I am trying to plan my daughter's birthday party. It isn't until February but I am trying to plan ahead. We are having a Fancy Nancy party this year and I am trying to figure out a location. I don't want to spend $400-$500 for a location, which is what most places in the city seem to cost. We did a party at Chuck E Cheese two years ago and I will never do that again. Last year we had the party at my apartment but we were limited on the number of kids we could invite since our place is somewhat small. I need suggestions for affordable places.
I rented a room at my park (Merrimac Park) for $50/hr. Best $$$ I ever spent, NOT to have that mess at my house!
Hi S.,
I am birthday party planner (pieceofcakebday.com) and specialize in at-home or "reasonable" birthday parties. The Chicago Park District has rooms available at most of it's field houses (the rooms vary greatly from park to park). It averages around $32.00 an hour to rent. I have a working relationship with the church across the street from my home (northside of city) and they rent out their facilities (2 playrooms, large basement room and small gym) for a $50.00 donation. Fancy Nancy is a great theme that lends itself to lost of activities and crafts (I dressed up as Fancy Nancy for Halloween at my girls' school-they loved it!) You could make tiaras, play dress up (the church I mentioned has lots of dress up clothes)and have tea(apple juice in tea cups) and finger sandwiches for a snack. Let me know if you want more info! ____@____.com
Have it in your apartment, invite five kids, have cake and ice cream and play a few games. Give dress up stuff as party favors (you can get it cheap at Oriental Trading Company on the web). Five guests is more than enough for a five year old. Ask one of the other mothers to assist, and send the rest off to shop, go to the gym or whatever else they need to do. Then put the money you would have spent on a venue into a savings account for your daughter. She'll thank you in 20 years when she needs $$ for her own place!
Hello S.,
Celebrate Your Child’s Next Birthday with Merry Music Makers!
www.merrymusicmakers.com
____@____.com
###-###-####
Party Options:
Three party options are available in our studio. The parties are 2 hours long and include one or two staff to assist you.
1. Studio Rental Only:
This is the basic party and parents must provide all refreshments, paper goods, (tablecloth, plates, cups & napkins) utensils, and candles.
2. Basic Package:
Craft project
Balloons, paper products and utensils
25 Minutes of Merry Music Making! (Birthday child can request up to 3 songs)
A mini musical instrument and bubbles to take home
3. Deluxe Package: Includes everything in the Basic package PLUS…
Birthday Cake
Food and Beverage
35 minutes of Merry Music Making (Birthday child can request up to 3 songs)
A mini musical instrument and bubbles to take home
Cost:
1. Studio Rental Only:
(up to 8 children): $125.00
(9-12 children): $150.00
2. Basic Package:
(up to 8 children): $200.00
(9-12 children): $250.00
3. Deluxe Package:
(up to 8 children): $300.00
(9-12 children): $350.00
Thank you,
Tim & M. T.
Merry Music Makers, Inc.
Try a local park district- I'm not sure about the Chicago Park District, but I know that the suburban park districts usually have rooms in the facility for rent. You can check the adjacent suburbs to your area of the city. For example, if you live closest to the NW side of Chicago, check Rosemont, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, etc. The fees are usually cheap & hourly too. Best of luck!
Check out your local park district. They rent rooms for a reasonable price.
Hi S.,
Check out www.kidwinks.com. It's a site targeted to parents in the Chicago area, and has events, activities, restaurants (including a calendar that shows where kids eat free each day), shops and services. In the Services section, you can search under Party Services for Party Places. If you become a member and put in your address, you can then sort those 50 or so search results IN ORDER OF DISTANCE FROM YOUR HOUSE! It's very, very cool. Hope this helps!
J.
Try a VFW hall they are cheap , nice, and at the end they do most of the cleaning and they serve your guest their drinks.
Try your local park district, church or if you are a member of the YMCA or club. These places often rent rooms to the public for special events. Happy Birthday to your little girl.
We did a party with Mad Science and rented at room at our local Park District. It only cost $40 or $50 - it was for 2 hours and they cleaned it up after. The only major hassle is that you have to bring everything with you - table covers, plates, napkins, cake knives...etc. You just have to do some detailed planning. The room was very attractive. Not sure where you live, but on the N. side of Chciago Hamlin, welles and Chase parks all have pretty nice rooms. I am sure others do too. We did ours at Hamlin - it was a huge room with lots of windows and a nice wood floor.
