Halls and Venues to hire in Streatham, Clapham, Battersea London!

Organising a children's party is tricky enough without doing tons of research on hall hire in London!  That is why I have put this post together as I have had lots of clients asking for my advice about halls to hire for a children's Birthday party in Streatham, Battersea, Clapham and surrounding areas.

As lots of my clients book their children’s Birthday Party in halls and venues around Streatham, Clapham, Wimbledon and Battersea in London I have put together a list of some good venues that are local, have ample space and can be hired on weekends. 

 As well as this, these halls to hire in SW London are very reasonably priced and some come with great added extras such as staff to help set up and pack away, music equipment, kitchenettes and tables and chairs!

Some things to think about when hiring a hall:

•  Do your research – some halls may advertise a great rate but when it comes to booking on a popular weekend day the price could shoot up!

• Book well in advance.  The most popular venues often get booked up well in advance and you may end up having to hold your child’s Birthday party a few weeks after their big day.

• Always ask the venue what is included in the price.  Sometimes venues and halls will charge you for the use of their equipment such as tables and chairs.

• Size of the hall.  If it is to big for the amount of children coming, they could end up running all over the room and the entertainment will be that much harder!

• Acoustics.  Some halls can echo and with parents and children filling the hall you may have to shout to be heard. 

• Decorating the venue.  Some venues will have decorations you can use but if not, buying enough decorations to make a large hall attractive can be hard work AND costly.

• Parking – very important, especially in London! Always find out how many parking spaces the venue has, and if there are any good local car parks in the area.

• Most importantly – always try and see the hall or venue before you pay a deposit on it! You do not want to be disappointed or stressed on the day of the party!

Venues / Halls to Hire

·     PAPAS Park, Brixton.  Mon – Sat.  £30 hourly rate  http://papaspark.org/hall-hire/    (Discount if you are a member)

·     St Pauls Church Hall, SW4.  Book 7 days a week.  £30 hourly rate  http://www.stpaulssw4.org/church-hall   

·     Church of the Holy Spirit Church Hall.  Available weekends.  £29 hourly rate  http://www.holyspirit-clapham.org.uk/contact-centre   
 

·    Chatham Hall.  Available 7 days a week – a favourite!  £42 hourly rate http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/200021/community_centres_and_facilities/243/chatham_hall_hire 

·     Romany Scout Hut.  Weekend bookings.  £30 hourly rate   http://www.scoutinginwandsworth.co.uk/hall-hire/  

·     Bees Knees Room at Battersea Arts Centre.  Weekend bookings – Another favourite!! Min spend is £180 for four hours  https://www.bac.org.uk/content/16326/hire_us/spaces/bees_knees_room/bees_knees_room   
  

I hope this information is helpful for you!  If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear from you! Alternatively, if you would like some information on venue hire in another area I will write my next blog on this.

Thanks for reading!!

Emma at Once Upon A Time Parties

info@onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk

07969841770

The Pirate Party - Decoration Ideas!

One of the most fun parts of a Kid's Birthday Party is decorating the venue to match the theme! Now is not the time for subtlety and a Pirate theme is one of the best for decorating! Think underwater, think pirate flags and of course, pirate ship!

A simple way to transform the venue to a Pirate wonderland is to hang blue and silver steamers from the ceiling of the room and to drape blue ribbon or crepe paper along the ceiling to make the waves of the sea.  Try hanging blue balloons from the ceiling and even some cut out and painted fish, octopus and other underwater creatures! Getting the children involved will make the party even more special to them and they will be sure to enjoy painting fish and hanging them up!

Next, hang skull and cross bone flags on the walls - you can pick these up from any good fancy dress or party store - to bring the theme to life!

At the main table, cover it in a green table cloth and a fun idea is to fill a treasure chest with sweets and other goodies and make this the centrepiece.  Place chocolate coins on the table and around the table, think about adding some cut out palm trees to make this area into 'land'.

Try adding nets to the table and make sure to use pirate bunting and lots of stripes to decorate in a pirate style!!

I hope that this gives you a few ideas to get started with the Pirate theme! Keep on reading for lots more ideas on decorations, cakes, food, games, crafts and take home gifts in the Pirate theme!!

Don't forget - if you are planning a child's party please contact us at Once Upon A Time Parties for entertainers and party planning services...

www.onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk

Thanks for reading :)

Theme 2: The Pirate Party - Invitations

Carrying on from my recent blogs, I want to introduce my 
second theme which is distinctively different to the Fairy Party. This party theme is perfect for your child's party (mainly the boys!) , of course it can only be the Pirate Party.
From walking the plank, (not literally) to pinning the patch on the pirate, the children are sure to have a fun packed and unforgettable time- so get planning!

I am going to start from the beginning and my upcoming blogs will help you plan the perfect pirate party, but today I am going to talk you through the all important invitations. 


Pirate Invitation

1) My idea fits very well with the theme but also contains a rather fun element to it too- when I think of Pirates I often think of treasure and treasure maps which is I believe can be fitted in to the invitation.

2)To make the map, just use a blank marker to draw some white copy paper. Have some fun and keep it loose and graphic. Make a big island with jagged shores. 

3) Put a giant 'X' to mark the spot of the party whilst adding to it the address of where the party is going to be held. 

4) Make a bold, curving, dashed line for a path around the island and put several obstacles or landmarks along the way, each one giving a clue to the party ( time, date, whether its fancy dress or not, etc)

What to include in the invitation

• The Date
• The Venue
• The times of the party 
• Dress Code
• Theme ( You could introduce the party as  Pirates of the Carribean themed)
• RSVP

Similarly to my tips posted in the Fairy Invitations Post, I always think that adding a sentence that will go along with the theme adds a little fun to the invite! Some examples are below...

- You could use Pirate language such as 'Ahoy Mates' 

- 'aarrrrggghh you ready to have a good time mateys?'

- Call your guest lists 'ship mates'

To be more creative, how about some rhymes...

-'You are invited to an afternoon of fun, for this little pirate is turning one!'

-'Aidan is turning five years old!  And in his backyard there is a treasure I’m told, so on (June 14^th,) he wants you to come round…and no one can leave until the treasure is found.' 

I hope this has inspired you to start planning a Pirate party for your little'un- Check out my upcoming blogs that will give you some more tips on how to create a party for your child to remember. 

You can of course contact us, (Once Upon A Time Parties) if your feeling a little lazy- we are more than happy to come entertain your child bringing along this theme! 

Thank you 

My Top 5 Fairy Cakes

On a horrible rainy day, what is better than looking at some very impressive Fairy Cakes in which you can take a lot of inspiration from when planning your little one's party? A Fairy party isn't all about the savoury snacks, the sausage rolls and crisps, so why not have a go at making a cake to make your child's day even more special. My top 5 cakes might look extremely complicated, but why not have a go at something more simple, you don't need advanced culinary skills- all you need is some creativity and a little spare time. 

At number 5 we have this showstopper- 

What would please your little girl more than having a birthday cake themed like a fairy castle? This cake really caught my eye- the different sized layers and the detailed decorating is more than impressive- However, if you want to re- create this why not try a more simple version but keep the idea of a fairy castle! Some different coloured icing and some edible fairies will more than likely put a huge smile upon your little angel's face!

This next cake certainly made me hungry! At number 4, check this out...

This woodland style cake decorated with edible flowers and a detailed icing patterned around it would definitely impress the children and parents at the party!  Named the Flower Pot Fairy Cake, this cake is made up of red velvet layers with a cream cheese icing- sounds tasty doesn't it? Take some inspiration and try it out yourself!

At number 3 is this masterpiece..

This is the Garden Fairy Cake decorated with pink and green to reinforce the idea of fairies and the woodland! It's not only stunning looking, but also looks incredibly nice to eat. If you don't believe you could even attempt to re-do this, why not book one to be delivered for your little ones party? Or even use Once Upon A Time Parties to business to bring along one similar at a special request?

Number 2 really is an impressive Fairy Cake!

This is one impressive piece of work and whoever has made this certainly is a culinary genius! However, don't give up without even trying- why not invent a cake that is based on a Fairy book theme but a little easier? Your child would absolutely love this magical idea! I had to put this at number 2- it really is very eye catching, it doesn't even look like a cake, don't you agree?

My number 1 may surprise you a little, but it's something you party planners may find a little easier- but it still looks a treat!

An alternative to the large fairy cakes, these small cupcakes are easy to eat and take a little less time and effort. One for every child at the party- they will love to choose which fairy belongs to them! Make sure you include the magical fairy wands and maybe even add some edible glitter too! May not be the most healthiest treat, but who cares! Your little one will only have this Fairy Party once, make it special and one to remember.

Theme 1: The Fairy Party - Invitations

So I thought it would be a great help to my readers to give some tips and advice theme by theme and topic by topic, starting with my favourite theme of the fairy party!

Appealing to children of all ages, the glittery, pretty, fantastical fairy party is a timeless hit that never gets boring. From fairy tea parties to fancy dress to makeovers to baking, there are literally hundreds of ideas on how to get the fairy party started!

Today I am going to start at the very beginning: the all important party invitation!

Fairy themed party invitations can be really easy to make, and your little one will enjoy getting involved with the card making activities.

Fairy Wand Invitation 

1) Cut out a star shape from coloured card

2) Either print invitation onto card, or handwrite using pen (try metallic or glitter pens to make it more fun) or paint. You can also use tags and attach to the wand.

3) On the back of the card, attach either a skewer or straw to make the 'wand' using sticky tape.

4) Add streamers or ribbons to the base of the wand

5) Decorate the wand with glitter, stick on sequins, dried flowers, feathers and whatever else you can get your hands on!





What to put in the invitation?


- Date and time
- Age, name of child
- Location
- Activity and theme
- Dress Code
- RSVP

To put some fun into your invite, try making up a little rhyme to go along with the theme! Some examples are below:

• You are invited to an afternoon of fun, this little fairy is turning one!

• Fairies slip on your dancing shoes, For Fairy Roxanna is turning two!

• Come one come all to this fairy tea, Fairy Emma is going to be three!

• To enter fairy land: Knock knock knock on our fairy door, As little Tanya is turning four!

• Fairies, Pirates, Pixies and Elves, All come together and jive! For this is no ordinary party as Dexter is now turning five!

• Fairy dust, spells and magical tricks, What are you waiting for? Leona will be six!

I hope this has inspired you to get to work on your home-made fairy wands!

Check back for my next post on decorations to create a magical fairy setting for your child's birthday party!

Once Upon A Time Parties x