Kid's birthday party help! Calling all parents!

[DCfam]

Padres, we arrived 2 months ago and our kids are attending a small private school near Palermo (Jean Piaget). Our youngest is turning 5 in a few weeks we are trying to plan a birthday party. The oldest has been invited to several parties in the last few weeks, all of which take place in party salons, as adverstised in planetario revista. When we shopped around to schedule a party, the going rate was 1500-1900 pesos, depending on precisely what we bought. This seems very steep for a 5 year old birthday party - about double what we'd spend in the states.

Does anyone have any suggestions? The party would have to take place somewhere in a few kilometer radius of Palermo. Are there more middle of the road strategies? In the US we might just reserve a space in a park and bring in pizza and play a few games and the kids are happy. (our living space is too small to host at home, so that is not an option).

Many thanks in advance,

Brent & Beth

 

[lolimundo]

Cheapest option in sth like a salon is McD or BKing. If you are member of a sports club you can do your party there, ask the club adm, maybe they charge you with 200$ for cleaning and you bring food and that's it. Public places are unsafe for that age.
Have u asked at Museo de Los Ninos Abasto? Amazing b-day parties for that age. No idea prizes.
Also you can ask in some pizza place with games for kids if they organice bday parties, always cheaper than salons.
Good luck with your search.

 

[fifs2]

Sorry Brent & Beth but the prices you quote are the going rate as 4 - 8 is really the age here when all the kids from school attend parties..it tails off into girls or boys only after that with football or cooking parties for small (+ cheaper) groups. One cheaper option is ice-skating (we have 2 rinks in our neighbourhood Winter and Polar City in Caballito) and its a very fun activity for both girls and boys at less than 1000 pesos for 25 kids. In spite of the cost, enjoy the parties. I have found them so valuable for socializing and pure unadulterated joy for the kids!

 

[AngelinBA]

Ugh! Kid´s birthday parties! We´ve been to many that must have cost a year´s salary (mine anyway) to put on and it´s very hard to compete with that. So I just don´t try. We´ve done the McD´s party one year, my son was over the moon. All he wanted was to be with all of his friends, didnt care where. In fact, it was hard to get the whole bunch of them out of the plaza across the road from McDs and into the party! They all would have been perfectly happy with panchos and coke at the park.
We decided that we couldn´t do full on parties, last year we just invited 4 of his closest friends over for a playstation and computer games evening and the only small hitch was at the end when one of the kid asked for his souvenir bag and I hadn´t made any up. (I gave him an extra piece of cake to take home!)
Good luck, please tell us how it all goes!

 

[Roxana]

The zoo has a confiteria and I know they used to rent it for kids' birthday parties. Another option around the neighbourhood would be the bowling place at the beginning of Av Cabildo (100-200)

 

[MizzMarr]

I was just at a park/plaza in my neighborhood over the weekend, and there was a large group of kids having a birthday party there. I don't think a reservation for the space was required, and they hired a magician/clown/entertainer (I never could decide what he was) to entertain the kids. They looked like they were having a ball. It appeared that the adults had blankets and picnic supplies otherwise. A possible cheap but fun alternative!

 

[Gaby]

Last year my son went to a birthday party at Village cinemas. He had a blast. The kid was turning 6. Maybe for a 5 yrs old is not such a good option, but that is for you to decide.

http://villy.villagecines.com/

Do you have a friend with a SUM in the building?? That could be another place to celebrate the birthday party. But then, you will also have to take care of the animation, decoration and of course food, etc..

What most (almost all) parents at my kids school do, is to join and celebrate to birthdays tha same day. Most party salons ar ok with day.

 

[DCfam]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Musee de los niños turns out to be on the low end (~80/kid; min 15). The zoo is on the high end (1500 for 2 hours, 1900 for 3). We are going to wait a week or so to see if we can find another kid in his class who might share, but we will update the thread to let y'all know how it turns out.

 

[DCfam]

In the end we wound up at musee de Los niños. It was a grand success! Though, we were a bit worried when only one friend had shown up 20 minutes in.... But most were there 10 minutes after that. They are total pros and the two young women managed 10 unruly boys without trouble.

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

 

[fifs2]

Glad it all workedout..I think that place is fantastic for that age group. The zoo fyi was worth every cent for my sons aquatic themed party. We all had such an amazing day and memories to cherish, it honestly was a highlight of the year so maybe start saving now for next year!