Party Planning Tips
Are you planning an upcoming kids party? Whether it’s a small celebration at home or an epic extravaganza in a hired hall, here are some party planning tips from The Mad Hatter (himself a renowned expert in party planning with very elaborate Tea Parties) that will make your next event stress free and fun for everyone (including YOU!)
Set a date and send invitations.
- Set a date and choose your party time. Weekends can be pretty busy. After school parties work well. Make sure you don’t clash with other parties!
- If you’d like special Tea Party invitations, just ask! We can email you some art you can print or send electronically.
- Send out invitations at least two weeks before your party giving everyone a chance to plan for the big day.
- Ask everyone RSVP by phone or text. There will always be at least one White Rabbit running late for your very important date. Some parents will have a Tweedledum moment and forget to reply and you may need to call and remind them.
The perfect party.
In Wonderland a two to three hour long party is the perfect time frame for kids before the Queen of Hearts starts threatening to chop off their heads.
- 00:00 to 00:30 – The visitors arrive bearing gifts for the guest of honour.
- 00:30 to 01:30 – The Mad Hatter arrives and performs his hilarious, fully interactive show!
- 01:30 to 02:30 – The Hatter announces to food is ready and the hungry kids head straight to the party table for tummy treats and, of course, the birthday cake.
- 02:30 to 03:00 – Goodbyes and time for the other parents to return and take their kids home.
Where to stage this wondrous event.
AT HOME
- BONUS – You have everything there at your disposal! No carting stuff from one location to another.
- BONUS – It can be indoors if it’s too hot, wet or windy plus the kids have a safe backyard to play in as well.
AT THE PARK
- BONUS – Lots of room for the kids to run around and go crazy.
- BONUS – No need to stress about terrified pets or damaged ming vases.
- BUT WAIT – If the weather is good, the park could be crowded, so be early to reserve the best spot. Make sure there is a nice shady spot for The Mad Hatter to perform in and, if it’s a sunny day, lots of hats for the kids (mad or otherwise, just make sure they are sun smart!)
- AND – Make sure your party is easily identifiable by the Hatter. If you see him wandering aimlessly in the park send someone over to get him!
AT A PARTY PLACE
- BONUS – A professional party place does everything for you. You just turn up and enjoy. Plus, no cleaning up! Play groups are often a good option. You’ll need to bring food and tidy up but they usually have a great playground, a good kitchen with great child facilities and are usually well priced.
- AND – Make sure the venue has good toilet facilities, a kitchen, a child safe play ground and lots of easy parking for guests.
Food.
- WORD FROM THE WISE – Have as much food preparation done before the party so you can focus on sharing the fun, taking lots of photos and enjoying the show (and your children’s reactions to it) yourself.
- TIMING IS EVERYTHING – You can offer light snacks for the kids before The Hatter arrives, depending on the time it starts, but the more sugar, the more the kids will struggle to concentrate and their taste buds will be screaming for more or a drink through out the entertainment. Serving food during the show is very disruptive, it’s best that kids just focus on one activity at a time.
