What Is The Average Cost of a Kids Birthday Party?
Planning a kids birthday party can seem like an expensive process, but it doesn’t have to break the bank.
The average cost of a children's party in the UK is £524, which includes costs like a venue, food and drink, and your party entertainment. To give you a better understanding of how these costs break down, let’s run through the kinds of things you’ll be paying for when organising your own party.
What can affect the cost of a children’s birthday party?
Although certain costs like food and drink will be unavoidable, you can make some decisions during the planning process to keep things as affordable as possible.
The main factors that will drive up the cost of your party include:
- The venue
- Food and drink
- Party decorations
- Entertainment
- Seasonality and time
Choosing your venue
Cost range: £50 - £150+
The cost of kids birthday party venues can vary massively, depending on factors like the day of the week you’re hosting your party, or the length that you’ll need to hire the venue for.
The type of venue will also impact costs. A standard village hall is perfect for a kids birthday party, and you’ll typically pay around £100 for a 3-hour hire. Change this to a purpose-built venue, however, and you could be looking at £300+ to cover everything involved.
Some parents choose to host the birthday party at home for this exact reason. You skip venue costs altogether, which allows the party budget to be stretched further in other areas.
Catering with food and drink
Cost range: £50 - £100+
You’ll need to provide some kind of sustenance for your guests, but your level of investment for this doesn’t have to be sky high.
Consider making homemade snacks and pizzas, which can be a cost-effective way of keeping everybody fed. Large batches of pasta or frozen pizzas can keep plenty of kids full throughout the day, and paired with a birthday cake, you’ve got all you need to satiate even the most energetic kids.
Costs can climb if you choose the professional catering route. But unless you have money to spare, parents don’t expect this level of formality when coming to a kids birthday party.
Highlighting your theme with decorations
Cost range: £30-£60+
When breaking down the average cost of a children’s party, you might not think that something like decorating needs to be considered. But if you don’t plan ahead, this is an area where costs can spiral out of control.
Decorations are definitely a part of your party planning where DIY is your best bet. This allows your birthday child to get involved, and also avoids buying costly decorations that you’ll only use once and then put in the loft (or even worse, throw away!).
Even better, ask around and see whether your friends and family have decorations that you could borrow for the duration of your party. People often collect birthday bits and pieces as their kids get older, and would be more than willing to hand them off to somebody else if it saves them some space at home!
Planning your entertainment
Cost range: £150 - £350+
Entertainment is the centrepiece of any good kids birthday party, so you can expect to spend a bulk of your budget in this area.
For a two-hour party filled with games, music, and prizes, the average cost of a kids entertainer is around £250. This will get you an experienced, fun entertainer who can keep all of your guests involved and happy throughout the duration of your party.
You may also find certain venues that combine entertainment costs with the venue hire, food and drink, and other expenses. These can sometimes be a good deal, but the entertainment package on offer is rarely as tailored as a stand-alone entertainer. You’ll receive a templated experience and only save a minimal amount of money.
Choosing the best time for your party
The date and time that you host a birthday party can have a big impact on how much it will cost.
These decisions impact everything from the venue cost, to how much an entertainer will charge. Venues may offer cheaper costs for morning hire compared to an evening, whereas an entertainer could charge more for a very early event, as they need to get to your venue in time to set everything up.
While it might be tempting to throw the party on the actual date of your child’s birthday, it can sometimes be better to hold off until another day of the week that will result in a better deal. However, you’ll have to consider things like school term times and other obligations that might necessitate a weekend party.
Let’s help you throw the best party ever!
If you’re ready to start planning the best birthday party ever, take a look at our exciting and fun party packages. You can also reach out to a member of our friendly team if you have any specific questions that you need answering.
