Hi helpful mommies!
I am starting to plan my son's 1st bday party. There will probably be around 35 kids ranging from ages 6 months - 7 years. There will be a large amount of adults too. Does anyone know of a venue that holds this many in Greenwich, Ct. - lower Westchester county area?
My son is quite used to crowds and attending large parties since he comes from a large family. If you could just skip the coments about how it may be overwhelming for my son, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
We held our party at the Western Greenwich Civic Center. Many of the parents complimented the cleanliness and spaciousness of the room. There was ample room for the 30+ kids to play, the entertainment area, food service area and 10 tables for sitting. The price was pretty reasonable too. If anyone is looking for a place to hold a large party, I would recommend it.
My son had a blast watching the kids, magician, balloons etc. He slept 10 straight hours that night. (That's unusual for him! LOL)
new rochelle ymca
lol about the overwhelming part...I heard that too..my son had a blast and slept sooooooooo well that night. If you know son can handle it....party on!
The Riverview in Hastings on Hudson is a great place for a 1st birthday. Not too costly either. My sister had her son's 1st birthday there. I've been to so many weddings/parties there... i've always been pleased with it. The food is good and the staff is great! I would hire a d.j. have a table for crafts/coloring etc. hire an entertainer...like a clown that does singing, does face painting, balloon animals all of thst sort of stuff. For that amount of people i think this would be your best bet. good luck!
In October, I had a large party for my son's first birthday. We had about 30 kids and about 95 adults come. We did it at the American Legion Post at Flint Park in Larchmont. It was about $500 to rent, which includes 2 waitresses (I didn't need to serve or clean up a thing!) and a bartender. We had plenty of room, tons of tables and chairs and the place is really clean. We catered it from World of Food for about $10 a person and it was delicious and we paid about $750 for open bar at the place. We had a clown for about 2 1/2 hours who entertained the kids, she did Elmo too, and there is a HUGE park behind the building that the kids went to play after the party. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I had my party at the Avalon on the Sound East "Top of the Roc" banquet hall. It is a stunning room that holds 137 people. Its located in New Rochelle, NY. Its on the 40th floor of the building with floor to ceiling windows throughout. Its a bit pricy $1500 flat fee for non-residents. You get tables & chairs. Another one of my friends just had her son's 1st bday party there. They did a Yo-Gabba Gabba theme. I was fantastic. Lots of room for the kids to run around & for adults to relax. It was a fantastic investment.
What about the Bruce Museum in Greenwich? Or maybe out at the Audubon? I think there is a kid's gym in Port Chester.
Don't worry about the crowd! My son had his first b'day in VT with at least 40 people, a blow up bouncy castle, a slip n slide, a tunnel, a giraffe tent, the list goes on... Many adults were there with or without kids. Nick wasn't phased by any of it, he even sang (kind of... ) and poked at his cake. At the end of the night we had a camp fire with marshmallows and beer for the adults. Some kids hung in there and fell asleep on a parent's lap. It was fun!
I'm not sure about your specific area but some party places where we have had fun are Gymboree, YMCA, local Parks & Recreation Depts, fitness centers, church basements. Have fun.
It depends- are you looking for something reasonable or a little more luxurious? An empty hall that will definitely accomodate, has a kitchen and looks decent is the Presbeterian Church in Pleasantville (they do accomodate non-members). Very reasonable compared to most places and has fairly recently had updates.
They have tables and chairs & it's an easy enough place to decorate. My only suggestion would be to bring a super play-yard (hopefully you have one?) and lay down either a blanket or rubber matting to set up an infant-to-toddler play area. Personally, I have found it to be one of the most accomodating places as far as distance to most of our peoples, ease of finding it, parking, tables, chairs, kitchen use (xtra $100 but worth it), good for adults and children.
I had the same situation with mixed age children and the way I handled it was to really get RSVPs and try to find age appropriate gift bag items for those older kids. These parties move very quickly (and should) so be prepared for that and personal advice, keep it kid-centered. It's easy to get caught up trying to make the critical adults happy and truthfully, they never will be. Get kid appropriate food, play kid CDs, address safety concerns and make it fun for them. Ultimately, if their kids are safe and having fun, adults would have also enjoyed the party. Don't bother with messy hot foods- if you must, do a white pasta dish with spirals or something (not lasagna or spagetti, etc) and perhaps Tea sandwhiches (you'll have mostly women and mostly those who are on the GO chasing their babes around).
Amyway, hope this helps?? -N.
Hi J.,
I have a personalized party favor business I recently started and give a 10% discount to mamasource moms. My website is www.littleshopoffavors.com. I hope you check it out. I have some great favors for kids of all ages. Have a great new year!
Stepping Stones in Norwalk, Ct starts at around $250 plus cost of food plus entertainment assistant. Bell Town Firehouse in stamford CT rents out their hall. "My Gym" and the "YWCA" also have facilities for birthday parties but you have to be a member.
For really large events you can try the Hyatt in Greenwich, CT, but I don't know if they allow kids.
But honestly? Is this party for you child or for you? This is way too many kids and too many adults. For a one year old, 5 or less kids; for two year old, 8 kids and their parents. The best parties we've gone to are small and held at the child's home.
Yes, your son will only have his first birthday once. However, 35 kids is way too many for a kid party. If the party is truly for your son, and not just a reason for you to host a party, just a few kids and their parents will be a far more rewarding and memorable party. My mother had a lovely party with 5 other children and their mom or grandmother, and my husband. My son had a blast, and with only a few presents to open got to really enjoy his gifts with the other guests. Everyone only stayed about 2 hours, but by the end he was starting to get a bit overwhelmed and ready for a nap.
If you're really having a party with that many kids, I would rent out a large room in a hotel or the gym at the YMCA. Consider hiring some babysitters to help with child crowd control as well. But don't expect it to be a real birthday party, with all those people there. Your son will probably cry and/or be pretty grumpy, with all that stimulation. And seriously- don't even think about getting everyone to sing to him and watch him blow out his one candle! He'll freak!
My son was pretty overwhelmed by the 12 grownups at our party! :) But he had fun, and made a nice big cake mess. It was at a local pizza place, and when he got cranky we just let him walk around away from everyone. Will there be a place for you to do that, with such a big crowd? Will you be able to leave the party, without feeling guilty about your guests? (Or maybe dad can do it?) You'll really have to pay attention to his cues, and probably have to set some serious ground rules on other people holding and/or touching him.
As long as you don't have unrealistic expectations, and as long as you keep the party pretty short (under 2 hours!), and as long as you can afford such a big party...then it should be fine. But it just sounds like so much work to me! Good luck!
