Loads of great halls around but some stinkers that will make the party rubbish. When hiring a venue for a children’s birthday party, avoid big, echoey halls. Echoey venues are bad for the show because every cheer, squeal, and song bounces around the room, creating a headache-inducing ball of sound.
When choosing a venue, try to get somewhere with a car park or easy on-street parking with not too many restrictions. Avoid town centre venues. Small/medium village or church halls (that are not echoey) are great, and home parties work wonderfully too. If you’re hosting at home, I’d suggest having no more than 15 children. For halls, around 30 children is usually a happy, manageable number. But I can easily entertain more. Over 50 is too many and gets chaotic.
I don’t offer entertainment in soft play centres. As fun as they are, parties there are always chaotic, and the staff are usually keen to get us in and quickly out.
Check that the venue has a kitchen, and if you wish to serve alcohol to the grown-ups, check that they don’t have a “no alcohol” policy.
Don’t forget to book a little extra time to set up the room and tidy up afterwards. While 30 minutes before and after the party can work, giving yourself an hour each side is best. If possible, book the hall for four hours for a two-hour party. Enlist a few friends or family to help with setting up, moving chairs, and packing away. Two hours is the perfect time for a children’s birthday party. Avoid inviting them before I start or to stay longer after, as either will lead to chaos. And if you have a 3 or 4 hour party, a lot of guests will come later as they don’t want to be at a party for 4 hours.
Pro tip: book me before you book the hall. There are many halls, but only one Ritchie!
Ritchie Rosson is a children’s entertainer and magician based in Sutton covering Surrey, Kent and South London. He specialises in school shows, family events and birthday parties for 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th birthdays.
Ritchie Rosson – Children’s Entertainer & Magician 