Kids' Party Venue Hire - Tips & Recommendations - London

Hello everyone,

After a great start in January, we’re getting very excited about all the February and March parties! Slots are getting booked up fast, so get in touch now to book your party!

But today we want to give you tips and recommendations about booking a party venue for a children’s party. Booking a perfect kid’s party venue in London might be sometimes difficult, so we hope our tips will help you in the process.

Contacting party venues:

Although there are plenty of great options in London, it’s sometimes hard to contact and secure a venue that suits your requirements. Some venues only have part-time booking managers, and the process of booking gets delayed. Or finding the right contact number or email address is a challenge. If you’re struggling with finding a perfect venue, we recommend getting in touch with a party planner that may help you navigate the process of booking a venue or take over this task completely. In the Puddles party package, we help with venue hire of venues listed on our website - you can find all our venues here: https://www.puddles.london/party-venues. We suggest the right venue, check the availability of the venues, find a suitable slot, book a venue for you, and deal with any issues with a venue ahead of your event. You only contact us and pay for everything in one transaction!

Venue type - consider your needs and budget:

Finding a venue type that suits your needs and budget is an important first step in organising a children’s birthday party. Let’s consider different types of venues.

Community Centres in London are usually great affordable, friendly and functional party spaces, and are important places in local communities. Elizabeth House Community House or the Green (Nunhead) are popular party spaces that work very well at kids' parties!

Community libraries are also popular for kids’ parties at some excellent locations! Our customers frequently choose Kensal Rise Library, Primrose Hill Community Library and Belsize Community Library as their party venues. The books create a fun atmosphere and may also encourage children to read!

Ecology centres are an ideal option if you’re looking for a party with some outdoor activities and lots of nature! Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre and the Islington Ecology Centre are perfect choices for nature treasure hunt and forest school parties!

Your local school hall may be a good party venue option too. Schools often offer spacious halls that are local to you and affordable. For example, the halls at Rhodes Avenue Primary are loved by our customers!

If you’re looking for a more elegant party venue and a venue that will support you in organising your event, museums, event rooms at restaurants, and historical houses are worth looking into. We can particularly recommend the Museum of Brands, Belair House, Lauderdale House, and the Bluebird.

Make sure you have enough space:

Make sure you have enough space for party games and activities because kids need to run around during different party games. Since kids' parties require more space than parties for adults, therefore information about capacity provided by venues is sometimes not entirely accurate for kids' parties. If you’re not sure if your venue is right, please get in touch with us.

Make sure you have enough time to set up and tidy up:

Book your venue to have enough time to set up, party and tidy up. At Puddles party package parties, we need 4h of venue access for 1h set up, 2h party time, and 1h tidy up. We generally recommend having around 3-4h venue hire.

Chairs and tables:

If you’re booking a party venue on your own, check if a venue provides tables and chairs. If so, how many can they provide for your event? Furniture available at a party venue usually works very well at children’s parties, and you do not have to spend extra for party furniture hire. If your venue doesn’t provide tables and chairs, you will need to order chairs and tables for your event. We recommend getting in touch early with a party furniture provider, so you can get the best deal.

Decorations policy:

We recommend checking the decorations policy at your venue before a party, so you know what you can bring. Things to consider:

Can you use blu tack or sellotape to attach decorations?
Do all decorations need to be free-standing?
Are helium balloons allowed?
Are stickers allowed?

In the Puddles party package, a round free-standing backdrop and cake display tables are always included, so even if your venue has a strict policy, we can create a nice decorated spot for you!

Read the terms and & conditions:

We recommend that you get familiar with the terms and conditions of your party venue. Venues often have restrictions on what you can bring to a party venue. Things to check:

Is bringing your own food allowed?
Is there kitchen access?
Is bringing electronic devices/kitchen appliances allowed?
Is alcohol allowed?
Is it ok to play music?

Be careful with restaurants & pubs:

Although restaurants and pubs are often great places for adult parties, those spaces are often not suitable for children’s parties because of furniture set-up or lack of sufficient space for party games.

Check if your venue can provide food:

Some venues have great in-house catering providers from which you can order food for your party and make it hassle-free on the day. Please note that some venues require that you order food from their in-house catering provider, or there is minimal spend for food instead of venue hire.

Puddles venues such as the Museum of Brands, Belair House, the Bluebird, Lauderdale House, and Gee Gee Cafe have excellent food options.

Parking and accessibility:

Check parking options and accessibility of the venue before you arrive at the venue, especially if you’re bringing a lot of items for a party.

In the Puddles party package, we inform you before the party about the parking information at the venue if it’s a Puddles venue.

Sport events:

If your venue is located near a large sports stadium or big event hall, we recommend checking if your party date is not on the same day as, for example, a football match or a big concert. During mass events, local authorities may restrict access to roads and parking, meaning it might be harder to get to the venue or leave the party venue, and other disruptions may occur. For example, we avoid organising parties at Islington Ecology Centre if there is an event at the Emirates Stadium.

Waste policy:

Waste policy - some venues may ask you to dispose of waste after the party on your own. We recommend checking the booking terms and conditions before booking a party to check what’s the waste policy at the venue, so you know what to expect on the party day.

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We hope our recommendations will help you with finding your perfect party venue. Remember that the Puddles team may always assist you with booking a Puddles party venue if you book a Puddles party venue. We can also recommend some unlisted options in your area.
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Please get in touch with any questions, we’re always happy to help.

Best wishes

Puddles team

PuddlesFebruary 6, 2023