Planning Your Party

Here are a few things to consider when planning your party or event.

Who to Invite?

If the birthday child is pre-school age, has a Summer birthday, or you are holding a different kind of celebration (like a Christening party, or festive event) you can probably get away with inviting a carefully-chosen selection of friends and family. 8-15 children is a good number to ensure you’ve got a fun atmosphere, but is still manageable in a smaller venue.

Increasingly common these days is to invite the entire class to birthday parties. Many party-packages charge per-child, or have a maximum limit on guests with more charged as additional. Tom Tricks parties let you have unlimited children, all included in the price, so you won’t be stung with an unexpected bill. (Although of course, the complexity and number of balloon models Tom can make, will depend on type / length of booking and number of children.)

Where to hold the party?

Parties at home

Some people prefer to host their party at home, or in their garden. This works best if you are expecting a relatively small number of guests. Things to consider – do you have a large enough space in your home to accommodate a number of children and an entertainer? Would there be space to play party games? Where will the children be eating, if you’re providing food? If outdoors, do you have a back-up plan for adverse weather? Do you need to inform neighbours if parking will be busy on your street?

Hiring a venue

Many people find it a less stressful option to host the party in an external venue. You can find a range of venues locally, varying from local village halls, church halls and scout/guide huts to function rooms in pubs, clubs and restaurants and party rooms in leisure centres.

Featured venues (contact me to be included in this list):

When choosing a venue you need to consider a number of factors including location, cost, whether it includes time for set-up and cleaning, what facilities it has (e.g. tables, chairs, power points, catering facilities, parking), if you’re allowed decorations or candles etc. You will also need to know whether you can provide your own food, or if you need to use the venue’s catering services.

Food and drink

Depending on where you are holding the party, the choice may be made for you. Some venues (especially pubs, clubs and restaurants) require you to use their own catering, and others may even contain a bar. If this isn’t the case, you’ll need to decide if you want to provide food and drink at all, what it should be and how much of it you want to do yourself. You’ll probably want to ask guests in advance if they have any dietary needs that have to be catered for.

The DIY Approach

If you’re a whizz in the kitchen, or prefer to provide a simple spread of sandwiches, crisps and juice for the kids, you may prefer to cater the yourself. It is usually the cheapest approach, although it can add extra pressure to the day.

Bought-In Buffets

A middle-ground can be found by ordering pre-made buffet items, like trays of sandwiches, fruit platters and packs of cocktail sausages, from supermarkets like Tesco or M&S. You can also get birthday cakes ready-made from most large supermarkets.

Some people find that ordering pizzas from a local takeaway is a quick and easy approach to providing hot food.

Get The Caterers In

For a completely hands-off approach, sometimes it is nice to bring in the professionals to sort our your party food. From local cafes, to large catering companies and star bakers, you should be able to find someone that will provide your ideal event food. You’ll need to decide if you want a cold buffet, hot food or a mixture. Make sure you check availability well in advance for the best choice of suppliers, and check with your venue that they will have access if they’re delivering the food to you. If you’re going this route it won’t be the cheapest, but it could be worth it to free you up to enjoy the day.

When To Serve The Food

Depending on the time you’re having the party, you may not need to serve food, but most parties tend to include a lunch or an early tea. If you’re having a Tom Tricks 2-Hour Party Package, Tom can make balloon models while the children eat, in between the magic show and party games. If you’re opting for just the magic show, it’s a good idea to serve the food afterwards, as you can be setting things up whilst the children are joining in with the show.