Kids Party Venues

HOW TO CHOOSE A PARTY VENUE:

Everyone is busy these days and as a parent, there are always demands on your time. Having your kid’s birthday party at a chosen venue can remove a great deal of the stress and effort that is involved with organising a birthday party – not to forget, avoiding having to clear up afterwards.  Someone else does all the work and you just turn up with the children, and then take them home again at the end - what could be better!
There is such a wide variety of venues that just about every child can be catered for, no matter what their age or entertainment preferences are.

You do need to be aware of safety issues and do your homework carefully before you book just any venue. Most places are perfectly safe and are fully geared up to dealing with a mob of excited children, but it's always good to get full reassurance by asking the venue various questions. Once you've received answers to your queries and are fully satisfied that the venue meets all your requirements, it's time to book it - then let the party commence!

Children's parties are held by all sorts of different venues, from swimming pools and leisure centres, to farms, outdoor play areas, club houses, children's attractions and restaurants/children's eateries.
Issues to Consider

Before choosing a party venue, you need to consider various issues.

•    What type of party your child is looking for
•    Where the perfect location is
•    How many children it can hold/cater for (as well as Adults). This will ultimately decide on the size of venue required.
•    How long the party will last,
•    What types of activities will be on offer 
•    How much you want to spend on it all – The Budget. Let your child (depending on the age) choose between a cheap activity for lots of guests, and a more expensive one for just them and one or two friends
•    Decide whether you are going to be a part of the party especially for the older children. If you are not going to be there, you need to provide some ground rules and check with the venue regarding supervision. Parents of guests should be told if you are not staying at the venue, as they may have their own rules they may like to discuss with their child.

These days, some parents spend huge amounts of money on elaborate parties, but a good venue can create a fun, enjoyable and memorable celebration without off-the-top spending or fuss. The key thing is that a good venue knows how to meet children's needs, but also takes into consideration safety issues, and ensures everyone is safe at all times and of course that everyone has a lot of fun.

Choosing the right venue for the party can make or break a party. The choice of your venue can affect the number of guests you can comfortably hold, the party activities you want to have or whether you have to deal with the weather (for outdoor venues).

You also have to consider if the venue is easily accessible to most of your invited guests. While your child may enjoy having the party at the zoo for example, it might not necessarily be the most convenient location for some of his friends to get to.

Teenagers can be a fussy bunch. They definitely want to celebrate their birthday, but it’s a fine line between having a great party and an out right embarrassing one.
Hosting your teenager’s party at a venue makes life easy. It means the onus is off you to be a ‘cool’ enough host, your teenager doesn’t have to worry about (apparently) embarrassing house rules, and you don’t have to worry about them breaking them. That’s not to say that your child and their guests can run riot, but venues have their own rules and consequences, so you don’t have to play the grumpy (and therefore embarrassing) parent. Loud music or shoes on the couch are no longer your concern!
Taking the party to a venue means that the activity provides a theme, and gives the guests something fun and focussed to do. Teenagers who are simply ‘hanging out’ can cause trouble, and that’s not what you want for your child’s birthday celebration.

Adventure Parties

Whether it’s go karts, paintball, quad biking or survivor type challenges - nothing feeds a teenager like adrenalin. South Africa is not short of adventure based activities, and any of these venues are a great place to hold a party. Check out the Adventure Zone on kidspartyvenues.co.za for some great party places. And these are certainly not only for boys!
Some adventure parks don’t offer specific ‘party options’, but they definitely know how to entertain a group. They provide fabulous activities complete with all the equipment and expert guidance, and can cater for people with all levels of experience.
Some adventure party venues offer more than one type of activity and will happily put together a package for you. If you let them know your budget, how many kids will be coming, and how long you would like to spend at the venue, they will be able to create a day your child will truly remember.

Generally speaking, any activity that involves having a guide with you will cost a little more.
 

Other Options:

Pamper Parties

At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, this venue is more for girls than boys, but it is definitely a great party treat. Day spas offer all sorts of treatments from manicures to massages, and depending on your budget your teenager could be pampered for one hour or a whole day. Hosting your child’s party at a day spa is a nice way to celebrate a milestone birthday such as their 16th, and they can share something really special with just a couple of best friends.
Not wanting to go to a spa, then there are a lot of “Pamper Party Providers” that even come to your house or venue with all the necessary pamper products and equipment.

Restaurants

Teenagers are always making themselves older than their age so a nice restaurant with a couple of friends would be a nice treat. This does not have to be the usual family type Restaurants.
All in all party venues sure have made the birthday party organising process a whole lot easier.

Carmen Bakker
Email: info@kidspartyvenues.co.za