Mexico City - Parties
Birthday Parties for children
A Birthday Party is a kid's social function. It’s an important event that you should not overlook. Do not be surprised to find that a child can remember who attended his/her birthday party up to three years ago.
Nowadays, everyone has so many 'after school activities' to attend, it is difficult to get together and develop peer friendship, but birthday parties are an important step towards the development of friendships.
Try to attend and arrange parties for your little ones!
There are many places where you can celebrate your child's birthday party, depending on your child's age and preferences. Since Mexico City such a busy and large city, we recommend that you have your parties in a location accesible to most of the guests. Ask acquaintances from work and school for references.
However, we list a few attractions that offer birthday packages:
- La Pista
Av. Lomas Verdes 77,
Naucalpan
Edo. De México
Tel: + 52 5363 4586 / + 52 5363 4492
(Skating rink) with two locations in Mexico City - Atlantis
Tercera sección del Bosque de Chapultepec sin número.
Colonia Lomas Altas
website: www.parqueatlantis.com.mx
(Water park with dolphin shows, etc.) - Rainforest Cafe
Centro comercial Santa Fe
Tel: + 52 (55) 5258 0858
email: [email protected]
Contact them to find out about the different packages they offer - You may also hire magicians, entertainers, clowns, bounce houses, catering services, etc. that will provide an excellent service.
website: www.tuboda.com.mx/suling/Infantiles.htm - Here you will find a list of services for birthday parties.
website: www.fiestasinfantiles.com
Attending a Birthday Party
- RSVP - confirm your child will / will not be attending the party and thank the host / hostess for the invitation.
- Find out - the details of activities involved and know how, if necessary to prepare your child with appropriate wear / accessories.
- Find out - how old the birthday child is and enquire if there is any special gift or collection he or she is currently particularly keen on.
- Find out - the direction, drop off and pick up time - parents normally don’t attend (unless the children are young); but if you like to socialize, help out or learn how partying works, what kind of presents others give, it is acceptable to stay.
- Shopping - it is a good idea to take your child with you to shop for the gift as it gives a sense of ownership and appreciation of the value of spending power.
- Birthday card - if you don’t have time or forget to buy one, some people only attach a tag; when you are in a rush, you can even cut a square piece off the same wrapping to attach with the gift.
- Gift wrapping - If you don’t like to do the wrapping, you can buy a paper gift bag, put your gift in it and top it with colorful tissue paper. Department store customer service does the wrapping, usually for free.
- Gift value - suggested range - around $250 pesos ($25 usd), depending on the closeness of the relationship, activities offered, location happening, you can always call the party location to find out the cost per kid for a party and use that amount as your minimum.
Steps to Arrange a Birthday Party
- Where to Go
Depending on how much money you want to spend and which maximum stress level you can bear, you select the place and decide how many children you want to invite; then suggest this to your kid and hope to get his or her approval.
As the kids grow and experience increases, most of them already have their mind set and know what kind of a party they want - you may just have to go for it; after all, it’s for their fun and memory.
Most kids prefer doing parties outside of home. - Reservation and Deposit
Phone or personally go check out the place and make a reservation. Most birthday party places require a deposit paid by a personal check or a credit card to hold the time and date. Make sure you ask if the deposit is refundable or nonrefundable, should anything happens that makes you change your mind. - Party Charge
The party charge is based on the number of kids. Generally there is a minimum amount you have to pay to hold a party, since they have a minimum number of kids' attendance required for a party, normally it is 10. A common party costs about $120 pesos ($12 usd) per kid, it could be a little more depending on the activities and what comes with it (entertainer, food, drinks, goody bag, birthday cake, piñata). - Invitations
- You can either buy them or make your own.
Basic information needed:
Birthday party is for: (Name)
Age to become:
Birthday party place (location or map, address, phone number):
Birthday party time:
Activity:
Special requirement (such as "bring your roller blades", "wear a costume", etc):
RSVP to (name and phone number): - Number of Kids to Invite
It is suggested to invite either the whole class if you are sending the invitation through the school, otherwise it is polite to phone the families of the children invited.
Depending on your and your kid’s preference, you certainly can invite only a small, selective group. Generally, as kids grow older, the size of the party gets smaller. - Birthday cakes
Most of the grocery stores have a pastry section, where you can buy cakes directly 'off the shelf'. Alternatively, you may order a cake with a specific theme or design. Both types of cakes are available at the Sanborns and Superama chain stores.
Specialized Cake Stores
Baskin Robbins
Chain of ice cream shops. They supply ice cream cakes to order, as well as some available ‘off the shelf’ products.
Pastelerias El Globo
Chain of bakeries which offer a wide variety of ready made cakes, desserts, and pastries. Locations all over!
Note that in Mexico City bakeries are everywhere, ranging from the simple to the very sophisticated and specialized. They can be chain bakeries or small shops. Ask your friends and neighbors for recommendations.
- How does Partying Work
Most of the parties start the activities on time without waiting for all kids to arrive. After the activities, all kids join to sing the birthday song ("Las Mañanitas") and eat the birthday cake. Drinks are provided. Some parties have pizza and small individual ice cream. After having eaten, depending on how much time you have left and - of course - depending on your personal preference, a lot of kids like to open the presents and acknowledge their thanks. Arrange someone to stand by to put the wrapping paper and the gifts away and make sure you take down the gift information (kid’s name and what gift), in case you might decide to send out "thank you" cards. After having opened the gifts, your kid passes out a small party gift (or so called goody bag) that is from you to other kids, to thank them for having come to the party. At that time, other parents should already be arriving to pick up their child.
A thank you card is not accustomed nor expected in Mexico, but if you are accustomed to them in your country, go ahead and send them! It is always a nice and polite detail.
Basic items you need to purchase or bring to your party:
- Paper table covering
- Paper plates
- Paper napkins
- Paper forks
- Party decoration such as balloons, banon, party hats
- Drinks (suggestion: individual drinks with straws on them)
- Birthday cakes
- Cake cutting knife
- Several trash bags or shopping bags (to store the gifts and to collect the trash)
- Party bags
Party Locations:
There are many places where you can celebrate your child's birthday party, depending on your child's age and preferences. Being Mexico such a busy and large city, we recommend that you have your parties in a location accesible to most of the guests. Ask acquaintances from work and school for references.
And don't forget the small group parties, in which your child may 1-5 of their best friends for an outing (cinema, theater, even a short weekend getaway).
- Easy and least expensive:
Party at the neighborhood or community park
Good for small kids and a small group.
Need to carefully select the time and get there early to reserve the tables.
Watch the weather.
Food, cakes, party games. - Party at school - (consult with the teacher for date and time, in some cases school would not allow time for parties) Lunch and cake -or better yet, cupcakes- Pizza in the classroom with small party bags or McDonnald's kid's meal (no need for party bags)
- Fast Food Restaurant-parties
McDonnald's, Burger King, etc.
They offer indoor or outdoor parties in their playgrounds. You can order kid’s meals which include a toy.
Call in advance to make a reservation.
This kind of party is good for very young kids. - Easy - average cost -, common birthday parties
Movie Cinema Theaters - most of them provide snacks, a tour and party bags (very relaxed party).
Ice-Skating Rink - some come with an instructor or else ask other parents to help out skating.
Roller Skating Rink - package may include pizza and drinks.
Amusement Park, Six Flags Theme Park, La Ciudad de los Niños (at Centro Santa Fe) - for older kids - Fancy and expensive parties (you may invite a few children):
Theater shows, Football Games or special programs
Special Events - Disney On Ice, Circus
