5Th Birthday Ideas for a Friday Night

With that many people why not go to a bounce house place (or depending on the weather) rent a couple of bounce houses and throw the party at your own home? You could ask for your family to help bring potluck type dishes for the adults and you could supply the simple foods 5 year olds like such as corn dogs or pizza. Another idea is to look into your local rec center for a swim party and they may have a room large enough to accomodate your large group for a get together of cake and ice-cream at the end. One last idea i'm thinking of could be to hire a make-up artist and balloon twister and just entertain everyone at your local church or near by park and only serve cake. I'm sure not all the adults will be into games so you could get a pull string pinata for the kiddos and hand them a goody bag to grab whatever falls out as their treat to take home.

If they are out of town guests, I think they would be happy just getting together at your house for a BBQ. Maybe get a bouncehouse for the kids. I personally don't like to go out of my way for B-Day parties. We usually do friends in the backyard and some cake and ice cream.

Either do a "friend party" or a "family party" this year. You could do bowling with the family or with the friends, but a large party like that seems a little overwhelming for a 5 yr old (especially with a wedding the next day).

What about having a pizza party for the family on Friday night and then doing something with the friends on another weekend?

Otherwise, I would suggest looking into renting out a local museum for a few hours. We're going to a 4th b-day party tonight at the local children's museum. The parents rented the museum out for $300(ish) "after hours" and have ordered pizzas to be delivered. It's a family and friends party and I think the whole evening will be a lot of fun. Plenty of space, not a "per person" cost and built-in activities!

Pizza parties, the bowling thing is good idea and honestly that isnt really expensive most places are 15-18 per person. maybe just a game night at your house with finger food and cake and ice cream

My first thought for an evening party with kids involved is - is there something like a community center room or church social hall you could rent and have a "pizza and movie party" - the kids could wear their pjs and bring blankets/sleeping bags and settle down in one area to watch a kid-friendly movie while the adults mingle and chat.

We have a HUGE family and 40 people is pretty normal for a guest list. Generally speaking, maybe between 25 and 30 show up. It sounds like there's going to be a lot of family there that you don't see very often. I don't see any reason to really go to a place like a bowling alley. You would probably be just fine inviting people over to your house. It will be a more relaxed atmosphere with lots of time to talk. Kids at that age are going to have a blast just playing together.
We did a pizza party for my daughter's 4th. I got 9 large pizzas, made a big tossed salad and bought some frozen garlic bread. I figured about 2 pieces of pizza per person. Some ate more, some ate less. It was a big hit! I loved it because I didn't have to cook anything!
Happy Birthday to your guy!

My son wouldn't be able to handle anything much past 7pm and he will be 5 next month. I would suggest doing a family party on the Friday night since that is when they will be here and a pizza party is cheap if you do it at your house or wherever everyone is staying for the wedding.

If you want to do a "children's" party at another time, then you can do it on a weekend and it will be easier to find other venues.

Oh, and $10.50 per party goer is cheap - many places are $12-$18!

Good luck!