Party in Milwaukee

This blog is called Milwaukee Magician. But I actually travel around Wisconsin and Illinois performing at parties year round. I thought it would be fun to share a few ideas that I've seen over the years at parties. I'm at more than a hundred birthday's each year. So that's what I'll concentrate on here. In future installments, I'll tackle other events -- like corporate banquets,  or civic club events.

Birthday parties are a ton of fun. You do need to do some planning though--especially when the kids are younger. The typical party nowadays that I get invited to has between 10 and 20 guests. I've performed at parties with up to 35-40 children though. Making the party special for the birthday child is the most important aspect of the day.  So don't worry about the number of kids. If you have some planned activities that incorporate everyone, you can handle a larger number of kids.

Do have some help though. Ask a few of the parents if they can stay. Many like to have a few hours to run a few errands during the party, but there are always a couple of moms (typically) that love helping out. So ask. You'll be glad you did.

Decorations are fun. You' don't need to go overboard though. Just do what is comfortable. Over the years I've seen some great ideas -- many of them magic related for obvious reasons.  One mom baked each of the children a package of cookies with a star, playing card and rabbit in a hat. Of course you want to involve the birthday child in some way with this type of thing. That's part of the fun and special memories.

Another mother made a Rabbit-in-hat cake for the party. You can google that phrase and see lots of examples. Another one is rabbit in a hat cupcakes. These look really fun.

Recently, I was at a home, and the birthday girl wanted a balloon arch. That takes a special skill to create, but this mom was creative (as most moms seem to be). She used a few helium-filled balloons to support an arch made from paper streamers.

I also had a return engagement at a home a while back. That's not unusual, except that this family set up a theater-style curtain for me to perform in front of -- sort of like the one on the right. Very cool -- actually. 

Also, if this seems like too much to do at your own home. Look around for an off-site location that might work. Hotels usually have conference rooms that they will rent out. You might check with your local library as well. Depending on the availability, they might rent out their conference room for the party. In the summer-time parks are very popular. However, it does rain sometimes, and you want to have a good contingency plan in that event. See if an area park has an indoor pavilion that can be reserved. 

Those are just a few fun ideas. I'm certain that you can dream up more.
You can always contact me via my web address above for a list of great party games for kids as well. Have fun!!!