How to throw the best Parties Ever!

Hosting a birthday party can be a really stressful time for many parents. At Party At Yours we have been fortunate enough to have hosted hundreds of parties over the years and during that time have picked up some fabulous party tips to help you create the best party ever - without all the stress

What's the best time to have your party?

When organising your party, it's a great idea to schedule the party between meals. So if you're looking to host food around lunchtime, then a great time to start your party is around 10.30 - 11am. As with hosting food for afternoon tea, a 12-2pm start would be ideal.
When you have little ones 3-5yrs it's also a great idea of host your party early on in the day as they have less zest in the afternoon and the anticipation of the day can at times overwhelm them.
We always suggest that entertainment be at the start of your party as it's wonderful to harness all that fabulous energy they have when they first arrive and pull that into a disco, princess party or Nerf party.
For us, we're all about working around your time-frames where we can so if you have a specific time in mind, then do let us know. The earlier you can let us know the better we'll be able to work this in for you.

How long should your party go for?

One of the most important aspects to your party is figuring out how long your party should last. While there are no golden rules for such things, these timeframes are a great guide for you to consider;

Most birthday parties tend to run for 2-2.5hrs. This incorporates arrival time, entertainment and yummy food and is ideal for kids parties 7yrs and under. When they are a little older they can handle a little longer if you'd prefer.
With arrival time, we always like to keep the first 15 minutes of every party free as your guests tend to arrive at varying times. There is no point in doing anything instructional over this period as it tends to be quite chaotic. Don't feel that you need to entertain over this period as the kids will amuse themselves whilst more friends arrive.
It's a great time to have your entertainment arrive just after this period to ensure that all your guests are there to enjoy the whole party and no time is wasted waiting for late arrivals.

Hiring Entertainment

Hiring entertainment for your party is certainly the less stressful option as with all our entertainers, the moment they step through your door, they're there to take over - leaving you to sit back, relax and enjoy the occasion.

Whilst many of our customers have hosted their own parties in past, this is a much preferred option and at times can actually be more economical for you as our entertainers all bring everything with them - you just have to provide the fabulous kids.
When it comes to the actual entertainment section, we always suggest that entertainment for children under 7yrs should be no longer than 1 hour. Anymore than this can be a waste of time and money as their attention span tends to wander after about an hour. If you have older children, 8yrs and over they can certainly handle a little longer if you'd prefer.
Unstructured play time is always great to let them cut loose towards the end of your party but don't feel that they need to be entertained as such for any longer than 1-1.5hrs (depending on age).

Parties at Home V Parties at venues

Having your party at home will always be the better option if you're able. They tend to have a much more inviting and warm feel which is ideal for hosting parties.

One issue most parents have is with regards to space, so just to note with any of our parties, including our disco parties, we don't need as much space as you first think. Sometimes having a slightly smaller space is better at creating the electric energy we're after.
We are very adaptable to our surroundings so don't let this be an issue for you as we have fun wherever we are!
We host many of our disco parties in garages and lounges
For our beautiful Frozen, Fairy Fantasia and Fairytale princess parties it's always nice to have your host and the children in an area tucked away slightly so they can hear all the secrets that their host is saying to them. With the intimate nature of these beautiful parties, and also the age, you tend to have many parents staying, so do please just be conscious that the children and their host can hear each other so they can get the most out of these beautiful parties.
If you can't be at home then a small hall or community room is a great option. When it comes to bookings halls especially, where ever possible, do try and book a hall that is on the smaller side as smaller halls are more inviting