Locations for 1St Birthday Party

I agree with Shira P - a party for a 1 yr old is more about the adults not the child. We chose Chuck E Cheese for my sons 1st b-day party as it was 1/2 way between us and most relatives. I was hesitant to do it there but it worked out well as the adults were able to sit down and have pizza and chat and there was something there for young kids to do as well. Big factor for me was to be able to have 50 people and someone else did the clean up.

WE often do it at home, even tho it is crowded,makes it feel snug and cosy. Often the weather is good enough for kids to play some out doors.Both my husband and son are born on January 19th.
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I had 50+ at my son's 1st and I had it at a pizza parlor that had a carousel and gaming area for some of the bigger kids. My son was barely walking...the most exciting part was riding the carousel and cake. Plus it was easy cleaned up afterwords too.

Our friends had their daughter's 1st bday party at the Spaghetti Factory in downtown San Jose. It was very nice!

Where do you live?
The Albany YMCA rents its gym and a side room. Plenty of space for kids to run around and to set up the cake and snacks.
Studio Grow, nearly San Pablo and Gilman, costs more but puts on a great b-day party for little ones.
The Berkeley YMCA rents a small tumbling room and snack room, also not too pricey.
They'd all be appropriate for your child's age and big enough to accommodate everyone.
Enjoy!

I suggest having it at home and NOT inviting 50 people. That is very stressful to a baby/toddler. Rule of thumb is 1 guest per each year of childs age.

Check out this link: http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/birthdays/1stbday.html

There's a lot of great advice! Good luck!

What about your church? Our park has a building that can be rented. I'm sure there are many places that have spaces you can rent for parties. Sometimes even a community center and bigger hotels. As far as fun places, that would be more tricky. If you are going to have other children there and want to do something for them, you can go to a place like Chucky Cheese, but that's if you want to pay since your 1 year old won't get much enjoyment out of it.

If your 1 yr.old is not used to be around so many people, I suggest holding her and acclimating her throughout the party. I remember my first-born's 1 yr. old party- she cried and was overwhelmed seeing so many people at cake cutting time... In any case, I hope you can find a comfortable place and people to help so you are not overwhelmed and can stay in touch with your baby.

where do you hold other big family gatherings? would that place work for the birthday celebration?

Keep in mind that when it's a birthday party for a one-year-old,
the party is really for the grown-ups.
The kid won't know the difference.
So think about places that grown-ups like.
If any of you, your relativees, etc.,
live in an apartment complex or a condo complex,
there may be a community room associated with the complex,
available for rental.
If you're near a college campus,
there may be an appropriate room available for rent.
Have fun!