When planning a party, one of the first things to consider is the venue. A venue can dictate the overall feel or theme of an event, not to mention the capacity. To choose the perfect venue, we begin with a conversation with the host.
A venue that reflects the child
Some children have interests that drive the choice of a location. For example, we planned a fifth birthday party for a child who loves to bake at Taste Buds Kitchen. When the family reached out to ask us to plan their son’s party, it became clear that their favorite thing to do was bake. With that in mind, we asked how many children the family was hoping to invite. The baking theme in combination with the party size led us to Taste Buds Kitchen.
From there, the whole party vision came to life. We chose a pizza baking theme for the party. This activity would be accessible to every child in attendance. We even extended the theme into the decor, creating custom aprons for every partygoer to wear during the event and take home after.
Size of the gathering
The number of guests also often plays a role in choosing a party location. For example, planning the perfect birthday slumber party in your living room is wonderful for 10-20 guests. However, if you are hoping to have a larger event, booking a sleepover at the California Academy of Sciences and drifting off to sleep in the rainforest aquarium tunnel might be a better fit.
Proximity to home
The importance of proximity is dependent on the age of the partygoers and how well you know everyone in attendance. If the party is for a younger crowd, it is best to choose a location within 20 minutes of where the majority of attendees live. This will minimize the amount of time young children spend in the car, and hopefully help to avoid the dreaded car nap. For children who are no longer of napping age, it is safe to plan a party up to 30 minutes away. Older children can handle a bit more of a ride; however, you want to be courteous and not ask people to travel too far. Coming to your party is a gift, and you don’t want to monopolize a family’s precious weekend time by choosing a location that is an hour from home.
Sometimes, though, a child is truly set on a location that is a bit further away and cannot be swayed. In that case, it is often best to invite a more intimate group of close friends who you know will be willing to make the drive.
Choice of entertainment
Finally, when choosing a venue, it is important to think about the entertainment. There must be plenty of activities available, and some structure is provided. When thinking about the types of activities to have at your party, it is important to think about the average age of most guests and the birthday child’s interests. We love planning parties at venues such as CuriOdyssey in San Mateo, because they offer a lot of flexibility. CuriOdyssey has birthday party options, such as an animal show, car building and testing, and tie-dying, or you can also bring in your own entertainment.
We recently planned a Star Wars themed birthday party there, where the birthday child was also very into crafts, face painting, and tattoos. We had CuriOdyssey lead the car building activity, and then had one of our favorite Bay Area face painting services come to do face paint and airbrush tattoos. We were also able to set up craft areas where children could paint their favorite Star Wars characters, make Star Wars necklaces, mix galaxy slime, and create character magnets. Especially for larger parties, choosing a venue with flexible options where you can book onsite entertainment and add some special activities chosen by the child or aligned to the theme can be key for holding everyone’s interest throughout an event. Once you’ve narrowed down your space, the next step is choosing the right time.
There are many different considerations when choosing where to host an event. Luckily, the Bay Area is full of wonderful places to throw a memorable birthday!