. If you book 2hrs of entertainment, your entertainer can be there from the start as they have enough time to get through all the activities. 

The entertainer will look after all the entertainment and bring all the items including:

  • Music
  • Pass the parcel
  • A mat to sit on
  • Everything for the games
  • Bubbles
  • Prizes
  • Facepainting and gems

If you decide to plan the entertainment yourself, consider a range of activities so that the children are engaged throughout the party. Starting with craft or colouring in can make it easier for the children if they don’t know eachother. Party games, dancing, bubbles and competitions are lots of fun for the children to play.

Cutting the cake towards the end often wraps up the party so it is great idea to leave about 15 minutes at the end of the party for this.

Hand out the lolly bags towards the end of the party to wrap things up. We often include the following surprises in ours:

  • Stickers
  • Pen, pencil, notepad, rubber 
  • Biscuits
  • Lollies
  • Bubbles

If you would like to make lolly bags, think about what sort of packaging you would prefer. If you are creative, you may enjoy decorating the packaging. Looking for help with lollybags – just ask us!

Have a pen and paper close by when you are opening the gifts so that you can write who gave each gift on the card. Writing this down will make remembering and thanking the guests so much easier.

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