Cheap Ways to Decorate a Huge Community Centre Room for a 7th Birthday Party

Lizbetty

Hi everyone!

It's my daughter's 7th birthday in June, and we've hired a massive room in the local community centre for her party (which is cheap, it's the only room they have!). I'm doing the food, and we have got a clown coming to teach them tricks (not strictly o/s I know..but my husband hasn't read the huge magic tricks book I bought him to get him doing it himself.)

I feel under a bit of pressure as I did the party invites in a circus theme, with 'the greatest show on earth' as the title. In keeping with a circus type theme, not because I'm full of whatever. More than one of the parents has already made sarcastic comments (as they do..) and even though I'm not competitive, it's set me off to make it as spectacular as we can! :rotfl: More so though, as next year she might not want a proper kid's party, she'll be at junior school

We have had parties at this venue before..there's a small stage, lots of tables, and we can set it up how we like really. We're not allowed to stick things to the walls, and we're on a really, really tight budget too. Plus, we don't want too many balloons to distract the more distractable kids from the task in hand, as they put on a circus show for the parents when they pick them up.

I'm not sure how to go about it.

Has anyone got any ideas at all please? I'm hoping to plan early to save the usual panic that I have three days beforehand!

Thanks in advance,

Lucy

snowleopard61

It's a major problem that you can't stick things to the walls (or, presumably, the ceiling), but you might be able to decorate at least the stage with alternate rolls of red and yellow crepe paper to form a sort of circus tent.

If anyone is artistic enough, it might be possible to use plain wallpaper (lining paper) to do large pictures of circus performers (e.g. clowns, acrobats, ringmaster), which could even be mounted on card and propped up (like the huge adverts they use in cinemas) so that you don't have to stick them up.

Perhaps it would be possible to attach balloons high up in bunches so that the children can't reach them until the end (avoiding the distraction), when you could release them to be taken home?

This website may have some good ideas both for decorations and activities:
http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/circus_party.html

Good luck!

littletinygem

Hi Lucy,
I've been lurking around on MSE for ages, but never really post anything, but as my day job is event manager/creator of something from nothing, here's a couple of ideas I had- hope they help!:

-String a curtain across the outside of the door to the room- so you get the 'walking into the big top' feeling- A stripey one would be grand, but coloured bed sheets will do just fine- just swag them back, or have a 'ring master' on hand to pull the curtain back and give people a grand entrance into the room

-Seeing as the room's big, have a performance area for your clown/magic trick practice, with chairs in a circle (again big top stylee) and then set up small individual tables with different food on in a different part of the room- like the way you'd get a candyfloss cart, hotdog cart, popcorn etc at fairs- you could use different coloured table cloths for the different themed 'stalls'. (Not sure what you're thinking of food wise, but I could go on for flipping ages if you want some ideas!)

-It's a bit tricky not being able to attach anything to the walls, but bunting is really easy to make with offcuts of material and a bit of stitching and can be strung across the fronts of tables and balloons (or a few at least) look great tied to the backs of some of the chairs in the 'big top'- helium filled ones would look fab, if the budget will stretch- you can get the cannisters for filling latex balloons for about 20 quid online

Oh and costumes- No idea if this is a fancy dress shindig, but even if it's not, having your adult helpers in costume (and if you can bear it, in character!) really does add to the atmosphere!- Get yourself a tail coat and sparkly top hat!

Moominmamma

I don't have any fantastically creative ideas myself I'm afraid but I would highly recommend having a look on Pinterest, if you just search "Circus Party" you'll get loads of great ideas on there, and it's very "visual" iyswim.

Have a lovely party

sisbod

HEY really love the idea of littletinygem's perhaps you could do hook a duck using a paddling pool. fishing nets and ducks mixed with plastic balls.
pin the tail on the lion?
paint/colour their own circus mask? or clown hat ? staples and card are fab for this!!!
dont forget to download circus music and make little hapi sacks for juggling. better size for little hands also hoola hoops to hula as that is a skill!
how many children /people are coming???

you could even do a coconut shy to get rid of the excess energy!

as for the parents the only reason for their comments is nervous they will have to compete!! and a fear of doing something outside the box!

SailorSam

I posted this on here last week, make Queens Knickers bunting.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3962741

freezspirit

Some ideas:

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/party/big_top.asp

http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thekids/2010/05/circus-party-fun/

If your other half is good at diy, make some freestanding prop boards where you cut out the face - examples ring master, clown, lion, muscleman etc. the type of thing you see at seesides to take photos. Not sure on correct name.
http://www.partyprops.com/circusprops.htm

http://sevenclowncircus.com/2011/12/how-to-throw-a-circus-themed-party.html

http://www.diyinspired.com/carnival-theme-or-circus-theme-party/

http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/circus/index.html

PixieDust

Are there windows....can you string things from window to window with stickytack?

Lizbetty

:j Ooooh! Thank you! I'm really giddy about this now I really appreciate all the ideas, I'm going to sit and make some big lists and get cracking once I've written this.

We've had the clown before for my other daughter's 5th birthday - he's a real genius..he brings a huge tent top thing and plays confidence building games with the kids with it, then teaches them party tricks, then they have food and he throws all the circus gear all over the place and they practice tricks..then he paints their faces however they want, then they show their parents what they've learnt in a little show before they're swept off home.

It leaves us pretty much free to sort out the food and watch really! He brings his own music too (old stylie ska :T ) and it all seems to fit well. I guess the only things we (that'll be the royal we..) have to worry about are decorations and the food. He fills the day completely. I could marry him, he's great :rotfl: And not too expensive either. We had comments last time that the kids were really calm and attentive compared to how parties usually pan out, he really catches their attention. I'll still need headache pills though, I always get worked up!

There's around 14 kids coming, and so it's more manageable than last time (28 last time :eek: ). I was thinking of doing mini desserts in plastic shot glasses, I ordered a heap of plastic icecream shovel type spoons from ebay and I just need to sort some plastic shot glasses out. Just not sure what size to do...I have an anxiety problem that stops me from going out on my own, so I tend to get stuff from the net. It's difficult to guess what they might be like from the internet though, I don't want to get them too small as we can reuse them for grown up stuff if they're big enough. I thought some mini trifles or jellies, and chocolate mousse (leftover easter eggs and we get eggs from our chickens, so almost free :T) in those. And veg sticks in shot glasses with the sauce at the bottom. I'd seen a posh version of that on Pinterest, although I doubt I'll be peeling mini carrots into fancy shapes!

I've decided to do the cake as last time, I did cupcakes and stacked them on one of those stands. I stuck some stamped out butterflies to cocktail sticks and put one in each cupcake, and made some cupcake wrappers using templates from the net (must get some card..). Some parents have said the kids still have them! One girl's mum told me she insists on having every bun in her cupcake wrapper from that party, which is lovely. It's nice to know it works that kind of thing, it took blinking ages! This time I've ordered some mini paper windmills for the top of the cupcakes (which I could've made myself, I know ) and I'll try and source some circus sort of pattern from the net and cut out some more wrappers. I got some really cheap plastic cases for the buns too, from ebay, so the kids could take them home easily. I ordered bulk so I have still have some of them left to use for this party.

I am conscious that the food I've got planned (which is only the pudding and the veg sticks!), isn't very circus-y though. All suggestions would be welcomed! We will have to take things in the car to the venue - it's not far but there's loads of pot holes I'm guessing it might be hot too, and so I'm a bit worried about using meat but any advice would be welcomed on that. I have a breadmaker and so can sort some pizza dough easily. The kids that are coming do eat quite well (mostly..), I guess presentation is the main thing to make it exciting for the kids.

Phew. I'm buzzing a bit now (I have had three coffees mind you). Thanks so much again. My daughter doesn't mix that well at school, it's always tougher to sort her parties out so that she enjoys them and doesn't feel left out of the crowd. She's invited kids this year who she would like to get to know better but who she doesn't hang around with, otherwise we'd've been inviting two! We did one party with celebrity in the jungle type games one year, and she was the talk of the school for that one, with the buckets of cold porridge that all the kids were rummaging around in! It makes her feel part of it, I'm not bothered about the other parties and other parents but it does seem that a lot of people are As long as the kids have fun and it's memorable because it's a bit different, that's all we want. And for her to talk to people who she might not usually but who she'd like to get to know better.

God isn't it hard, being a parent :eek:

wow sorry for the huge post. Stress/coffee/excitement. And I'm not very good at being concise!

Lizbetty

ps QUEEN'S KNICKERS BUNTING! That is an absolute stroke of genius. You have my complete respect for that idea.

Lizbetty

PixieDust wrote: »

Are there windows....can you string things from window to window with stickytack?

There are loads of windows, and we have some of those suckers from the christmas decorations! Fab idea, thank you! :j