5 Things to Do on Your Kids Birthday in Winter

Planning your child’s birthday party can be a lot of pressure. What with the food, decorations, party games and a venue, not to mention a party theme to revolve all of that around! And it can be even more of a challenge to come up with a great theme and party idea for winter birthdays.

Having a birthday in the winter doesn’t limit your ideas for birthday parties. It just means you have to get creative and consider the weather and comfort of the kids. There are plenty of fun birthday party ideas that can be achieved indoors, and even in the comfort of your very own home.

Here are a few great ways to celebrate your child’s winter birthday that will keep the kids entertained for hours!

1. Baking party

On a cold winter day, what’s better than baking some delicious cakes? (Besides eating them when they’re fresh out of the oven, of course!) From cookies to brownies, cupcakes to cake pops, there are so many baked goods to choose from - all of which have very simple and easy recipes to use with your children.

Baking Party

Gather a group of your child’s closest friends and set up your kitchen table so that every child has a working space. You’ll need to provide child-size aprons, which you can find cheap at your local $2 shop or retail discount store. If you’re going for a cupcake themed party, provide fun cupcake decorations such as sprinkles and icing in a range of bright colours, in bowls in the middle of the table. If you decide on cookies, be sure to have a number of cookie cutters in different shapes for the children to choose from.

Whatever baked good you choose to work with, match your decorations to that theme, including the paper plates and serviettes - you’ll notice that cupcake themed party supplies are very common! While the food is baking, entertain the kids with some good old fashioned party games to pass the time. There’s pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey and piñatas!

A baking birthday party is fun for children of all ages. It’s even a very inviting idea for parents, who can stick around and help you out with the party.

2. Winter wonderland

Why not celebrate a winter birthday by embracing the colder months? A winter wonderland party does just that! This birthday idea can be achieved in your home or in another venue, like a community hall, depending on the amount of people you want to invite.

A winter wonderland party gives you the perfect opportunity to get creative with the decorations. Keep the decorations consistent and on-theme with white and light blue, and be sure to use glitter  to achieve a frosty winter look. Hang snowflake decorations and glitter-filled balloons. An easy DIY method will help you achieve glitter filled ballon decorations. For this, you’ll need a packet of clear balloons, a funnel, a pump, a bowl and spoon, and a whole heap of glitter (preferably light blue, to stay on theme). Before you fill the balloons, stretch them out a bit so that they’re easier to pump up. Next, use the funnel and spoon to pour in as much glitter as you want. Rather than blowing them up with your mouth, use the pump to inflate the balloons, to avoid swallowing the glitter. It may take some trial and error to figure out how much glitter you want in each balloon to achieve the best look. Similarly, decorate the tables with light blue glitter-filled fairy light jars.

In a winter wonderland party, you can even keep the parents on theme with some blue lagoon cocktails!

3. Splatter paint party

Another great way to keep the kids indoors is to organise an art birthday party. The perfect venue for a splatter paint party is your garage, providing that you can arrange heating in there. Place a tarp on the floor and set up an art space for each child in a circle. Provide each child with a reasonably sized canvas, and place some paint brushes, sponges and other fun things to paint with, along with bowls of different coloured paints, in the middle of the circle. Ask the children to bring they’re own art smock, as they’re likely to have one for school. Let them go wild with the paint and create their canvas masterpieces!

You can also create a keepsake for your birthday child by filling a blank canvas with paint hand prints from each guest, with their name marked next to their hand print. This party idea is sure to be a memorable one for both you and the kids.

While their art pieces dry, get the kids cleaned up and feed them with party foods.

This party idea is great because it allows the kids to stay indoors and keep warm, while also letting them go wild a make a mess (but, luckily, not in your home). It’s the perfect way to keep everyone happy!

4. Movie party

Snuggling up in the lounge room watching your favourite movie is the perfect winter pass time. So why not turn this into a birthday party idea for your child? This idea can be done either in the middle of the day or at night for a sleepover.

Use the couches, blankets and pillows to come up with a creative way to build a fort that the children can cosy up in when watching the movie. Ask your child to choose their all-time favourite film, turn the heating up, and keep the kids entertained for hours. Provide the kids with winter comfort snacks such as warm, buttery popcorn and a nice hot chocolate.

This birthday party idea is great as it’s a low budget and low effort party for the parents, and is sure to keep the kids quite and entertained.

5. Glow in the dark dance party

Everyone loves a good dance party. Luckily, with music on, children don’t need much else to keep them entertained. However going with a glow-in-the-dark theme makes the dance party even more unique and fun.

You can host this party in your lounge room, garage or a spare room in the house, and it can also be done both at night time or during the day.

Decorate the party with glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark stickers and other decorations that you can find at your local party shop or discount department store. Let your guests get into the spirit of the theme by providing glow-in-the-dark nail polish and paint. Create a playlist together with your child and let the kids dance the hours away.

The kids will have so much fun and warm up while they’re dancing, that they’ll forget it’s cold outside.

To chat with an End2End team member about organising a themed birthday party perfect for the wintertime, call 1300 095 123.

10 reasons why Iconic Sporting Venues are perfect for Events

Sporting venues entertain the world with sports competitions. Today various sporting venues also play host to some spectacular events, some being held right on the field. Sports venues provide some of the world’s most impressive settings with excellent condition and additional benefits. These venues are perfect for business events and wedding functions as well.  The attraction of hosting a conference or event at a sports venue is wide-ranging. There are plenty of reasons why a sports venue is perfect to host your next event. We’ve rounded up 10 of our top reasons to why iconic sporting venues are perfect for events.

1.Free Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi Zone

A free Wi-Fi in venue is always a bonus for event organisers.  Free Wi-Fi is very common in large public venues. They provide high-speed internet that can cope with high user traffic.

2. Audiovisual Equipment

Visual Display

Sporting venues are often equipped with substantial audio-visual equipment, which can be used by the event organisers. The quality and maintenance of audio-visual equipment are high due to the importance of television broadcast at major sporting events. Whether you’re trying to get people on the dance floor, need crystal clear mic setups for you conference speakers or product launches, sports venue has you covered.

3. Transportation and Parking facility

Sporting venues are typically well serviced by public transport and have proper and systematic parking facility available. The sports center provides easy access to transportation and parking lots that are available for use during the time of the event.

4. Inspiring and Motivating

Any iconic sporting venue naturally speaks of motivation and teamwork. You can invite a gold medalist or any motivational speaker to your event and help inspire people in your event through their words. Their words of determination and commitment to achieve their goal can be inspiring to your event program. 

5. Safety 

When you decide to host an event at a sports venue, one of the biggest concerns apart from the actual planning and organisation of the event is safety. The level of security and privacy is very high in sporting venues. They provide a high level of privacy and security for events where discretion is paramount.

6. Catering for big numbers

The kitchen teams in sporting venues have potential to provide catering service for hundreds of people attending the events. Their flexibility and knowledge of food are guaranteed to create a one of a kind event that your guest will never forget.

7. Variety of venues available

There are a variety of corporate rooms available within sporting venues. Such rooms are designed to accommodate large numbers of guests with a view an overlooking the playing arena. There are various smaller suites available which are perfect for breakouts or smaller events.

8. Unique Experience

Organising event at a sporting venue can offer your guest with some truly unique experiences. Getting to see the stadium in an empty setting is a very different experience for the guest. They’ll love the indoor-outdoor perspective that they may not get on a regular game day. Your guests will feel like VIPs with access to the premium spaces that sports stadiums have to offer.

9. A view like no other

Most sporting venues boast a huge amount of natural light. The large feature windows help enhance the spacious room and give the room elegant feel. Your guest can enjoy an exclusive view that very few people are lucky enough to enjoy that the sporting venue has to offer.

10. Flexible for different events

Whether you are hosting a party, launching a product, or holding an Annual General Meeting, sporting venues offer the canvas where you can build a perfect layout to host any event. They can be set up to suits your needs.

At End2End Events, we understand that private events, parties, and functions come in all shape and sizes. We help you pull together event from concept to completion. We create and deliver private events of many themes with ease. End2End Events ensures an extra special and memorable event for all involved!

To find out more about End2End events and whether it is right for you or not you can visit us at http://end2endevents.com.au/

Contact our office and speak to one of our team to make planning your next event easy.

Event Styling: Winter Themed Events

The heat in Australia is rising. This does not mean that you can’t throw a winter themed event. A winter wonderland can be magical, so why would you not want it for your next event? If you are looking for some tips on how to style your next winter themed event, look no further.

Light it Up

You can set the mood of an event simply through your lighting. A blue light can make your room appear to be cooler. Adding yellow lights can be used to replicate the natural light and bring a sense of warmth. Candlelight can make your event seem enchanted when mixed with the blue.

Blue Lighting

A Magical Forest

Winter signifies a change in the appearance of trees and forests. You can replicate this feeling in your styling. The use of twigs and branches can bring about a feeling of being in a magical forest.  You can also combine the use of twigs and branches with lighting. You can hang strings of lights from branches to mimic snow and icicles. White and green foliage intermixed with the twigs and branches can keep your styling crisp and clean.

Snowy Branches

A Touch of Ice

Nothing says winter more than frosty cold ice. You could be like everyone else and add an ice sculpture. It would look pretty cool, but not very original.

Why not consider the following: 

• Clear glass candle holders

• Pillars that look like it is made from blocks of ice

• Crystal chandeliers

• Clear plastic chairs that look like you could be sitting on a chair made from ice

Ice Sculpture

Mix in some Texture

You don’t want your event to be completely cold. You can add warmth through the use of textures.  Adding texture will make your styling pop.  Using fur to cover ghost seats made what could have been icy and cold into a warm and comfortable area to sit. White carpet on a glassy floor can also have this effect. Grey or white silk used as table covers can allow you to have a smooth and flow effect while maintaining the cool atmosphere. Mix and match our textures to create your magical winter wonderland. You can also weave lengths of silk, tulle or other material through the backs of a standard wooden chair to add texture. 

Drape it

Draping white tulle, lace or other material can bring a sense of warmth to an otherwise cold event. Draping from the roof can make your guests feel closer to each other. Draping can be placed over pillars that don’t suit your theme and make the styling look even more beautiful. 

Drape It

If your event wants to look a little more casual you could use blankets to drape over large sofas. This will bring texture and make your styling more interesting. If you place this in front of an open fireplace you could add a winter by the fire dimension to your styling.

Alpine Forest Details

You can add some colour and texture by using details you would see in an alpine forest. These are still a part of the winter theme as you will only see them during winter. Antlers, nuts, berries, and acorns can bring an earthy feel to a winter theme. The colours of the berries can bring warmth to your styling. The green foliage that can be found in alpine forests can bring an added depth to your colour palette.

For more styling tips read Celebrating Spring and Diversity in End2End Event Style.

Let it, Snow,

Just like ice, snow can bring an immediate wintery feel to your event. You can bring an illusion of snow using frosted glasses to drink from. Hanging icicle lights can also bring a snowy feel to your event. Spray painting leaves and other decorations in a white or silver colour can bring a snowy feel.

Fire

While you might think to have a fire as styling isn’t quite winter styling think again. When it is a cold winter’s evening you sit near a fireplace to warm up. Featuring styling aspects that make your guests reminisce about winter is a part of a winter theme.

Need to up your styling game, event planning, event management in Melbourne, Canberra and around ACT areas? Speak to the End2End Event Management Experts today on 1300 095 123.