This post provide you with 20 possible ways to celebrate
your kid’s birthday , in addition to the 3 ways that I already talked about in two of
my previous posts: one post about the parties in Migros and in Coop, the other
about the parties in MEG.
I have experienced quite some of the suggestions below, either
directly or indirectly, via friends’ worth of mouth or because my son was
invited by his friends or because I used one of these options to celebrate my son's birthday , I have added my comments on the ones I liked most.
Note also that most of the below suggestions are quite expensive ,
this means they cost more than 400-500 CHF for 12 kids, however most of these options are all
included- zero stress for parents formulas , there are other ways to organize your kid’s
birthday via renting a nice place and organize the animation/entertainment, I will talk
about it in a separate post.
The 20 most popular children's birthday parties are:
FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (up to 6 years old ):
Yatouland :
this is one of the most popular and relatively cheap ways to celebrate kids’ birthdays,
and children love the place, it costs from 290CHF to 340 CHF for 2.5 hrs for a
maximum of 20 kids
( 4 till 10 years old) ,this includes free usage of games
and a reserved area , there is no dedicated animations so parents have to supervise
and coordinate children entertainment , several birthdays can take place at the same time in parallel so this can be a
bit chaotic, however it’s a proven formula that works well, especially for kids
4-6 years old.
Orchestra Land in la Praille : this is one of my favorite
places for birthdays of young kids
(younger than 6 years old ) , my son attended
several birthday parties and he always had funt, they organize birthday parties
with different themes with an animator dressed according to the chosen theme who that takes care of the children entertainment. Parties last 1.5 hrs and are for kids from 4
till 10 years old , they costs 17 CHF for child all included till 12 children
, the party is more expensive for bigger groups.
The little gym . Its formula is very similar to the one of Orchestra Land , they organize all included birthday parties for kids from 1 till 12 years old for a cost of 450 CHF for 15 children. We organized my son 4
th year birthday party there and it went well and it was very relaxing for us because we didn't have to worry about anything. I think this formula works for very young children and in fact we organized different types of activities after that experience when my son grew up.
Gymboree organizes birthday parties for children from 6 months till 5 years old , with the same type of formula. I have never been there so I can’t talk by experience , the party costs 690 CHF for 2 hrs for 20 kids .
Baby Gym La Praille , same type of scheme than the Orchestra, The little gym , Gymboree, they organize parties for children from 1 till 13 years old and have a huge variety of themes and structures , for example for older children they organize a disco dinner or lunch . My son attended many parties when he was very young, between 4-6 years old and I think this is the best age for these types nof parties. I don’t know how the formula for older children works , note also that prices are not displayed on their website.
FOR OLDER CHILDREN ( 6-7 + years old) -SPORT THEMES
Bowling in laPraille : this is a very popular type fo party and a formula of proven success that
children love. It is suitable for kids of 7 years or older and it costs 19-21
CHF per child including two games and a reserved area to eat and to celebrate. My son attended several birthday parties there
and he always had great fun.
Intersoccer also organizes birthday parties for children from 3 to 13 years old who love playing soccer and sports in general. Party includes a soccer game and medals at the end . My son has never attended one of these parties , however given the Intersoccer is a quite famous association I would assume that these parties are well organized , prices are not displayed in their website so worth asking
Karting in Ville La Grand area (nearby France) , this is an unforgettable way for male kids to celebrate their birthdays, I would recommend it for children older than 8-9 years old although the Karting birthday party is offered to children between 6 and 14 years old. Price for 1 game and 1.5 hours party is 27 Euro/child , for 2 games 2.5 hours party is 40 Euro .
FOR OLDER CHILDREN (7 + years old) ADVENTUROUS THEMES
Vitam’parc in Neydens (nearby France) organizes birthday parties for children from 4 till 12 years old. There are several formulas: parties in swimming pool , climbing parties , disco kids parties , prices vary from 15 Euro to 27 Euro per child each party includes 1 hour supervision and training from a professional sport expert or animator. My son went to a couple of these parties and he enjoyed them very much.
Lasergame (in Geneva and in Ville La Grand) : this is a great way to celebrate children birthdays and they simply love it. It is suitable for kids older than 7 years . The party includes 2 games ,drinks and separate reserved area. There is a Lasergame in Eaux Vives and one in Ville La Grand . I organized my son’s 8
th year birthday party in Ville La Grand because it is much cheaper and offers the same type of equipment. It was a big success!
Lasergame outdoor in Divonne les Bains . If you
like the concept of war missions and complex team strategies and if your kid is older than 8-9 years old and if his birthday is in a warm weather period than this is an unique birthday experience and I would definitively recommend it ,my son still talks about the party that one of his best friends had many months ago.
That said , it's important that it's all about military games and wars so if you don't like this theme better choosing something else. I 'm not a particular fan of these themes , however I had to say that the way the game works is outstanding for the attention of every single details , starting from the explanation of the strategies and the dressing uniforms, Unforgettable experience for children, it costs 10 Euro per child for 1 hr game and 30 Euro/child for 2.5 hrs game, however better check with them directly.
Parc adventure des Evaux in Onex is a great place in Onex just 20 minutes from Geneva city center , teh parc is inside a beautiful forest and they have several formulas for birthday parties ,mainly about high ropes (acchrobranches in French) the parties structure depends on the children age. For children from 3 to 6 years old the party costs 25 CHF per child , they have guided mini climbing /ropes with an animator and different games, for older children 7-11 and till 13 years old they have more adventurous climbing on treasure hunting and mystery solving themes , parties cost 30 CHF per child , they last 3 hours and include the trainer for high ropes for 1 hr. I didn't know this type of parties , they look great especially in nice season weather and I'm sure they offer a truly unique experience for your child , especially if his/her birthday takes place in a weather warm period.
PARTIES WITH NATURE AND ANIMAL THEMES
Vivarium Meyrin : this is one of my son’s favorite place because he loves reptiles , the birthday party there is relative cheap and offers 2.5 hrs great fun including a guided tour and direct experiences touching some of the animals , it costs 250 CHF for a maximum of 12 children. Birthday cake and drinks not included. My son was invited to a birthday party there and he loved it. Perfect for kids above 7-8 years old
Refuge de Darwin in Sezenove -Far West and horses, this is another great and original way to celebrate your chid ’s birthday party, especially if he /she loves horses . This fantastic place hosts the association that takes care about the protection of horses , and organizes birthday parties for kids older than 5 years old on the theme of the Far West . There are two formulas for parties, one costs 35 CHF per child and the other 45 CHF per child , the first lasts 1.5 hours and is about Cow Boys and Cow Girls, the second one lasts 3 hours and is about Billy the Kid and Calamity Jane , both formulas have horses as co-protagonists . Strongly recommended for a very original and unforgettable birthday .
La Gambade Poney Club in Laconnex organizes
parties for younger children all around Poneys , I don’t know prices but I think it’s a great unforgettable experience for younger kids .
Pronatura organizes birthday parties for children from 6 to 12 years old in their beautiful natural reserve in Vesenaz , parties are all around the discovery of nature and cost 200 CHF for a maximum of 12 children for 1.5 hrs. The place e is magic, I think that the best is during spring and summer and early autumn when the weather is nice.
Sauvegarde du lac Leman (Save the Leman lake association) also organizes birthday parties for children older than 8 years old , parties last 3 hours , their cost varies from 240 CHF to 360 CHF for a maximum of 12 children, the theme is centered about preserving nature and environment . I don’t know too much about these activities but I think that it's a great idea to make children sensitive about the topic and I plan to ask more details to organize there one of my son’s future birthday parties.
La libellule association also organizes birthday parties for kids between 6 and 13 years old, with similar concept than the ones of Pronatura and Sauvegarde du Lac Leman , looking at their website they seems quite organized , worth exploiting !
OTHER TYPES OF PARTIES
Cinema Pathe’Balexter organizes birthday parties for children from 7 to 12 years old , they include a movie and
different types of menu , parties costs from 29CHF to 35 CHF per child depending on the
menu chosen, it seems a good idea especially for children older than 7-8 years and in winter season however
it’s not cheap.
Mc Donald organizes very great and very cheap (119 CHF) birthday parties for children
from 8 to 12 years old . Parties are
themed and last 1.5 hours , they include the children Menu , teh children cakes, many activities with a dedicated animator , the cost is for 8 children , any additional child costs 12 CHF .
If you would like to rent a costume for you or for your kids, the place to go is La Caverne d'Ali Baba, in Rue Du Grand Bureau 26 ,1227 Les Acacias Geneve , phone 0223423636 .
If you want to buy great quality second hand children clothes , children furniture, accessories and toys at super bargain prices , you should go to a TROC , this is a special sale event that takes place twice a year in most districts of Geneva and it's organized by the families who live in the area .
The nice of the TROC is that you can also sell your items, you have to get in contact with the association organizing the TROC, they will give you a personal seller number to be written on each item together with your requested price, items have to be deposited one day before the sales and unsold item have to be collected after the sale. It's quite an effort to be a seller so be prepared to invest some hours of your time in it, however it's also a nice experience and a practical way to get rid of things and free up some space at home. Please note do not overprice items , otherwise you will not sell them!
