If you live in a place such as we do in Western New York (we're in Rochester!) With beautifully warm summers and cold snowy winters, you will understand that your choices for your kid's birthday celebration are largely dependent on the weather.
As an August baby, we constantly had little family parties outside at my house. However, with sons born in November and March, we're constantly left to book an indoor venue for their parties, if we chose to have them that season. While those with children with summer birthdays might appear lucky 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 host indoor celebrations, I wanted to discuss with all the 5 most common reasons we hear out of previous party clients to reserve indoor summer evenings with us. To them, the stress-free temperament of the indoor summertime celebration is a no-brainer, plus they are not looking back! Following their initial indoor summer party, they keep hosting with us year after year.


The most common reason for a customer to book a summer indoor party with us is so they do not have to stalk the weather prediction for upgrades in the weeks leading up to the celebration. Nothing can derail a fun party quicker than having to cram all your guests within your house, waiting for a storm to pass. And if you've ever needed to cancel or postpone your child's birthday because of weather, then you realize how heartbreaking that could be.
We receive dozens of calls each summer a few days before someone's outdoor party is supposed to take place to find out if we've got an open slot for them in our indoor party venue due to weather woes. We can usually pull off this if the spot is open, but hosts will unfortunately need to starve and allow all of their guests are aware of the change in place and likely shift in time, and also change all their catering orders to accommodate their new party plan.
While of course rain is probably the largest obstacle you may face, intense heat, unseasonably cool weather, and wind can also pose issues for your decorations, food, along with your guests' possessions. You'll probably find yourself investing in a kayak or some other weather barrier simply to ease your mind a bit, which can be costly and require lots of precious time to prepare and take down. I will not even tell the story of the time my Dad put a tent up for a party in a windstorm and ended up with a insurance coverage for 4 ruined cars when it withdrew (weights and anchors and all!) ...


Besides the obvious weather worries it's possible to avoid with a indoor party, there can also just be something really straightforward and lovely about an indoor jungle gym summer party. Guests won't need to worry about bringing sunscreen and towels and towels and swimsuits and changes of clothes and insect spray... you get the picture.
Sometimes it's wonderful to have a brief break from the outdoors, sip coffee in an air borne cafe, also have an actual conversation with other adults while the kids play, rather than chasing kids around trying to get their fur on them keeping them away from your in-ground pool. I am not sure about you, but I can never really relax at an outdoor summer birthday celebration with a two and a 4 year-old. While they sure do have a good time running around, we typically leave at a daze or with a tantrum, unsure if we had the time to talk or check in with everybody.
While I absolutely adore a good barbecue or summer grilling extravaganza, I find it so refreshing when we can take a break from the same-old backyard celebration and spend a couple of hours in a relaxing, cool, and most importantly-- contained! -- air.
It is also freeing as a guest to have the rest of the day to do as we want as a family, not need to worry about getting the children to a tub right after the celebration or quitting home to cool off and change clothing.
I promise that if you book an indoor celebration for your child, guests (especially family) may appear a bit confused at first (why not take advantage of the summer weather while we can, right?) But after hosting countless indoor parties I will tell you for certain that on the day-of, you and your visitors will realize how pleasant it is to kick back in an air-conditioned private celebration for a few hours.

Speaking of how relaxing a indoor, air-conditioned party can be, can we talk about food for a second? Not only are food choices limited with an outside party due to heat, but it can be hard to keep food covered and keep the bugs, bees, and other debris off.
Right now, my sweet 4 year-old boy is terrified of bees, and also the quickest way to send him into a tailspin would be for him to sit down to eat a cupcake or his meal and also have bees swarming around. Therefore, 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 chair or a location away from bugs is one of those things that you don't realize can be so glorious before you attend your fourth or fifth outdoor summer gathering and after that get a rest from them. Among the most common things we hear is how fine it is to just sit and eat and see the kiddos play with no any other venue-related cares or worries. This will be especially important if you're going to be having older family members attend that will battle with being portable in the grass or mud and finding seating at outdoor parties.
Do not worry, we have you covered there, literally!

4) DECOR OPTIONS GALORE


While party aesthetic may not be a deciding factor for every household, it sure is much easier to create a themed extravaganza which lighting a youngster's face up when the party's inside. The decorations demanded tend to be less because the area is smaller and included contained, and you won't need to worry about balloons and streamers blowing all about or procuring table covers down.
Because we do host mobile events outdoors at Climbing Vines Cafe and Play, I can also speak from experience once I say the time that it takes to set up (and take down!) Decorations for an outside celebration compared to an indoor party usually ends up being double. Finding good places to hang banners, needing two people to maintain and secure everything, and finding weights or other restraints for everything may be a genuine hassle on party day.
And you will have enough to worry about that afternoon, right?
Furthermore, if your own pinterest planks are full of cute centerpieces, a candy bar, or anything which may be impacted by wind (or attract bees!) You will likely have to restrategize for an outdoor soiree.
Not to mention decoration typically can only be utilized once if used outdoors, but repurposed again and if used for an indoor event. Our guests who host indoor occasions, especially those who spent significant money into decoration or labored hard to create their own, are pleased to find they can usually make a large chunk of the money back by reselling their supplies something such as Facebook Marketplace.

Speaking of cash, probably the biggest misconception I hear from customers is that they want to sponsor a party in their house to save the rental fee of an indoor area. I generally laugh at this because it makes perfect sense, in other words, if you've never hosted an outdoor celebration.
With all the"extras" like tents, chair rentals, additional decorations, weather reinforcements, clean-up provides, games and activities for your kids (that you won't have to provide at a play area!) It's very possible that you will wind up spending MUCH more hosting a celebration at your home or an outdoor venue than you'd indoors.
I'm not sure how other indoor spaces manage their supplies, but we just charge guests for extra beverages and provides and such on the afternoon of the celebration if they wind up needing themand we also allow parties to attract in their OWN food, dessert, and decor should they choose!
Money aside, spending countless hours cleaning before, during, and after the celebration may also take a toll. Would not it be wonderful to walk into a sparkling clean area and leave with your guests once the party's over, not needing to be concerned about the cleanup, garbage removal, tent teardown, etc?
You can just go home and relax with your loved ones (yes, possibly outside!)
In addition to the time spent cleaning prior to and after the party, wouldn't it ALSO be wonderful to not have to play"server" throughout the event? For clients that bring in their own food and decoration, our committed celebration assistants set everything up, 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 party!
After all, it is your child's special day and you wish to spend those valuable hours making memories and visiting along with your guests-- not running about chasing your decorations or refilling the fruit bowl countless times.
So save everybody (and especially your own family!) We'd be honored to provide you with an easy, enjoyable experience that will leave your whole guest list feeling joyful, grateful, and filled with love after spending a relaxing (yet fun-filled!) day together.