If you reside in an area like we do in Western New York (we are in Rochester!) With superbly hot summers and cold snowy winters, you will know your options for your kid's birthday celebration are mostly determined by the weather.
As an August baby, we constantly had small family parties out at my house. But, with sons born in November and March, we are always left to reserve an indoor place for their celebrations, if we decided to have them that year. While those with children with summer birthdays might appear lucky to have so many options at their disposal, it can also often feel overwhelming.
While at Climbing Vines Cafe and Play we might be biased because we host indoor celebrations, I wanted to share with you the 5 most common reasons we hear from past celebration customers to book indoor summer birthdays with us. To them, the stress-free temperament of the indoor summertime party is really a no-brainer, and they are not looking back! Following their initial indoor summer party, they continue hosting with us year after year.


The most common cause for a customer to book a summer indoor celebration with us is so they do not need to stem the weather prediction for upgrades in the weeks leading up to the party. Nothing can derail a pleasure party quicker than having to cram all your guests inside your home, waiting for a storm to pass. And if you've ever had to cancel or postpone your kid's birthday because of weather, you realize how heartbreaking that can be.
We receive dozens of calls every summer a few days before someone's outdoor party is supposed to take place to see if we have an open slot for them in our indoor celebration venue because of weather woes. We can normally pull off this if the spot is open, but hosts will unfortunately need to starve and let all of their guests are aware of the change in venue and likely shift in time, and change all their catering requests to accommodate their new party plan.
While of course rain is likely the largest obstacle you may face, intense warmth, unseasonably cool weather, and end can also pose issues to your food, decorations, and your guests' belongings. You will probably end up investing in a kayak another weather barrier just to ease your mind somewhat, which can be costly and take lots of precious time to set up and take down. I won't even tell the story of the time my Dad set a tent up for a celebration in a windstorm and ended up with a insurance claim for 4 ruined automobiles when it blew away (weights and anchors and all!) ...

2) CHANGING IT UP

Aside from the obvious weather worries you can avoid with an indoor celebration, there may also just be something really simple and lovely about a indoor summer party. Guests won't need to worry about bringing towels and sunscreen and sunglasses and swimsuits and changes of clothing and bug spray... you get the picture.
Sometimes it's nice to have a brief break from the outside, sip coffee in an air-conditioned cafe, also have an actual conversation with other adults while the children play, instead of chasing children around attempting to get their hat 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 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 using a tantrum, childhood perceptions unsure whether we even had time to chat or check in with everyone.
While I absolutely love a good barbecue or summer grilling extravaganza, I also find it refreshing when we can take a break from the same-old backyard celebration 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 and not have to be concerned about getting the children to a tub immediately after the party or quitting home to cool off and change clothes.
I guarantee that in the event you reserve an indoor party for your child, guests (especially family) might appear a bit confused at first (why not take advantage of the summer weather while we can, right?) But after hosting hundreds of indoor parties I can tell you for sure that on the day-of, you and your visitors will realize how pleasant it can be to reunite in an air-conditioned private celebration for a couple hours.

Speaking of how relaxing a indoor, air-conditioned party could be, how can we talk about food for a second? Not only are food options limited with an outside celebration due to heat, but it can be difficult to keep food covered and keep the bugs, bees, and other debris off.
So, for our loved ones, the food factor alone would be enough to justify an indoor party.
Eating in peace without having to find colour or a seat or a location away from pests is just one of those things you do not realize can be so glorious before you attend your fourth or fifth outside summer gathering and THEN get a rest from them. One of the most common things we hear is how fine it's to sit and eat and watch the kiddos play without having any other venue-related cares or concerns. This is going to be particularly important if you are going to be having elderly family members attend that can struggle with being mobile in the grass or mud and locating seating at outdoor parties.
Plus, when was the last time you attended an outdoor summer party with a complete espresso bar and cafe available for visitors to enjoy now that they don't need to be concerned about running around chasing their children in the heat?

4) DECOR OPTIONS GALORE


While celebration aesthetic may not be a determining factor for every family, it sure is significantly easier to create a themed extravaganza which lights a youngster's face up when the party's inside. The decorations required are often less since the place is smaller and included contained, and you won't need to be concerned about balloons and streamers blowing all about or procuring table covers .
Because we do host mobile events outside in Climbing Vines Cafe and Play, I will also speak from experience once I say the time that it takes to install (and take down!) Decorations for an outside celebration compared to an indoor celebration generally ends up being double. Finding good places to hang banner, needing two people to hold and protect everything, and locating weights or other restraints for everything can be a genuine hassle on party day.
And you will have enough to be concerned about that afternoon, right?
Furthermore, if your own pinterest boards are full of cute centerpieces, a candy bar, or anything that may be affected by wind (or bring bees!) You will likely have to restrategize for an outdoor soiree.
And of course decor typically can only be utilized once if used outside, but repurposed again and if used for an indoor event. Our guests who host indoor occasions, especially those who spent significant money into decor or worked hard to make their own, are very happy to find they can usually create a large chunk of their cash back by reselling their materials something like Facebook Marketplace.

Speaking of money, probably the biggest misconception I hear from clients is that they wish to host a party at their house to save the rental fee of an indoor space. I usually laugh at this because it makes great sense, in other words, if you have never hosted an outside party.
With all of the"extras" such as tents, chair rentals, additional decorations, weather reinforcements, cleanup supplies, games and activities for your children (that you won't have to supply at a play area!) , pool toys, etc.... It's very possible you are going to end up spending MUCH more hosting a party at your house or an outside place than you would indoors.
I'm not sure how other indoor spaces handle their equipment, but we just charge guests to get extra drinks and supplies and these on the day of the party should they end up needing themand we also enable parties to bring in their OWN meals, dessert, and decor if they choose!
Money aside, spending countless hours cleaning before, during, and following the party may also have a toll. Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk into a sparkling clean space and depart with your guests once the party's over, not having to worry about the cleanup, trash removal, tent teardown, etc?
You can just go home and relax with your loved ones (yes, maybe outside!)
In addition to the time spent cleaning before and after the party, wouldn't it ALSO be wonderful to not have to play"host" during the event? Even for clients that bring in their own food and decoration, our committed celebration assistants set everything up, refill and mend food and beverages as necessary, clear dishes, cut and serve the cake, and then package up all of the leftovers at the end of the celebration!
In the end, it is your child's special day and you want to spend those precious hours making memories and seeing with your guests-- not running around chasing your decorations or refilling the fruit bowl countless times.
So save everybody (and especially your own family!) Lots of stress, time, and stress by booking your event with us this summer. We'd be honored to provide you with an easy, breezy experience which will leave your entire guest list feeling refreshed, thankful, and full of love after having a relaxing (yet fun-filled!) day together.