If you reside in an area such as we do in Western New York (we're in Rochester!) With superbly hot summers and cold snowy winters, you will know your options for your kid's birthday party are largely dependent on the weather.
As an August baby, we always had small family parties out at my house. But, with sons born in November and March, we are constantly left to book an indoor place for their parties, if we decided to have them that year. While those with children with summer birthdays might appear blessed to have numerous options at their disposal, it may also often feel overwhelming.
While at Climbing Vines Cafe and Play we may be biased because we sponsor indoor parties, I wanted to discuss with you the 5 most common reasons we hear out of past party customers to book indoor summer evenings with us. To them, the stress-free nature of the indoor summer party is really a no-brainer, plus they're not looking back! Following their first indoor summer party, they continue hosting with us year after year.


1) NO WEATHER WORRIES


The most common cause for a customer to reserve a summer indoor celebration with us is they do not have to stem the weather forecast for updates in the weeks leading up to the party. And if you've ever had to cancel or postpone your child's birthday because of weather, you realize how heartbreaking that can be.
We get dozens of calls every summer a few days before someone's outdoor party is supposed to happen to see if we've got an open slot for them in our indoor party place due to weather woes. We can usually pull off this if the spot remains open, but hosts will sadly have to scramble and allow all of their guests know of the change in venue and likely change in time, and change all of their catering orders to accommodate their new party program.
While of course rain is most probably the biggest obstacle you might face, extreme warmth, unseasonably cool weather, and end may also pose issues for your decorations, food, along with your guests' possessions. You'll likely find yourself investing in a kayak or some other weather barrier just to ease your mind a bit, which are costly and take lots of precious time to prepare and take down. I won't even tell the narrative of the time my Dad put up a tent for a party in a windstorm and wound up with a insurance coverage for 4 ruined automobiles when it withdrew (weights and anchors and all!) ...

2) CHANGING IT UP

Besides the obvious weather worries you can avoid with an indoor party, there may also just be something so straightforward and lovely about a indoor summer celebration. Guests will not need to worry about bringing sunscreen and towels and towels and swimsuits and changes of clothing and insect spray... you understand.
Sometimes it's nice to take a brief break in the outdoors, sip coffee in an air borne cafe, also have a real conversation with other adults while the children play, instead of chasing children around trying to get their fur on them or keeping them away from the in-ground pool. I'm not sure about you, but I can never quite relax at an outdoor summer birthday celebration with a two and a 4 year old. While they sure do have a good time running around, we typically leave in a daze or with a tantrum, unsure whether we even had time to talk or check in with everybody.
While I absolutely adore a good barbecue or summer grilling extravaganza, I also find it so refreshing when we can take a break from the same-old backyard bash and spend a few hours at a relaxing, cool, and most significantly -- contained! -- air.
It is also freeing as a guest to have the rest of the day to do as we wish as a family, not have to be concerned about getting the kids to a tub immediately after the party or stopping home to cool off and change clothing.
I guarantee that if you book an indoor celebration for your child, guests (particularly family) may appear a little confused at first (why not just take advantage of the summer weather while we could, right?) But after hosting hundreds of indoor parties I can tell you for certain that on the day-of, you and your guests will realize how nice it is to kick back in an air-conditioned private party for a few hours.

Speaking of how relaxing a indoor, air-conditioned party could be, can we discuss food for a moment? Not only are food choices limited with an outside celebration due to heat, but it can be difficult to keep food covered and retain the bugs, bees, and other debris away.
Therefore, for our family, the food factor alone could be enough to justify an indoor party.
Eating in peace without needing to find shade or a chair or a place away from pests is just one of these things that you don't realize can be so glorious until you attend your fourth or fifth outside summer gathering and after that get a break from them. One of the most common things we hear is how nice it is to just sit and eat and see the kiddos play with no any venue-related cares or worries. This is going to be particularly important if you're going to be needing elderly family members attend who will battle with being mobile in the sand or marijuana and locating seating at outdoor parties.
Plus, when was the last time you attended an outdoor summer celebration with a complete espresso bar and cafe available for guests to enjoy now they don't need to worry about running around chasing their kids in the warmth? Don't worry, we have you covered there, literally!

4) DECOR OPTIONS GALORE


While party aesthetic may not be a deciding factor for every family, it sure is significantly easier to make a themed extravaganza that lighting a child's face up when the party's inside. The decorations demanded are often less since the area is smaller and contained contained, and you won't need to worry about balloons and streamers blowing about or procuring table covers down.
Since we do host cellular events outdoors in Climbing Vines Cafe and Play, I can also speak from experience when I say the time it takes to set up (and take down!) Decorations for an outdoor party compared to an indoor celebration generally ends up being at least double. Finding great places to hang banners, requiring two people to hold and protect everything, and locating weights or other restraints for everything may be a genuine hassle on celebration.
And you'll have enough to be concerned about this day, right?
Furthermore, if your pinterest boards are filled with adorable figurines, a candy bar, or anything that could possibly be impacted by wind (or bring bees!) You will probably have to restrategize to get an outdoor soiree.
Not to mention decor typically can only get used once if used outdoors, but repurposed again and again if used for an indoor event. Our guests who sponsor indoor playground equipment events, especially those who invested significant money into decoration or labored hard to make their own, are very happy to find they could usually create a huge chunk of the cash back by reselling their materials something such as Facebook Marketplace.

Speaking of cash, probably the greatest misconception I hear from clients is they wish to host a party at their home to save the rental fee of an indoor area. I usually laugh at this because it makes great sense, in other words, if you've never hosted an outside party.
With all of the"extras" like tents, chair rentals, extra decorations, weather reinforcements, cleanup supplies, games and activities for the kids (which you won't have to supply at a play area!) , pool toys, etc.... It is very likely you are going to wind up spending MUCH more hosting a celebration at your home or an outside venue than you would indoors.
I'm not sure how other indoor spaces handle their equipment, but we only charge guests for additional drinks and provides and these on the afternoon of the celebration if they end up needing themand we also allow parties to bring in their OWN food, dessert, and decor should they choose!
Money aside, spending countless hours cleaning before, during, and following the celebration can also have a toll. Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk into a sparkling clean space and leave with your guests when the party's over, not having to be concerned about the cleanup, garbage removal, tent teardown, etc?
It's possible to just head home and relax with your family (yes, possibly outside!)
Along with the time spent cleaning prior to and after the party, wouldn't it ALSO be wonderful to not have to play"server" during the event? Even for clients that bring in their own food and decoration, our dedicated party assistants set up everything, refill and mend food and drinks as needed, clear plates, cut and serve the cake, and then package up all of the leftovers at the end of the party!
After all, it's your child's special day and you wish to spend those precious hours making memories and visiting with your guests-- not running around chasing your decorations or refilling the fruit bowl countless times.
So save everyone (and especially your own family!) We'd be honored to provide you with an easy, breezy experience which will leave your entire guest list feeling joyful, thankful, and full of love after spending a relaxing (yet fun-filled!) day together.