My wife and I are planning our son's 5th birthday, and that means looking for a venue.
What we've found is that the choice of venue has a major impact on our budget, so by looking for a more affordable location, we can save a lot.
1. Home Sweet Home
There's no place like home—especially for kids' birthday parties. The size of your home does limit the number of children you can invite, so you may have to limit your guest list. The flip side here is cleaning up afterwards, and there's also the possibility of property damage or an injury to a child. In our case, when our dog played rough with one of the kids, we realized that in the future we'd need to look for other options.
2. City Parks and Recreational Rooms
You might be able to rent recreational rooms from your city or town at a nominal price. But because of the lower price, city recreational rooms are booked well in advance. We once booked eight months in advance, and still couldn't get the date we originally wanted.
Cities often have designated areas in their parks that can be rented for hosting birthday parties. Most of them are close to kids' play areas or splash pads, which is a bonus. Kids get plenty of room to play and run, but there isn't much privacy because you share the place with the general public.
3. Bring-Your-Own or All-Inclusive Venues
These are professionally run places that generally take care of everything from room, food, cutlery and party favours, and have indoor play areas. Some also give an option to bring your own food.
These venues provide packages based on the number of guests, and costs depend on the package you choose. Since we're on a budget, this is a last resort. But last year we chose a venue like this for our child's party. Keeping budget in mind, we invited only our son's closest friends.
Other Factors to Consider
Location: If the venue isn't your home, try to make it close to you and your guests.
The Date: If you have a bit of flexibility with the date, it may open up lower-budget options for you.
Weather: Of course, outdoor locations are weather dependent, and having a summer party allows for more options.
No Need to Overdo It
My children don't care if they have fancy food or spectacular venues. Mainly they want open space to run and play, and a little nourishment to keep them going. So it's easy to keep things simple and still make them happy.
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