If you live in a place like we do in Western New York (we're in Rochester!) With superbly warm summers and cold snowy winters, you will understand your choices for your child's birthday party are largely dependent on the weather.
As an August baby, we always had little family parties outside at my residence. However, together with sons born in November and March, we're always left to book an indoor venue for their celebrations, if we chose to have them that year. While those with kids with summer birthdays may seem blessed to have so many choices at their disposal, it can also often feel overwhelming.
While at Climbing Vines Cafe and Play we may be biased because we host indoor celebrations, I wanted to discuss with all the 5 most common reasons we hear from previous celebration clients to book indoor summer evenings with us. To these, the stress-free nature of the indoor summer party is a no-brainer, and they are not looking back! Following their first indoor summer celebration they keep hosting with us year after year.


1) NO WEATHER WORRIES


The most common reason for a client to reserve a summer indoor celebration with us is so they don't need to stalk the weather forecast for updates in the weeks leading up to the celebration. Nothing can derail a fun party faster than having to cram all of your visitors within your house, waiting for a storm to pass. And if you've ever needed to cancel or postpone your kid's birthday because of weather, you know how heartbreaking that could be.
We receive dozens of calls each summer a few days before somebody's outdoor celebration is supposed to happen to see if we've got an open slot for them in our indoor celebration venue because of weather woes. We can normally pull off this if the place remains open, but hosts will sadly need to starve and allow all of their guests are aware of the change in place and probably shift in time, and change all of their catering requests to accommodate their new party program.
While of course rain is most likely the largest obstacle you might face, extreme warmth, unseasonably cool weather, and wind can also pose problems to your food, decorations, and your guests' possessions. You will probably find yourself investing in a tent or some other weather barrier just to ease your mind somewhat, which are costly and require lots of precious time to prepare and take down. I won't even tell the story of this time my Dad put a tent up for a party in a windstorm and ended up with an insurance claim for 4 ruined automobiles when it blew away (weights and anchors and all!) ...


Besides the obvious weather worries it's possible to avoid with a indoor celebration, there can also just be something so straightforward and lovely about a indoor summer party. Guests won't need to worry about bringing towels and sunscreen and towels and swimsuits and changes of clothing and bug spray... you understand.
Sometimes it's wonderful to take a brief break in the outdoors, sip coffee in an air-conditioned cafe, and have an actual conversation with other adults while the kids play, rather than chasing children around trying to get their hat on them or keeping them away from the in-ground pool. I'm not sure about you, but I could never quite relax at an outdoor summer birthday party with a 2 and a 4 year-old. While they sure do have a fantastic time running around, we typically leave in a daze or with a tantrum, unsure if we even had the time to chat or check in with everybody.
While I absolutely love a fantastic barbecue or summer grilling extravaganza, I find it refreshing when we could take a break in the same-old backyard bash and spend a few hours in a relaxing, cool, and most significantly -- included! -- air.
It is also freeing as a guest to have the rest of the day to do as we wish as a family, not have to worry about getting the children into a bath right after the celebration or stopping home to cool off and change clothing.
I guarantee that in the event you reserve an indoor celebration for your child, guests (especially family) might seem a bit confused at first (why not take advantage of the summer weather while we could, right?) But after hosting countless indoor parties I can tell you for sure that on the day-of, you and your visitors will realize how pleasant it is to reunite within an air-conditioned private party for a few hours.

Speaking of how relaxing an indoor, air-conditioned party can be, how can we discuss food for a second?
At the moment, my sweet 4 year-old boy is terrified of bees, and the fastest way to send him into a tailspin would be for him to sit down to eat a cupcake or his meal and have bees swarming around. So, for our loved ones, the meals factor alone would be sufficient to warrant an indoor celebration.
Eating in peace without having to find colour or a seat or a place away from bugs is one of these things you do not realize can be so magnificent until you attend your fourth or fourth outdoor summer gathering and THEN get a rest from them. One of the most common things we hear is how fine it's to just sit and eat and watch the kiddos play without having any venue-related cares or concerns. This will be particularly important when you are going to be needing older family members attend that will battle with being portable in the grass or mud and finding seating at outside parties.


4) DECOR OPTIONS GALORE


While party aesthetic may not be a determining factor for each and every household, it sure is much simpler to make a themed extravaganza that lighting a child's face up as soon as the party's indoors. The decorations required tend to be less since the area is smaller and included contained, and you won't need to be concerned about balloons and streamers blowing about or procuring table covers .
Because we do host cellular events outdoors at Climbing Vines Cafe and Play, I can also speak from experience once I say the time it takes to install (and take down!) Decorations for an outdoor celebration compared to a indoor party 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 may be a true hassle on celebration.
And you will have enough to worry about this afternoon, right?
Also, if your own pinterest boards are filled with cute centerpieces, a candy bar, or anything that could possibly be impacted by wind (or bring bees!) You will probably have to restrategize for an outdoor soiree.
And of course decor typically can only be utilized once if used outside, but repurposed again and again if used for an indoor event. Our guests that sponsor indoor events, notably those who spent significant money into decor or worked hard to create their own, are very happy to find they can usually create a large chunk of the money back by reselling their materials on something such as Facebook Marketplace.
5) YOU MAY ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY
Speaking of money, probably the biggest misconception I hear from clients is they want to sponsor a party at their house to save the rental fee of an indoor playground equipment area. I usually laugh at this because it makes perfect sense, that is, if you've never hosted an outdoor party.
With all of the"extras" like tents, seat rentals, additional decorations, weather reinforcements, cleanup provides, games and activities for the kids (that you won't have to provide at a play area!) , pool toys, etc.... It's very likely that you will wind up spending MUCH more hosting a party at your house or an outdoor place than you would indoors.
I am not sure how other indoor spaces manage their equipment, but we just charge guests for extra drinks and supplies and such on the afternoon of the celebration if they end up needing themand we also enable parties to bring in their OWN food, dessert, and decor should they choose!
Money aside, spending countless hours cleaning prior to, during, and after the celebration may also take a toll. Would not it be nice to walk into a sparkling clean space and leave with your guests once the party's over, not needing to be concerned about the clean-up, trash removal, tent teardown, etc?
It's possible to just head home and unwind with your loved ones (yes, maybe outside!)
In addition to the time spent cleaning prior to and after the celebration, wouldn't it ALSO be wonderful to not have to play"server" throughout the event? Even for customers that bring in their own food and decor, our committed celebration assistants set up everything, refill and fix food and drinks as needed, clear plates, cut and serve the cake, and pack up all of the leftovers at the end of the celebration!
In the end, it is your child's special day and you wish to spend those valuable hours making memories and visiting with your guests-- not running about chasing your decorations or refilling the fruit bowl countless times.
So save everybody (and especially your family!) Plenty of stress, time, and worry by booking your event with us this summer. We'd be honored to offer you an easy, breezy experience which will leave your whole guest list feeling joyful, thankful, and filled with love after spending a relaxing (yet fun-filled!) day together.