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Does time really matter? Yes and no. There are some consideration when choosing a time for the party. Here, we discuss some of the pros and cons of the different periods in the day, to help you choose the best time for you.

To begin, we contemplate the times of the day. Morning, noon, afternoon, late afternoon and night. Majority of people tend to book within the first 3 periods, with noon or the lunch period being the most popular. In some cultures, night seems pretty popular. Here are some things to consider for each of these time periods.

Mornings

• children’s extracurricular activities
• difficult to find undercover areas at parks
• can provide more snack type foods for guests

Noon

• difficult to find undercover areas at parks
• can be the hottest time of day in summer
• need to provide more substantial lunch type food for guests
• most difficult time to book children’s entertainment

Afternoon

• easier to find undercover areas at parks
• can provide more snack type foods for guests
• nap time for babies and toddlers

Late Afternoon

• dusk is a common time for insect bites
• can start being cold in winter
• easy to find undercover areas at parks
• can provide more snack type foods for guests
• easy to book children’s entertainment

Night

• not suitable for park celebrations
• greater risk of insect bites if outdoors
• need to provide more substantial dinner type food for guests
• tired kids
• may clash with kid’s sleep time
• easiest time to book children’s entertainment

Specifically, when it comes to the children’s entertainment business, the lunch period between 11-1pm is the most popular time requested by families. Whilst this may be the case for our clients, within the industry, it is the least coveted time. For a business to be a success, one of the things that contributes to this is the ability to fit as many bookings throughout the day. In the face painting and balloon twisting industry, it is not uncommon to find that there is a 2 hour minimum booking policy.

In most cases, morning bookings start as early as 9am and are usually done by 12 or 12:30pm. And in the afternoon, 1-2pm is another common start time, finishing usually before late afternoon. A lunch time booking can sometimes restrict a business’ ability to fit at least 2 bookings in the day, depending on the times they have been booked. For those who tend to book at the last minute, they may find that noon bookings are the hardest to find. On the contrary, booking for a night event is often the easiest.

After considering all the pros and cons mentioned above, the goal is to help families to choose the best time for their parties.

The great outdoors seems like a wonderful idea for a party venue. It has unlimited space, surrounded by the sounds, smells and sights of nature, and great facilities for the kids to run around and enjoy themselves. The benefits of easy cleaning after the party also makes it too tempting. But how often do we stop to think about a wet weather plan?

Party planning can often be stressful, when we consider all the effort, money and time we put into planning. Some of these considerations include:

• guest list
• party favours
• decorations
• food & drinks
• entertainment

But did you stop to think, what you would do if it rained? Some parties also involve other professional services such as catering and entertainment to name a few. It is important to consider how a late cancellation due to wet weather can affect these often small businesses. In some cases, ingredients need to be specially bought and prepared well in advance of the special day. Bookings are often made weeks and sometimes months in advance also, so it is very unlikely when a client cancels either due to ill-health or wet weather, that these businesses will have another replacement booking. Hence, businesses often have a cancellation policy and this could mean that you are liable for charges.

Small businesses do not have the luxury of collecting sick days or insurance for cancellations for whatever reason. So, whilst a cancellation may seem the best option if it rains, we really need to consider how this may also affect the people whom you have hired to provide a service. Some solutions include:

• booking a large outdoor gazebo
• bringing additional portable gazebos (preferably with side walls and pegs/weights)
• booking community hall
• finding Halls for Hire
• local tavern/clubs
• home

If you speak to your service provider, often they may have some local suggestions for an alternative venue. Some of these venues can be fairly inexpensive. For comfort and peace of mind, I think a small investment for an indoor venue is a good compromise to save the party and all the invested and combined efforts already made for the party.