If you live in an area such as we do in Western New York (we're in Rochester!) With superbly hot summers and cold snowy winters, you'll understand your choices for your child's birthday party are mostly determined by the weather.
As an August baby, we always had small family parties outside at my house. However, with sons born in November and March, we are always left to reserve an indoor venue for their parties, if we decided to have them that year. While those with children with summer birthdays might appear blessed to have so many options at their disposal, it may also often feel overwhelming.
While in Climbing Vines Cafe and Play we might be biased since we sponsor indoor parties, I wished to share with all the 5 most common reasons we hear out of previous party clients to reserve indoor summer evenings with us. To these, the stress-free nature of the indoor summertime celebration is a no-brainer, and they're not looking back! Following their first indoor summer partythey continue hosting with us year after year.


The most common reason for a customer to reserve a summer indoor party with us is so they don't need to stem the weather prediction for updates in the weeks leading up to the party. Nothing can derail a fun party faster than having to cram all of your visitors inside your house, waiting for a storm to pass. And if you've ever had to cancel or postpone your child's birthday due to weather, then you know how heartbreaking that can be.
We receive dozens of calls every summer a couple of days before someone's outdoor party is supposed to take place to find out if we've got an open slot for them within our indoor party place because of weather woes. We can usually pull this off if the spot remains open, but hosts will unfortunately need to starve and allow all of their guests are aware of the change in venue and likely shift in time, and also change all of their catering orders to accommodate their new party program.
While of course rain is most likely the biggest obstacle you might face, intense warmth, unseasonably cool weather, and wind may also pose problems to your food, decorations, along with your guests' belongings. You will probably end up investing in a kayak or some other weather barrier simply to ease your mind a bit, which are costly and require lots of precious time to set up and take down. I won't even tell the story of this time my Dad put up a tent for a celebration in a windstorm and wound up with a insurance claim for 4 ruined automobiles when it blew away (weights and anchors and all!) ...

2) CHANGING IT UP

Besides the obvious weather worries you can avoid with a indoor celebration, there may also just be something really straightforward and lovely about an indoor summer celebration. Guests will not need to be worried about bringing towels and sunscreen and towels and swimsuits and changes of clothing and insect spray... you get the picture.
Sometimes it's wonderful to take a brief break in the outside, sip coffee in an air borne cafe, also have an actual conversation with other adults while the children play, rather than chasing kids around attempting to receive their fur on them keeping them away from the in-ground pool. I am not sure about you, but I could never really relax at an outdoor summer birthday celebration with a 2 and a 4 year-old. While they sure do have a fantastic time running around, we typically leave at a daze or using a tantrum, unsure if we even had the time to chat or check in with everyone.
While I absolutely adore a fantastic barbecue or summer grilling extravaganza, I also find it refreshing when we could take a break in the same-old backyard celebration and spend a few hours at a relaxing, cool, and most importantly-- included! -- atmosphere.
It's also freeing as a guest to have the rest of the day to do as we wish as a family and not have to worry about getting the kids to a tub right after the party or stopping home to cool off and change clothes.
I promise that in the event you book an indoor party for your child, guests (especially family) might seem a bit confused at first (why not just take advantage of the summer weather while we could, right?) But after hosting hundreds of indoor parties I will tell you for certain that on the day-of, you and your guests will realize how nice it can be to reunite in an air-conditioned private celebration for a couple hours.

3) EATING IN PEACE


Speaking of how relaxing a indoor, air-conditioned party could be, can we discuss food for a second?
Right now, my sweet 4 year-old boy is terrified of bees, and also the fastest way to send him into a tailspin is for him to sit down to eat a cupcake or his meal and also have bees swarming around. So, for our family, the meals factor alone could be sufficient to justify an indoor party.
Eating in peace without needing to find shade or a chair or a location away from bugs is one of those things you don't realize can be so glorious before you attend your fourth or fifth outdoor summer gathering and THEN get a break from them. One of the most common things we hear is how nice it's to sit and eat and watch the kiddos play with no any venue-related cares or concerns. This is going to be particularly important if you are going to be needing elderly family members attend that can battle with being portable in the sand or marijuana and finding seating at outside parties.
Plus, when was the last time you attended an outdoor summer party with a complete espresso bar and cafe available for guests to enjoy now that they don't need to worry about running around chasing their children in the warmth? Do not worry, we have you covered there, literally!

4) DECOR OPTIONS GALORE


While party aesthetic might not be a deciding factor for each and every family, it sure is significantly easier to make a themed extravaganza that lighting a child's face up as soon as the party's indoors. The decorations required are often less since the area is smaller and included contained, and you won't need to worry about balloons and streamers blowing all about or securing table covers .
Because we do host cellular events outside at Climbing Vines Cafe and Play, I can also speak from experience once I say the time that it takes to install (and take down!) Decorations for an outdoor party compared to a indoor celebration usually ends up being double. Finding great places to hang banner, needing two people to hold and protect everything, and finding weights or other restraints for everything can be a true hassle on party day.
And you will have enough to be concerned about that afternoon, right?
Also, if your pinterest boards are filled with adorable figurines, a candy bar, or anything that could possibly be affected by wind (or attract bees!) You will likely 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 if used for an indoor playground set event. Our guests that sponsor indoor events, especially those who invested significant money into decor or worked hard to create their own, are pleased to find they can usually make a large chunk of their cash back by reselling their supplies on something such as Facebook Marketplace.
5) YOU MAY ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY
Speaking of money, probably the biggest misconception I hear from customers is they want to sponsor a party in their house to save the rental fee of an indoor space. I generally laugh at this because it makes great sense, that is, if you have never hosted an outside party.
With all of the"extras" such as tents, seat rentals, additional decorations, weather reinforcements, cleanup provides, games and activities for the kids (which you won't need to supply at a play area!) It's very possible you are going to end up spending MUCH more hosting a celebration at your home or an outdoor place than you would indoors.
I am not sure how other indoor spaces manage their supplies, but we only charge guests for additional drinks and supplies and these on the afternoon of the party should they end up needing them, and we also enable parties to bring in their OWN food, dessert, and decor if they choose!
Money aside, spending countless hours cleaning before, during, and after the party can also take a toll. Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk into a sparkling clean space and depart with your guests when the party's over, not needing to be concerned about the cleanup, garbage removal, tent teardown, etc?
It's possible to just head home and unwind with your family (yes, maybe outside!) At a nice clean house that wasn't just trampled by party guests and all of their sand, grass, and sunscreen.
Along with the time spent cleaning before and after the celebration, wouldn't it ALSO be wonderful to not need to play"host" throughout the event? For clients that make their own food and decor, our dedicated party assistants set up everything, refill and mend food and beverages as needed, clear dishes, cut and serve the cake, and then package up all the leftovers at the end of the celebration!
After all, it's your child's special day and you wish to spend those precious hours making memories and seeing along with your guests-- not running around chasing your decorations or refilling the fruit bowl countless times.
So save everyone (and especially your family!) Lots of stress, time, and worry by booking your event with us summer time. We would be honored to offer you an easy, breezy experience that will leave your whole guest list feeling joyful, thankful, and full of love after spending a relaxing (yet fun-filled!) day together.