Frequently asked questions

Parties start at £175 for 30 minutes; the price depends on how long you want. The XL Lightshow, a bouncy castle, the Glow Pack on a neon glow disco and karaoke are £50 each. The XL Lightshow is already included with the Kool Kids Disco and The Ultimate Disco, so there's nothing extra to add on those. You can secure the date with a £100 deposit and pay the balance in cash on the day, or pay it all up front. Any extras you choose afterwards are paid in cash on the day, and your booking page always shows the exact figure to have ready.

Mark confirms the date works. Once it's paid, a confirmation arrives by email showing exactly what you've booked. It sits on your own booking page as well, open at any hour, so if the email goes missing the details don't.

Most people book an hour or more. Younger children run out of steam sooner, so for three and four year olds the shortest option (30 minutes) is often plenty, and a two-hour party is usually too much. Only the longest party (2 hours) has a food break in it (see below).

Only on the longest party (2 hours), where a break is included. The shorter options (30 minutes, 1 hour and 1 hr 15) run straight through, so food is best saved until afterwards. The party goes better without food in the middle of it.

Space and a normal plug socket. That's it: we bring sound, lighting, props, games and prizes. If you're unsure whether your hall or front room is suitable, send us the venue name and we'll tell you.

Yes, public liability insurance, and our cover includes bouncy castle use. Halls and schools often ask to see the certificate before they'll let a party go ahead. Download the certificate →

Everything that plugs in is PAT tested. Mark is a qualified PAT tester, so it's checked by him directly.

No cap, and no per-child charge: the price is the same whether eight turn up or thirty-five, including if more arrive than you expected. Every child goes home with a prize, whether they win a game or not. Mark runs school discos with well over a hundred in the room, so a full house at a birthday is routine. Tell us roughly how many when you enquire and we'll bring plenty.

Mark, every time, and he never sends anyone in his place. It isn't obvious from the outside, but many “party companies” are booking agencies. You book with the company, a large portion of what you pay stays with them, and an entertainer goes out on what's left, sometimes at short notice, and often neither of you knows who until the day. If you're comparing, ask whoever you're considering who'll turn up and how long they've been doing it.

Mark has worked at over 4,000 children's parties. He's seen it all.

Because we're not trying to be, and it would show: at rock-bottom prices the speaker, the mic, the lightshow and the costumes usually look and sound it. The money goes into good equipment, replaced before it's worn out, with a backup in the van. It also buys time: the diary is spaced so your party gets a full setup and a proper soundcheck. None of it disappears into a booking fee. If price is the deciding factor there will be cheaper options, and we'd rather say so.

No, a £100 deposit secures your date, and the balance is cash on the day. Pay in full instead if you'd rather have nothing left to think about. Either way it's fully refundable if you cancel with enough notice, and if something goes wrong you can move your date rather than cancel. You can pay by bank transfer or card. Read the terms →

By bank transfer or card, once we've confirmed we're free, with no account needed. You choose: pay a £100 deposit to secure the date and settle the balance in cash on the day, or pay in full and have nothing left to pay for the party itself. Either way, the date is locked in for good.

Moving your date is free and we'll do our best to accommodate you. If something's gone wrong, ask about moving before cancelling. You'll almost always be better off.

Cancel more than 28 days before and you get back everything you've paid us. Between 7 and 28 days we refund what you've paid minus a £100 cancellation fee, so if you've only paid the deposit, that window is where it's kept. Inside 7 days we can't refund, because it's too late for us to fill the date, but you can move your date and we'll honour the party with the money already paid. Whatever happens, cancelling never leaves you owing anything: the cash balance and any extras simply never happen.

Get in touch and we'll move your date rather than cancel. Date changes are free, and this is what they're for.

Yes, plenty. We scale the setup to the room rather than turning up with more kit than fits.

All of Surrey, and over the county line into West Kent (Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Edenbridge, Westerham, Swanley, West Malling, Borough Green, Aylesford and nearby); South West London (Hampton, Teddington, Richmond, Twickenham, Worcester Park, Morden, Cheam, Sutton, Carshalton, Coulsdon, Kenley, Purley and Sanderstead); Berkshire (Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Windsor, Newbury, Wokingham, Thatcham, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Ascot, Sunningdale, Sunninghill, Old Windsor, Twyford, Woodley, Earley, Hungerford and the rest of the county); North Hampshire (Aldershot, Farnborough, Blackwater, Fleet, Church Crookham, Yateley, Hartley Wintney, Bordon, Odiham, Hook, Alton and Basingstoke); and West Sussex (Gatwick, Crawley, Copthorne, Crawley Down and East Grinstead). Some party companies charge travel or mileage. We don't and never will. If you're not sure whether we reach you, just ask and we'll let you know the same day.

James at KentKidsParties.co.uk is our preferred work partner and his parties are every bit as good as ours. We're more than happy to check his availability on your behalf.