THIS is the new benchmark against which the increasingly competitive world of kids’ parties will be judged.
The average birthday no longer involves simply a piece of cake and a game of pass the parcel, with many parents now booking stretch limos, recording studios and cinemas to help their offspring celebrate.
But one Welsh couple has pushed the bar even higher by wrapping their entire house in an 180ft pink ribbon for their daughter’s party.
Ian and Helen Willison, who live in the village of Christchurch, near Newport, spent #2,000 on having their house adorned with a giant pink ribbon in time for their daughter's birthday.
The figure dwarfs the current average sum spent on modern birthday parties – a non-trivial #250.
In the golden “olden” days when you were young, parties invariably amounted to inviting a few friends around for cheese cubes on a tooth pick stuffed into a foil covered potato.
Entertainment would either be charades or musical chairs, and everyone would go home happy with a slab of something sticky wrapped in a serviette.
But parents planning something similar for their children are increasingly being forced to rethink, with events for even the youngest children becoming ever more complicated affairs.
Mandatory fixtures for parties now include magicians, entertainers and some form of workshop, such as those run by CrazyKlin in Cardiff, which teach children to paint ceramics. On the next levels are cinema parties and trips in oversized themed limousines.
The pressure is on for parents to up the celebratory ante every year, as children want to emulate the attention celebrities lavish on their offspring on their special day.
Brooklyn Beckham celebrated his fourth birthday with a private screening of a film, complete with magician, buffet and Scooby Doo cake.
And the cost? A hefty #10,000.
Earlier this year, Time magazine reported that the average cost of staging a birthday party at a special venue ranges from $500 (#246) to $1,000 (#492), and up to $38,000 (#18,711) for a sleepover at a top toy store.
Single-mum Emma Shaw, of Thornhill, Cardiff, said parties have definitely changed since she was young.
Her daughter Jessica is nine, and knows exactly what she wants out of a party.
“She knows where she wants to go, who she wants to invite, and what theme she’d like,” she said.
“In the past she’s been to big hotels for a friend’s party, and there’s always been entertainment laid on and food, such as fish and chips.
“This year she fancied a party where she could make T-shirts with her friends.
“That’s costing #10 a head, but I’m going to do my own food as it’ll be too expensive otherwise.
“She’s had a horse- riding party and next year she wants a swimming one.
“It was very different when I was a kid, as we just had a little tea party in my mother’s house.
“There’s certainly more pressure on parents now to do something different.”
She added, “Personally I’d rather take her to a place where they do it all for you – you pay one price for the venue and the food.
“Otherwise it’s like organising a wedding. You need a hall, an entertainer, party bags, the food, table dressings, themed plates and crockery based on whatever they’re into at that time and then you’ve got to send out proper invites and make sure you don’t leave anyone out.
“Sometimes it feels like it’s got out of hand.”
Mum-of-three Fay Corcoran, of Llanvachas, near Chepstow, says her children have very different birthday needs – which can prove to be expensive.
“Liam is 13 and for his last party he wanted to take eight friends bowling and then out for a meal. That came to about #130, on top of the presents.
“Niall’s six and Erynn’s four, and they both have opinions on what they want each year.
“We’ve done loads for them, and the best treat Niall had was when we hired a fire engine which had been turned into a limo, complete with flashing lights. It cost us around #120.
“He loved it, but now he’s looking for ways to top that and I’m a bit short on ideas after that one.”
Gerry Morgan gave up his job as an accountant for Rolls Royce to become a DJ and now spends every weekend hosting parties for children, from tots to teenagers.
He charges around #120 for a two-hour stint, and says it’s often not the children who want to make sure their is the best party of the moment – but the parents.
“I often go to places and there’s two buffets laid out, one for the parents and one for the kids,” said Mr Morgan, who runs his mobile disco Generation Gap from Caldicot.
“And you often find that in some areas the parents give away goodie bags filled with just sweets whereas in other places they’re filled with stuff, each one costing more than #5 a child I’d say.
“It’s a good business and kids these days know exactly what they want out of a party, down to the music they want the games played to.”
How about a pink limo?
The hire of “novelty vehicles” is fast becoming the birthday treat of choice for many fashion-conscious kids.
And according to Limo Broker, the UK’s largest speciality vehicle hire firm, pink limos are top of children’s wish list. Managing director Tej Randeva, who is based in Cardiff, said, “Pink is the colour kids really want. Our most popular hire is a pink limo, which costs around #120 for the hour.
“For that they have a flat screen TV, DVD player, have music of their choice blasting out and we fill the inside with banners and balloons.
“Out comes the champagne from the fridge and in goes soft drinks.”
Other speciality rides include a converted fire engine – #130 for an hour – and party buses. These cost #250 an hour, or #475 for a return journey.
