Settle on a venue

One of the first things to consider when deciding how to throw your kids’ party is the venue. This will often be somewhere close to you and your child’s friends, so that parents can easily bring their kids along with minimal travel (especially after the party, when kids get very tired!). 

Picking the perfect venue for your party can mean considering several factors – many of which could change the price you’re quoted. These include: 

• The day of the week that your party will take place (weekends are often pricier!) 
• The number of guests you’ll need to host
• The time of your party
• Any kitchen or food prep areas available for use
• Toilet facilities

There are lots of options to choose from, and we’ve detailed just a handful of the most popular options below: 

Community centre or village hall 

Your local community centre or village hall can make for a great venue for your kids party. These kinds of venues are often large enough to accommodate lots of children (and their parents), and will typically have a large car park for convenience. They’ll also often have a usable kitchen if you’re opting for a self-catered party. 

Sports club or leisure centre 

For an active party with even more activities that kids can take part in, sports clubs or leisure centres could be perfect. These venues can sometimes be on the pricier end of your budget, but they’ll have dedicated spaces for kids to safely run around and play without running the risk of accidents or scrapes, as well as hospitality packages for food and drink. 

Hospitality function room

Many of your local hotels or restaurants will have function rooms for all kinds of parties, and you’ll often find that these kinds of venues will have accompanying party packages that can include food, drinks, and party bags. If you’re looking to group several elements of the party planning within a single purchase, hiring a function room at a hospitality venue might be just what you’re looking for.  

School

Schools will typically offer venue space for a cheaper rate than you’ll find elsewhere, meaning that you can invest more into the other elements that make your party fun! If your child attends the school where the party is taking place, they’ll also be in a familiar environment with their friends, which can help to make the special birthday boy or girl as comfortable as possible on their big day. 

Your home or garden

Looking to keep your kids party budget-friendly? You can still make lots of happy memories and have a wild time by hosting the party at your own home or garden (if the weather allows!). This has the added benefit of being a comfortable, safe space that your child and family are familiar with, and you’ll have complete control over decorations and other elements that may be more limited if you host the party elsewhere. 

The great outdoors

Thinking of booking a sporty party like our All Star Sports Party or Sports Day & Parachute Party? These can be hosted outdoors in areas like a public park, common, or astro-turf pitch. This really gives kids the opportunity to run around and go crazy, without the restrictions that indoor venues can sometimes have. 

Decide on the size of your kids party 

Getting a rough idea of the number of attendees at your fun kids party is important, because it lets you know how many mouths you’ll need to feed and what size venue you’ll need to book.

Sometimes this figure might just be the number of kids in your child’s class at school, but they may also want to invite cousins or other family members and friends from further afield. 

A standard kids party can range from 15 to 50 guests, and all of our parties have maximum attendance numbers in order to keep kids involved and entertained. 

You can find the specific limits when browsing our party pages, but if you’re not sure, then speak to a member of our friendly team to settle on the ideal size.

Disco and dance parties 

If your kids want to dance to their favourite songs while taking part in action-packed games and activities, then a disco and dance party is the way to go. Our disco parties are complete with bubble, snow or smoke machines, and really get the music bumping with the very latest disco and pop music. 

For slightly older children and early teens, you could opt for a laser disco or UV glow party to replicate the feeling of a nightclub at your chosen venue. To make the party truly unique, your teenager and their friends can even suggest music they’d like to be included on the party playlist, or you can add their favourite songs in the My DNA Kids Account area.  

Sporty and active parties

Looking for an active kids party to really get the kids moving and exercising? We offer a wide range of sports and active parties including soccer parties and parachute parties to get everybody involved in the fun. These parties will include the football equipment your attendees need to participate, as well as a fun, energetic coach to lead the party. 

Crazy themed parties

If your party is taking place around a specific seasonal occasion, or your child just loves Christmas, or Halloween so much they want to celebrate all-year round, then we’ve got you covered. Parties like our Spook-tacular Monster Party are complete with ghoulish prizes and a devilishly good disco, to fully embrace the scarily good vibes.

If you’re after something a little more festive, then our Winter Wonderland Party could be your best option. With seasonal games and props, as well as magical snow machines, you’ll think you’ve taken a trip to Santa’s workshop! 

Need help choosing? 

Not sure which kind of party to go for? Not a problem! Simply visit our parties page and click ‘Help Me Choose’ to get guidance on which kind of party would work best depending on the age of your child. 

Or if you’re still undecided, then reach out to a member of our helpful team. With experience in hosting thousands of memorable birthdays and celebrations, we know how to throw a kids party that will go down in the history books!

Decorate your venue to set the scene

If you’re able to get access to your kids party venue before the celebrations get underway, make sure to decorate the room or space as much as possible to really amplify the fun atmosphere of the party. 

This could include balloons, themed decorations for Halloween or Christmas parties, streamers, confetti canons – the list is endless! If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, homemade decorations can often work just as well as ones you might buy. 

Don’t forget to save any decorations you can to use next year! And if you’re unsure of what direction to go in when it comes to sprucing up your venue, suppliers can provide packages to hire and really elevate your party to the next level. 

Prepare or book tasty treats 

To maintain the fun and excitement of a great kids party, you’ll need to keep energy high by making sure that everybody is fed. There are a few options to choose from when it comes to catering for your awesome kids party, including: 

• Bringing along party classics and setting up a buffet table, with favourites like fruit kebabs, sausage rolls, and sweet treats to keep energy levels high
• Opting for a catered party as part of your venue hire. Locations such as hospitality venues will often provide food and drink for a fee, which can be included as part of your kids party package
• Order in food from an external source, such as your child’s favourite pizza restaurant

Make sure to ask about dietary restrictions or requirements ahead of your party, too. If you’ve set up a party WhatsApp group, this is the perfect place to check in – you want to make sure that everybody can enjoy themselves, regardless of extra needs. 

As part of our party packages, we’ll include a break in the schedule so that the kids can load up on food and drink to keep everybody going. This typically takes place halfway through the party, and lasts around 20-30 minutes. 

To make the event extra special, this food break is often brought to a close by your entertainer getting everybody to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the special boy or girl, followed by everyone enjoying a slice of cake!

Fill up those party bags

We’re in the home stretch now. The entertainment is booked, the venue is secured, and you’ve just got the final few things to tick off to throw the ultimate kids party. 

Even with everything in hand, don’t forget about party bags! These are a great way to leave friends and family on a high, and will keep the fun going for long after the party has ended. 

If you’re looking for inspiration on what to include in your kids party bags, why not try: 

• Sweets and food items themed around the type of party you’ve thrown
• Costume items or masks that kids can wear in your pictures
• Small toys to keep them entertained on the journey home

When considering what to include, avoid anything noisy and annoying like whistles or noise-producing toys. Kids parties can be very loud to begin with, and extra noise caused by something like a whistle or noisy toy distracts children from the main entertainment of the day – and other parents will thank you for avoiding them!

Capture lots of memories from the day

Kids grow up so fast, and before you know it they’ll be organising their own parties and events! Make sure to capture lots of memories from your awesome kids party, so that you can look back on the fun for months and years to come. 

How you go about capturing these memories is entirely up to you. Personal smartphones have great photography options nowadays, and you can keep things budget-friendly by taking lots of pictures and videos yourself (or nominating a particular friend or relative, so that you can get involved in the fun!). 

Alternatively, many photography services offer kids party photographers that are especially suited for capturing your big day. These can start at around £99, so make sure to factor this in when budgeting for the party.