Questions and Answers for Children Fun Events

Typically how long is your show?

For kid’s events we can do a show as short as 10 minutes and as long as 75 minutes (1 ¼ hour). While the show length varies upon the children’s age and maturity, the vast majority of shows for this type of event are 45 minutes. If you book some of our options, then figure on roughly 1 hour.

What days of the week do you offer your programs on?

7 days a week. This is a full time profession. Therefore we can book a program for you any day of the week.(Dependent upon availability due to previously booked performances.)

Can I book your show for anytime of the day that I want?

Generally, we have certain times of the day that we book our shows. This is so we can schedule multiple performances in a given day.

First show: starts at 11:00 am or any time earlier than that.

Second show: starts at 2:00 to 2:30 pm.

Third show: starts at or anytime after 5:00 pm

In the non-summer time, there may be some flexibility in this (when we are not quite so busy).

When should the entertainment be scheduled to start, in relationship to the time guests are supposed to arrive.

Generally speaking, we find it best to start the entertainment at least 45 minute after the party is scheduled to start.  Most people will arrive 20 to 45 minutes late for a kid’s party.

People who would never be late to a business meeting or a doctor’s appointment will always show up late for a birthday party. There is a reason for this.

A lot of people have experienced the same thing that I run into all of the time. They arrive at the party when it is scheduled to start and find out that the family is no where near being ready to have guests. Real quickly you learn that “Party starts at 1:00 pm” means that guests should start arriving around 1:20 pm.

What is the best day of the week to have a kid’s fun party?

There are a couple of rules of thought on this.

Weekends are a very traditional time to have kid’s parties, like birthdays. Be aware that there may be more scheduling difficulty on weekends. “Johnny has soccer all Saturday.” or “Jane has dance practice.” or “We’re in church all that day. You really have to look at the group of people that you are going to invite. Remember that some of the guests you invite may already be invited to 1-2 or even 3 other parties that day.

Weekdays after school can be a great time to have a kid’s party. If you schedule the party to start around 30 minutes after the kid’s get out of school, you’ll have the best success. Friday afternoons may be particularly good. Many families don’t have other activities (that will interfere) scheduled for Friday afternoon. I think that Friday afternoon may be one of the best times to schedule birthday parties; that is if Mom and/or Dad can schedule around their work.

When is the best time of the day to have a party?

Take a look at the time of the year that you are talking about.

SUMMER: I highly recommend you go for an early time or a late afternoon time. Remember, it gets hot mid-day. A lot of mid day parties are rather ‘dead’ as everyone is just too hot to want to participate in much of anything.

The morning is the coolest. Remember, most kids are early risers and the most active in the morning. Yes, Mom and Dad may have to get up earlier than they would otherwise like, but remember who’s day is it anyway.

The late afternoon is when the day starts to cool down. Think about scheduling your party so that it ends as the sun sets for the day.

WINTER: The mid-day slot is the most popular. Remember that this means that it is the most popular for other people, as well as you. Don’t assume that the entertainer you want will be available whenever you choose to call. Keep in mind that you need to make reservations on the party location well in advance as this is the time that everyone else wants.

What ages do you think are best for your shows?

I generally say age 4 and up. This is a generality, I’ve had 18 month old kids sit thru a 50 minute program and thoroughly enjoy themselves. Conversely, I’ve done shows for 6 year olds that didn’t have the maturity and hadn’t been taught how to sit for more than 20 minutes.

We do a lot of presentations for pre-schools (big, national chains as well as Mom & Pop run centers). We will often have kids in the audience that are 2 years old.

After everything is said, no one knows a child better than their parent(s) and no one is more qualified to determine if they are old enough to enjoy a show.

Remember that a child who is turning 7 is doing just that “t-u-r-n-i-n-g 7”. Yesterday, they were 6 years old. Today is only one more day than yesterday. The birthday child did not mentally advance 52 weeks last night.

I really don’t want to OR I can’t have a birthday party at my home. What suggestions do you have?

Look around at other places to have the party at.

SCHOOL: Some schools, particularly private ones, may allow you to use school facilities. We have done presentations for the entire class. We can do these – In the classroom, - In the multi-purpose room, or outdoors.

CHURCH OR TEMPLE : If you, or even a friend belongs to a religious group that has a hall or multipurpose room, see if you can use it.

PUBLIC PARK: Check with your town’s Park Department and the nearby towns. Many offer facilities for parties. Some charge a fee, some don’t. Don’t forget t, also, check with your county parks department.

PLANNED COMMUNITIES: Again if you or a friend live in a gated community, condo, project, large apartment complex, they often have facilities that you can use.

CLUBS: If you (or that good friend) belong to an organization like, the Elks, Masons, VFW, Boy Scouts, see what they may have available.

WORK: Many medium and large companies have facilities that they may let you use.

PRIVATE PARTY LOCATIONS: There are facilities that commercially rent space for private parties.

How much room do you need to perform in?

For our normal stage show we need a minimum of 7’-6” left to right and 6’ from back to the feet of the audience.

How far in advance should I call to book you?

This really depends upon other bookings. Another important factor is when do you want the party.

TIME OF YEAR: For some reason, which I still haven’t figured out, the “season” for birthday parties peaks from June through August. (Is romance dead between January and September?) During the summer months I would recommend that you get your reservations made 4 months before your desired date.

TIME OF THE DAY: It seems that everyone wants their party between noon and 3:00 pm. If this is when you want your event, then get on the phone early. In the summer I’m amazed that this is such a popular time, considering this is the hottest possible time of the day.

Why do you require a deposit when I book your show?

Unfortunately, deposits separate the serious customer from the jerks. There are some people out there who will book multiple performers and then choose at the last minute who they actually want. Some don’t even have the courtesy to call back and cancel.

A great teacher of mine in college said that if everyone treated each other with courtesy all the time, there would be no need for laws. The same thing could be said about contracts and deposits.

What is the “normal” length of most birthday parties?

When asked this question I normally ask the caller to tell me about their background. Party length is definitely culturally based.

The majority of the typical Anglo parties I attend run around 3 hours. Some are as short as 2 hours and some go 4 hours.

Latino parties tend to be longer and larger than the “normal Anglo party”. I would say that 3 to 6 hours long are fairly common.

Certain cultures, notably Filipinos and Argentineans, have parties of 6 to 18 hours long.