Over the Top Birthday Party Trends

By Dupé Aleru|Ed Enterprise|September 25, 2013

Let’s take a look back into the past. In the early 1990’s, birthday parties consisted of a local grocery store birthday cake, colorful latex balloons, a few gifts from friends and of course a birthday card with money from grandma and grandpa. Children were entertained by merely dancing to music streaming from a boom box, pinning the tail on a donkey, and let’s not forget hitting that piñata filled with every child’s favorite candy. Oh yes, those were the good old days.

Flash forward to 2013, birthday parties are now a gala event. Living in cities such as Los Angeles, Orange County and Dallas Texas, parents compete to have the most hip party of the year—we’re talking about 2, 3, 4, and 5-year-old birthdays.

Spending $10,000 for a birthday may seem outrageous to some, but for others, it’s a norm. Birthday planners are called to save the day as they are seen as the new superheroes of the century. From snow machines in the summer to a petting zoo in the backyard, there’s nothing they can’t pull off.

Invites set the tone for a child’s birthday. Picture an invitation as the first impression for the gala event. Parents as well as children like to know, who, what, where, when and how. Creating a fun and innovative invitation will create buzz about the future extravaganza that will have parents talking about it for months.

The best parties usually have a common theme. Whether it’s a costume character or a destination location (ex. Disneyland), parties can be extremely fun and entertaining. The key is to choose a theme and plan around it.

A hot trend today, that you see at birthday parties are photo booths. There’s not a better way to make a child’s special day most memorable, other than taking lots and lots of pictures. Photo booths are a fun and creative way that allow children to make their own memories as they play dress up before they say “cheese”.

As guests are starting to leave the event, a great way to say thank you is to give them a parting favor. Who wouldn't like a party favor from the most amazing birthday event of the year? Absolutely no one! Children love to go home with gifts so trendy parties surely must have goodie bags for their guests as a parting favor.

I’m sure twenty years from now, parents will up the ante. As for now, enjoy celebrating your child’s most precious moments with love, family, friends and entertainment.