Having two children who were both born outside of the summer time was clearly quite bad planning on our part. It also means that birthdays forever more will involve either an uncomfortably overpopulated kitchen-diner or an overpriced rent-a-hall. It is with some envy I have sat back and watched other parents throw some beautifully simple summer garden parties and wished our child friendly garden was seeing some socialising action.
And so, I decided, you don’t need a birthday to throw a party. I chose the excuse ‘starting school’ and got planning an epic FESTIVAL themed party for Tigs and all her baby group friends who will all be heading off to separate schools this September. Not only to mark the end of a pretty awesome era, but as a little thank you to the Mum tribe who have seen me through the highs and lows – the sleepless nights, the desperation of weaning and told me what they were cooking for dinner.
Of course, whilst it always rains at Glasto (apart from the year I got sun stroke) I was secretly hoping the British summer wouldn’t let me down. I picked the last Tuesday of the summer holidays, a weekday the Supermums often hang out at some local park, soft play or take over the children’s centre and got planning.
Where to start?
Every festival needs a catchy name right? Have a laugh with your nearest and dearest and brainstorm a Festival name that will stick, roll off the tongue and be hashtag worthy. We went with Super G Fest…a spin on V Fest with our surname and of course the #Mumtribe Supermums. You could think up a twist on your venue name, surname or a community you all have in common – mix in with a well known festival name and you are winning. Isle of Wright festival? BEN-icassim? Worst-ival? Dan-load? Jesstonbury?
Invites
Save yourself a few quid and design them yourself using a photo editor app lick Piccolage or LiPix and send them out free via Whatsapp, eMail or even text. Include obvs your festival name and the key info, and some funky designs! Paper invites are not only pricey, but they end up in the bin. Save the planet, and save your cash.
Dress code
Make it clear the dress code is Festival chic! That includes parents too to really get the vibe right. If you aren’t sure what the briefing entails, think straw hats, shades, floaty dresses, fairy wings, flower hair garlands and wellies. Ask your guests to bring a kids pop up tent if they have one – that’s a key part of the festival party look, and the kids will have great fun playing in them. Dot them around the garden along with a few hoops, toy instruments and garden toys.
Decorations
With a festival theme, forget less is more. Go all out – More is definitely more. Bunting, flags, balloons – the garden should look as colourful as possible. You can quite honestly never have enough bunting.
I used my washing line as a central base to tie bunting to which created an almost big-top look. Hang balloons and Create a few fun areas if you like – A sign up in the ‘Mum seating area’ labelled ‘Shangri-Ma’? A poster indicating the loo : ‘{Not a chemical} Toilet’. wind catchers from trees, bells and paper lanterns…go to town!
Pick yourself up a cheap bubble machine and a gallon of bubble mix. A constant stream of bubbles floating through the air will add a magical whimsical feel to the garden all day long.
A fun pre-event craft activity for you and the kids is to make up some wrist bands or lanyards for the guests. We made ours using potato stamps and paint, and a bit of glitter of course. Our mini guests felt pretty spesh with their VIP passes, and they make a sweet keepsake too.
Festival fun activities
As well as your tents, think about some outdoor friendly party games. Bobbing for apples went down a storm and is a bit of good clean old fashioned fun. If you are lucky enough for a scorcher, that’ll cool the kids down too. A pinata is a good idea to kill a bit of time – just make sure there is some decent adult supervision and space!
I invested in a decent Snazaroo face painting kit for around £30 before the event – thinking this will be money well spent over the years of kids entertaining. The face painting went down an absolute storm with both kids and parents. It’s honestly not as hard as you think, and practice makes perfect.
Music
Thanks to spotify, hours spent trying to think up playlists are a thing of the past. I streamed a indie classic playlist via Sonos and sat the speaker on the kitchen windowsill. The parents probably enjoyed it more than the kids, but they were having way too much fun to get picky about where their fave tunes were. We switched in a Reggae mix for a bit at a request of BBQ Dad, but not for long! – it’s your festival, so go with your Genre!
A final switch to a chill out playlist was a good indication that the party was over, and got the kids back down to earth a little before it was time to go home.
Food
The beauty of summer entertaining is that a Barbeque will always go down a storm. Forsaking the standard ‘party spread’, we opted for 40 sausages on the barbie – and were quick to volunteer the one Dad to take that job on. A few crudites and breadsticks to bulk out and crisps to pick out during the afternoon were more than enough. The parents got stuck in with the hot dogs too. Chuck a blanket on the floor for a simple outdoor festival feel (and of course no mess indoors, result).
For a fun festival twist on an old classic, I made this Watermelon Jelly and served with ice cream. It’s a bit of a showstopper and got some great feedback! What’s even better is it’s so easy, even the lamest in the kitchen could knock this up. Check out the recipe and method on my pinterest board : Favourite recipes.
Top tip: I’ve tried this recipe a few times now, and the key to it’s success is making the jelly per the packet instructions – leave out the juice as it can make the jelly too runny.
Every party needs cake! One of our guests volunteered to make an incredible chocolate cake, and the festival bunting topped it off perfectly.
Drinks
Keep it cheap and simple with some plastic jugs filled with water and squash for your guests to help themselves. Pre packaged kids drinks are not only packed with ‘stuff’ that’ll get your kids high as a kite but they cost an arm and a leg too.
One of my guests brought a treat for the Mums to enjoy – Prosecco pops! Strictly not for the kiddies, these went down a storm and are an easy addition to any summer party.
The grand finale
What is a festival without a live music set? Now this is the piece that will bring your party into legendary status. For the last 45 minutes of your party, bring in the epic finale of some live entertainment. It doesn’t have to be as pricey as you might think… Ask around to find a local singer, band or musician who is looking to perform. Schools may have bands wanting the practice, family members may know of some new musicians, friends may have contacts.
We were lucky enough to recruit my younger brother, an incredible talented guitarist and solo artist. He brought the house down, and watching the tiny crowd go wild to him playing ELO Mr Blue Sky as the sun went down was just priceless. The neighbours loved it too. Best Uncle ever. Fact.
And so, there you have it. Get inspired, go crazy and have fun. And earn yourself lifetime entry to the #coolmumclub.
x MMT
alifeinpracticeblog.com September 15, 2016
Looks great! I love the bunting on the cake! So cute! #coolmumsclub
Back With A Bump September 15, 2016
That looks such a fab party and so original. I love it!! Hope you had a fab time! #coolmumclub
rockandrosesmama September 15, 2016
Well this is just amazing… I feel inspired for the little mans next birthday party now!! <3
Mummy Muckups (Anna) September 15, 2016
This truly looks like so much fun. Cannot wait till my kids are a smidge bigger and I can relax a little more at a party like this. Loving the prosecco pops. Genius. #coolmumclub
Kerry September 15, 2016
This looks absolutely amazing! I’m a seasoned festival goer and my 2 year old went to her first one this year. I will definitely be doing something like this for her next birthday! #coolmumclub
Sarah September 15, 2016
Eerrrr can i steal these ideas for my own summer birthday… S in the Park maybe?! Baby doesn’t get a look in…! Looks like so much fun! #coolmumclub
A Darling Mother September 15, 2016
Looks so fun!!
Busy Working Mummy September 15, 2016
Love this idea!!! Hope you had a great time #coolmumclub
motherhoodtherealdeal September 15, 2016
Forget Peppa Pig world…this is seriously epic! Always knew you were the hostess with the mostest…and not just at #coolmumclub. Seriously epic!! xxx
Kat - EatLoveLive September 15, 2016
I love kids parties so much. Im in my element planning them. This is such a cool theme and looks like so much fun. I’m sure I’ll be borrowing this idea in a few years time. Kat x #coolmumclub
thetaleofmummyhood September 15, 2016
Your garden looked amazing, the bubble idea sounds great!
#coolmumclub
Emma Plus Three September 15, 2016
Ahh how fun! I bet the kids loved it! x #coolmumclub
Mother of Teenagers September 15, 2016
The garden looks fantastic. Am just drawing up a planning list for my 50th and have nicked a couple of your ideas and may have to rent your brother too! #coolmumclub
Sarah Howe (@RunJumpScrap) September 15, 2016
This is so fab Sarah. What a great idea and I bet both kids and adults loved it. Love the live music idea and the little tags for attending. Hope you had fun. Thanks for hosting xx
tootingmama September 15, 2016
This is so amazing and so awesome, I totally love it! Thanks for sharing! #coolmumclub
theidentitythieves September 15, 2016
Wow! Major inspiration! I do have a summer baby so this is on my agenda for next July – IF i can get myself organised….! #coolmumclub
DomesticatedMomster September 15, 2016
Oh my goodness supermom!!! You did such a great job! I am sure everyone had a blast. I probably would have had too many of those “adult” popsicles lol. Thanks again for hostessing the wonderful #coolmumclub.
Mess and merlot September 15, 2016
OMG I love it all!! Now I need an excuse to have my own C-Fest. My garden is a bit on the small side though so I may have to have an illegal rave in the local park instead. #coolmumclub
Mrs Lighty September 15, 2016
I LOVE this idea, and I’m already thinking of pinching it…sorry about that!! It looks like you all had an amazing day, what a lovely thing to do for the kiddies and your mum friends! xxx #coolmumclub
mackenzieglanville September 16, 2016
I am in love with this post! You have truly inspired me. My son who will be turning 7 in 2 weeks has just decided to tell me 2 days ago he NOW wants b’day party after insisting he didn’t. He only wants 6 friends plus him (luckily) so I am throwing together last minute invites hoping someone is still available to come and decided to have it at home. It is Spring here and I am hoping for a good day so the boys can get outdoors. So if the weather permits I am loving your ideas and may steal them thank you xx #coolmumclub
tammymum September 16, 2016
WOW what a seriously cool party bet all the kids had just the best time. I would have loved that when I was little! Definite party inspiration here – I have summer babies so definetly an idea to hijack for a bday party!! Xx #coolmumclub x
Something About Baby September 16, 2016
Ah I love this! As one of those annoying mums who had a kid in summer, I love this idea! Such a simple idea but some great tips on how to pull it off for not a lot of money but maximum amount of fun! Keeping this bookmarked for future birthday parties 🙂 #coolmumclub
wendy September 17, 2016
This sounds amazing!! I want to throw a festival party right now. You really covered everything and judging by your pictures it all looked amazing, love the bunting.xx #coolmumclub
Helena September 17, 2016
Brilliant idea. My youngest has her birthday in June so this will be great when she’s older. #coolmumclub
teacuptoria September 19, 2016
What a fab idea! I’d like to do something like this for my 40th birthday. I absolutely love organising events and parties, decorating and planning! You did such a fab job, I’m sure you guys had a fab time. xx
crummymummy1 September 20, 2016
Wow that looks like some party! And you were lucky with the weather! #coolmumclub
Mum in Brum September 20, 2016
Wow, this does look epic Sarah! I love the idea of creating another excuse for a party – Taylor was a December baby so I definitely will be doing this in the future! Love that you got your brother to perform, what a legend. Sounds like a kids dream, and I bet the parents enjoyed it just as much xx #coolmumclub
theparentingjungle September 21, 2016
Omg I want to live next to you. This is such a cool idea and you went all out. Feeling guilty at my past attempts at parties now…You can quite honestly never have enough bunting…that cracked me up. #coolmumclub xx
Silly Mummy September 21, 2016
This is a fantastic idea and it looks amazing! I wish I wasn’t useless at parties now! #coolmumclub
absolutely prabulous September 21, 2016
You legend! OMG the jelly and the prosecco pops. Totally in awe of the whole thing as I’ve not thrown a kids party in literally years…my poor kids. Loved this #coolmumclub