My son is about to turn 6. We are struggling to figure out what to do for a party. Last year we did Pump It Up...at the end of the day we spent $800!! We really aren't in a position to do this every year! Last year I said "enough!" and decided we would do a party at our home and just hope we can figure out something to do with the kids for 2 hrs. BUT...I got pregnant. I am due to have a baby Aug 14th and the party will be in early Sept. I don't want to host 20 something people at my house...
My problem is, in researching birthday party options in the city, I can't find a place to do it without spending at least $500! I thought a park would be nice, but what if it storms? Then what? I thought I could do something at the Windy City Fieldhouse...but again, I would have to spend $500 by the time I got pizza/cake etc. Does anyone have an ideas here? I am going crazy trying to figure this out within the next week so I can book before the baby arrives... I am willing to spend $300...maybe $350, but I would prefer to keep it in that range. I think I would also be willing to have it at the house if anyone knows of inexpensive party entertainment that would work for both girls and boys (we are planning to invite his school class so it will be a mix of attendees)? Maybe someone that can come over and organize games or something? We have a small backyard and a small basement if the weather is bad...
How about renting a pool at a YMCA? The fee includes an hour in a party room. Don't do a meal, just do swimming and cake.
We just went to a birthday party yesterday at one of the Lil' Kickers locations- it was great and the kids had a blast. The kids played soccer & fun games w/ coaches (who seemed to have just as much fun as the kids). They provide a room where you can bring in your own cake & food. You could make the party as simple & cost effective as you like. BTW- Costco has great birthday cakes that serve up to 45 people for under $20! You might also try checking one of the Park District locations near you for party options.
Last year we had our son's birthday party at an ice rink during public skating hours. The rink provided 15 skating passes & a room for the party- we brought a cake & had pizza delivered. In the end, the cost was roughly $150 for everything.
Good luck!
I think part of the problem is maybe you're inviting too many kids. In August it's easy to get away with not inviting the entire class. I found bowling parties to be the best value. Diversey Bowl or Waveland. I got tired of spending hundreds of dollars on parties and finally started bribing my kids not to have parties by offering to give them $200 cash instead of having a party. Worked like a charm!
Look Into MSA & circus arts place south of north ave and just west of western. 1934 n. campbell. ###-###-####. It was a ton of fun for the kids, about 2 hrs and they set the activities to be age appropriate. The staff were really nice, although a bit difficult to understand on the phone. They had thick Russian accents, but we would absolutely do it again and it was about $250. U can bring in cake, etc.
I completely understand your dilemma! As kids get older, they're too old for play spaces. Because we were inviting family friends with kids, I couldn't invite my son's class (19 other kids) because of the space limitations. I think it would be fine to make it a boys' party and agree that bowling is much more manageable and affordable. I think Diversey charges about $10 per child, including pizza. We went to a much bigger bowling party where the parents ordered appetizers and had pitchers of beer in addition to pizza. It was great (as a parent attending the party), but you can certainly do it affordably. Depending on where you live, you can also just host a picnic at a park, so the kids can run around on the playground and regroup to eat. Granted, it's much more difficult logistically with carting all the food. We just discovered the kids' pool and full-size pool at Pulaski Park. There were a couple of birthday party picnics set up. Weather is unpredictable, but you can do that whenever you want.
We had our son's 5th bday party at Lil' Kickers. If you don't have a child taking classes there, you may have to pay an upcharge (we may a household membership fee), but our party was $225 for up to 25 kids. I added on inflatables for another $130 or so. The coaches are great at getting the kids running around and having fun...and wearing them out.
Ditch the goodie bags, too!!! I usually find a small toy or book and give that out in place of a bag filled with chatchke and candy. For my younger son's "Cars" party, I bought a bunch of the die-cast cars (on sale at Target For $3) and let each kid choose a car and that was it.
I run into the same problem every year....bday parties in the city are crazy expensive. My daughter turned 4 this year...cannot justify an $800 party for a 4 year old and we unfortunately don't have room at our place!!!
Anyway here are some ideas...we had her 3rd bday party at Bacinos on Lincoln near Webster. They have a private room in the basement (its not fancy) that we rented for $30 :) then served pizza and apps. Dairy Queen is almost next store so you can get a cake from there which makes it convenient to pick up. We hired a guy to sing/dance with the kids. I know your son is older but if you can hire someone to come in...the rest of the party is pretty cheap. They let us go in early to decorate too.
CAC clubs have a kids club that does birthday parties....they have themes to choose from or will work with you if you have a theme. You can also do a pool or climbing wall party. We belong to LVAC...the staff is great! I think the pricing is around $300 or 400.
This year we did her party at ARCC ballet...we had a hip hop party so that boys could come too. This cost $350 but was discounted b/c we take classes there.
Hope this helps a bit...good luck and congrats and good luck with the baby!
