Party Tips

Pick a children’s entertainer who loves kids. You can often tell by the website pictures or voice on the phone. I’m a mom and the personalized attention I give when I’m clowning comes through. I know kids and love kids and it shows. Don’t book an entertainer who is “over it” and just doing it for the money.

Book as far in advance as you can. If you want a certain performer, book them early. They will usually find you a comparable substitute if they are not available, but if you have your heart set on someone particular; book sooner rather than later, at least a month in advance.

Have the entertainment come midway through the party so that most of the kids are there. When face painting is included in my clown show, (a standard package being face painting, comedy magic show, and party games finishing off with a balloon sculpture finale where I make a balloon sculpture for each kid) I will face paint first as the kids arrive. This is a one on one activity and by the time I’ve painted everybody, most of the guests have arrived and I start my show and group activities.

Announce on the invitation and to guests you talk to that there will be special party entertainment. Get everyone excited about it so it is a focus of the party (in addition to the most important focus, the birthday child). Tell parents that you would appreciate their participation in the entertainment. Especially for toddler shows, there is a mommy and me element and the show won’t work if the entertainer is expected to “baby-sit” 20 toddlers running wild, while the adults converse. Advise the adults to pay attention to the show if it’s a magic show or storyteller or sing-a-long. Most professional artists will bring a microphone and sound system, still the biggest deterrent to a successful children’s show is loud adult background chatter. The average children’s party performer goes for between $150 and $600 dollars and you want to get your money’s worth. Get support from your adult friends and relatives who are attending your party.

Feed the kids: A lot of times I let the kids eat the pizza while I do my magic show. If they are spacey and cranky from needing lunch, they won’t enjoy the show. On the other hand, it’s best if the cake is cut after the performer finishes the show because the sugar makes the kids too hyper to focus. I sometimes walk around and do my balloon animals simultaneously to the cake serving because both the balloons and the sugar make the kids hyper. Most good performers will be flexible and work with you to help your party run smoothly, although they are entitled to charge extra if you keep them longer than fifteen minutes past the time length agreed upon.

Ask the booking agent to speak to the entertainer before the party if you need reassurance on any items. A lot of agents will be leery of this because they don’t trust their performers not to steal the client. Any good agent will have trustworthy performers and hook you up with your performer after they receive your deposit. The agent should take care of the bulk of the details, but the performer and client should be able to speak a few days before the event to clarify any final details like directions, specific expectations and technical issues if needed.

Be flexible. Performers are often coming from another gig and should be expected to arrive within a window of time. A professional performer will give you the full 2 hours even if he/she is 10 minutes late due to traffic.

Different acts for different ages: The prime age for a clown in my opinion is age four, although I entertain from 0 to 100 all the time. Kids are sometimes afraid of full white face clowns, so ask the agent if “soft clowns” are available like the one on TV’s “Comfy Couch”. For 1^st birthday parties, though the birthday child will not remember the entertainment, they often enjoy costumed characters like Elmo especially if they watch “Sesame Street.” I do a lot of first birthdays with my combination clown Elmo show. (The combination clown/Dora show is a hit with the three and four year olds.) The first hour is my standard clown show which is mostly for ages 2 and up and then Elmo comes out for the last half hour to dance and pose for Polaroid pictures with the kids. I bring picture frames and the kids take them home as a favor. Toddlers enjoy puppet shows and sing-a-longs. Ages 8 and up enjoy my comedy improvisation games party where we create fairytales and movies together.

For a different idea I offer yoga parties through my company: Birthday magic with yoga movements, games, storytelling, music and an art project for guests to take home as a favor! Choose from these themes: A Day at the Circus, Let’s Go to the Zoo, Pirate Adventure, I believe in Me, Hawaiian Luau, Yoga Dance Party or I Am Unique! This super creative party option covers ages four to twelve, ask for specifics for the best fit for your party!