So you are planning a birthday party at the park? A simple playground party at the park can be a laid-back and fun experience. In fact, our Boo-llerina birthday party at the park was one of our easiest and most enjoyable parties yet. However, a successful park birthday party does rely on a little forethought on your behalf. Therefore, I am giving you these 10 tips for a great birthday party at the park!
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10 Tips to Plan a Birthday Party at the Park
Reserve Your Party Area in Advance
- You will likely have to go through your city’s parks department. Be prepared to pay a fee for reserving the area. If your park has multiple pavilions, consider which is best suited for your party. For instance, do you want the pavilion nearest the playground even though if may be the smallest? Or would you be better off with the largest one on the property though it may be the furthest from the playground?
- Consider the time that would make the most sense for your birthday party theme. Also keep in mind whether you wish to serve a meal or not when you plan your time frame. If your time will run into 11:00 to 1:00 or 5:00 to 7:00, be aware your guests may assume a meal will be provided. If you wish to serve cake and snacks only, an earlier morning time or mid-afternoon time would probably be best.
- Get clear details from the person you talk with when reserving the park as to how early you are allowed to arrive for set up and how late you are allowed to stay for clean up. It is possible the park will reserve your area with back-to-back events. You need to be informed on your full allowable time – from arrival to departure. It is also worth calling back a second time the week of your event to double-check that everything is still a go. Having a birthday party at the park means you may not feel you have a go-to person to talk to. You may feel better by calling and confirming a second time.
Keep the decor simple
It’s a park, and you are having a playground birthday party. You will already be competing with the beauty of nature. As you gather the decor you do wish to take, collect everything in one box in your home and designate it as the decor box. At my house, we keep a large plastic tub in our laundry room. As I find things I want to take for party decor (balloons, candles, banners), I simply drop them into the tub. Be sure to pack twine, multiple kinds of tape, etc. for hanging things.
Keep the Food Simple
You can serve pre-wrapped sandwiches or hot dogs in a slow cooker with small bags of chips are easy and appropriate for a birthday party at the park. In fact, I have teamed up with some other bloggers to bring you 20 foods for a park party! There are some great ideas there!
I like to use pre-cut foil sheets to easily wrap things for grab and go.
Bring Balls or Frisbees for the Kids to a Party at the Park
We did not bring balls or frisbees for our park party, but I wished I had. The kids spent a lot of time running and playing in the grass. They could have spent much more time enjoying the open field had we brought a few items to help entertain them. You can buy a set of frisbees pretty reasonably online and then use those as party favors! Win win.
Buy Tablecloth Clips for Your Party at the Park
You will want to have tablecloth clips to help hold your plastic or cloth tablecloths in place if it gets windy.
I bought mine last year, and they have been used more times than I can count already. I use eight per table – one in each corner and one in each middle area. Nothing can annoy outdoor playground party guests more than air-born tablecloths.
If your park doesn’t have tables, and you will be putting blankets on the ground, come up with a plan for how those blankets will stay on the ground and not fly around.
Encourage Parents to Accompany Their Children to the Playground
The more adults on the playground or the play area at a party in the park, the better. However, at least one adult should stay at the birthday party area to keep things safe but also to greet guests and direct who may arrive first at the party station.
If Your Park Has a Pavilion, Visit it Ahead of Time
Our park has a pavilion which I visited ahead of time. You will want to check for things such as electric outlets, nails or hooks on posts (for hanging banners and buntings), the number of seats for guests, how many trash cans, a water faucet nearby for rinsing things off, etc. Take pictures on your phone so you can review once you are home. The more you know about the party area, the more precise you can get with your decoration planning.
Consider Bringing a Second Vehicle to Transport Things Home
If you are expecting a lot of guests (who are bringing gifts), you may want to have plans for a second vehicle to help transport things home. – If your guests will be bringing gifts, you will be hauling home more than you brought. Have a plan for how you will get these things back to your house after your party in the park.
Bring Trash Bags With You to Your Playground Birthday Party at the Park
Don’t rely only on the permanent trash cans at the park. It is possible those cans might already be full or near full when you arrive for your party.
Always Have a Back-Up Plan for Your Park Party
Finally, have a back-up plan for your party at the park in case of rain! Rain has an uncanny way of finding party-planners and wrecking plans. Trust me on this! Remember our little monsters party in the garage? Ugh.
Playground Party Invitations for Kids
We just used Facebook to invite our guests to our party, but I found some super cute fill-in invitations that would be great for kids’ playground parties.
- You might like these cute playground party park invitations for kids
- This set of playground party invitations also has an optional matching playground party stickers to put on favors or goodie bags.
- If your party has a splash pad, you might like these splash pad party invitations.
Well, what do you think? What other tips have I missed for a fun and smooth playground party at the park? Be sure to check out my other post for tips on planning a movie theater birthday party (with a Frozen theme) or a pumpkin patch birthday party!
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Suki Siu
22nd of May held birthday party at park
My son’s birthday on 23 May 2022
Want to quote price
The theme of the birthday party Marvel
The Gifted Gabber
Hi Suki! I’m afraid I am not sure how to help you with your request. I suggest contacting your local city parks office and see what quote you get from there. I hope you have a wonderful party!