Planning a kids birthday party in Bengaluru

A "from" price is the least that provider charges. Ask every quote for GST, travel and sound, which these sums leave out (question 6).

Why 15 parents. Families usually told us as many adults were coming as children (question 2), and each one adds a plate of food.

Many of these budgets were for one part of the party, such as the decor or an entertainer, so a whole party costs more. The middle figure was about ₹5,000, and about 3 in 4 planned no more than about ₹10,000.

A baby's first birthday is a different party, with more adults, a homam for some families and a cake smash. It has its own first birthday guide.

The whole class or a few friends is your call. About 1 in 6 families planned for 30 children or more. Thirty instead of 15 adds about ₹5,000 to ₹19,000 at home, by our sum. Venues charge by the head and cap the group: one science centre takes up to 15 children on a weekend, and one activity studio's price is for 10.

Ask on the invite who else is coming: a brother or sister, a nanny, a driver. Each one eats, and some venues charge for adults too: ₹550 each on a weekend at that science centre. The studio wants a parent with every child under 12.

Ask about allergies too. Cakes and Kremes by Enza bakes only eggless cakes and makes one nut-free on request.

Most families who wrote to mytribe had it at home or in the clubhouse, about 8 in 10 of those who said where.

Ask the clubhouse four things, in writing: can an outside decorator and caterer come in, is there a fee, when can setup start, and when must you be out. Loudspeakers go off at 10 pm, except in closed halls.

At a pool, count the adults in the water, lifeguard or not. We found no Indian rule; one Canadian pool's party rules ask for one adult in the pool for every two children aged 5 or under, and one for every four aged 6 to 9. In July 2024 a 5-year-old drowned in a Gurugram society pool with two lifeguards on duty.

What at least ₹4,000 more pays for. The show is the same length. The difference is who does it. Pradeep Tyson calls himself a corporate entertainer. He has run his magic business since 2014, and his own site talks of "a decade of corporate stages". He told us he now does birthdays for children 5 and up, and he makes the birthday child his helper. Mohammed Idris calls his act "sakhath comedy aada jaadu", super comedy magic, a show built for laughs. He takes it to birthdays across the city at one price, however many children there are.

Who to ask for each. For the lower price: Mohammed Idris, or Sankalana Decorations, a decorator whose list has a 45-minute magician at ₹5,500, so ask who the magician is. For the higher one: Pradeep Tyson, and Illusionist Rajan, whose ₹10,000 adds half an hour of close-up magic for the family after the show.

The ages are our reading of who takes which child, so ask about yours.

1. Before anyone comes

   The decorator sets up. Leave two to three hours for a balloon setup.

2. The first 45 minutes

   The magic show.

3. The next half hour

   Games with the host or the magician, and prizes for the winners.

4. Then

   The cake, the food, and a return gift at the door.

5. About two hours in

   Done. A studio party here runs two or three hours.

Book the longer slot if the party might start late. Illusionist Rajan packs props for the time you agreed, so on the day he can add only a little.

On a small budget, one act still works. Most families who asked mytribe for an entertainer alone planned ₹3,000 to ₹4,500, which buys a tattoo artist or a balloon modeller from the table.

Ask what goes into the slime. The Happy Zone, who run slime and science parties:

What the extra money buys. At TK Balloon Shades, the ring is a frame to stand your child in front of, and it fits a small flat. The Spider-Man setup is a scene: a printed backdrop that names the theme, figures you can spot from across the room, and cake stands, letter boxes and a lit name at table and floor height.

A close copy of your photo costs more. TK Balloon Shades, two brothers who do only balloon work, quoted one family ₹6,700 for a ring built to match the video they sent, against his usual ₹3,500 ring.

Distance changes it too. VSD Creative's home setup is about ₹5,000 near BTM and ₹6,000 to ₹7,000 beyond about 20 km. Sankalana Decorations' prices hold within about 20 km of Varthur and cost more beyond. TK Balloon Shades and Maruthi Events work within about 15 km of their bases.

To compare two quotes, ask three things: how big the backdrop is, and whether it's printed with the theme and your child's name; how many cutouts, flat or 3D; and whether the lit letters and number balloons are in the price. A "from" price is the least they charge, and yours follows your design, so send photos of what you like early.

The themes families ask mytribe for most are unicorn, princess and superhero, then space and Harry Potter. Our birthday decoration guide has more setups at each price.

Check the setup fits the clubhouse's hours. If you get the room only an hour before the party, the children may walk in while the decorator is still at work.

Telling them your budget is fine; TK Balloon Shades asks for it first. Ask for each part as its own line, so you can see what to drop.

Studios confirm quickly. One Koramangala studio says most of its parties are fixed within a day, and a science centre holds your date for ₹2,000, not refunded.

If your party is this weekend, a balloon setup is still possible. VSD Creative and Sankalana Decorations take same-day jobs when they're free, and Mirakle Events needs as little as 24 hours.

Ask the magician straight whether he's free. Mohammed Idris tells you if he's taken, and doesn't pass you to another magician.

If the date might move, say so before anything is printed. Balloons and props can be used again. A printed backdrop and banners can't, so that's what you'd pay for at Sankalana Decorations.

Pay the rest after you've seen the setup. Sankalana Decorations, VSD Creative and TK Balloon Shades take the balance after the work, and Mohammed Idris after the party. Idris keeps replacements ready, so once he's taken your advance he won't cancel because he's busy.

Get in writing what happens if you move the date before you pay. If you booked through mytribe and something isn't going to plan, a person here sorts it out.