PARTY ADVICE & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS…
…got a question? Ditzy is here to help.
The one they call Ditzy Doodles hopes to answer most of your questions here, but if you don’t see your question, just drop Ditzy a line on the Contact Page.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE PARTY
A typical 2 hour Magic, Music & Mayhem Party looks like this:
• For the first 5-10 minutes there will be some music and disco lights, whilst Ditzy will interact with the children upon arrival, provide some close up magic, and will keep an eye out for the shy children, she always likes to help ensure any shy children are at ease as much as they possibly can be. This relaxed start to the party enables late comers to arrive, and gives the children time to say hello to everybody.
• Once everyone has arrived it’s time for introductions, Ditzy will ask everybody to take a seat in her own silly way, and after saying hello she will introduce the Birthday Star with a magical twist, the Star of the Show and friends help Ditzy with some magic, producing a gift and Birthday Card.
• Break for food approximately half way through, Ditzy will continue to interact with the children/adults with some silliness and close up magic tricks.
• Birthday Song Time – Ditzy will make this a special moment to remember, Ditzy will let you know when to get the cake and candles ready, and get your camera on standby.
• Then it’s time for party games and a bit of a boogie.
For older children Ditzy offers something very unique….a back to front party!!!!
We do not play music with inappropriate or explicit lyrics, we always ask if you have any favourite songs you would like at the party and, equally important, we also ask if you have any particular songs you DON’T want to hear!
Magic, Music & Mayhem 90 minute Nonstop Nonsense Package includes the fun of above without a food break in the middle, you can still offer party food, but can do so once the entertainment and games are over.
Magic, Music & Mayhem 60 minute Happy Hour Package has less magic and less games as the packages above, but is still magical and your child still gets to be the Star of the Show.
Children’s Party Packages can be adapted to suit ages 4-11, see what Ditzy can create for you…
For Schools & Preschool…
For Corporate/Public Events…
For Children’s Parties, Family Celebrations Ditzy will arrive approximately 30-45 minutes before the event start time, this gives her plenty of time to set up. Ditzy needs approximately 30 minutes to pack away. Bear this in mind when booking your venue.
For School/Preschool, Ditzy will arrive slightly earlier than above as she is aware she will need to sign in and follow security measure when loading (this may take longer if the door needs unlocking each time someone enters the building.
For Corporate/Public Events set up time can work slightly differently as Ditzy is aware event suppliers need to be set up and all vehicles may need to be off site by a set time, get in touch with The Party Squad to discuss arrangements.
We have 3 Magic, Music & Mayhem Packages available for Children’s Parties…
Happy Hour Package last 1 hour with NO food break.
Nonstop Nonsense Package lasts 1½ hours with NO food break.
If you wish, you can have the food break at the end whilst Ditzy packs away, she will play a little music when doing so. SO she isn’t clattering away in the background whilst the children eat.
Magic, Music and Mayhem Package last 2 hours with food break.
The food break is approximately half way through. Don’t worry Ditzy still keeps interacting with the children and families once she packs the magic show away.
Family Celebrations last 4 hours.
Schools/Preschool can last anything from 1 – 2 hours.
Corporate/Public Events and Christmas Events are bespoke as Ditzy can provide a one off session or multiple sessions throughout your event. Get in touch about your Corporate/Public Event today.
Ditzy brings what she needs for your event including magic case, sound system, disco lights (if required) games and prizes.
All you need to do is book your venue and provide:
• food (if you are having any)
• cake (for birthday and family celebration)
• tableware (plates, napkins, cups or food boxes , food boxes are much easier to prepare for children’s parties, plus if any of your guests have allergies the food will be separated from others, don’t forget when you prepare food for allergy sufferers you must prepare it separately, and don’t forget to ask on your invitations if anybody has allergies)
• and don’t forget to invite the guests!
• bin bags to take gifts home in and for any rubbish you may have (not all venues will provide bin bags)
• Oooh and don’t forget the candles for the cake (and something to light the candles)!
The Party Squad is appreciative of religious beliefs, and understands some have concerns about ‘magic’. Ditzy would like to reassure you that the magic she performs is family friendly and purely for entertainment purposes only.
The magic show is full of Ditzy’s silliness, when the magic goes wrong she calls upon the children to help make things work, if anything her show is all about working together as a team, and that each and every child at the party plays an important role. Ditzy doesn’t perform trick after trick after trick and nor does she ever state, “And now for my next trick!”, and she certainly doesn’t perform magic to trick people or to make them look silly, the only person that looks silly is Ditzy. She weaves the magic into the entire party in a story like way, there is a purpose to each trick, from creating the birthday card, to the Balloon Umpupulator Molecule Manipulator Machine creating the most magical balloon sculpture, there is always a reason for getting help from the children, and there is plenty of nonsense, and plenty of audience participation.
If you still have any concerns about magic being performed, please do give Ditzy a call, she will be happy to discuss any concerns you may have, and hopes to put your mind at ease that it is just fun with no hidden meanings.
Community Centres, church/village halls are ideal as they have all the facilities needed for a children’s party. If you happen to choose a Golf Club, please me mindful that we may not be able to play our music above a certain level! Please bear in mind the following when booking a venue:
• ACCESS TO ROOM: Please choose a function room that is situated on ground floor with easy access for unloading equipment.
The Party Squad has a lot of equipment, which are both large and heavy. Unless there is a large lift at the venue close to the entrance of the building and within easy access to the function room Ditzy will not be able to host your party, as it will take much longer to set up, and staff safety is paramount. (Please do double check when booking with The Party Squad, even if a venue has a lift, depending on bookings that day we may/may not be able to attend due to time constraints.)
• ACCESS FOR DISABLED GUESTS: Bear in mind if you have any disabled children/adults attending, that you will need suitable access and toilet facilities, always ask your venue if they have these facilities.
• Choose a venue with large floor space, giving plenty of space to play games, please be conscious of the number of children and parents you anticipate to be in the function room. Please make sure there is plenty of room for a performance area, that means no bouncy castles or soft play in front of the performance area, as Ditzy keeps the children entertained from start to finish, it is not worth hiring a bouncy castle, as it must be deflated during performance and games.
• If children are having party food ensure your venue has enough tables and chairs for guests, and chairs for parents. The venue may or may not set out the tables and chairs for you, if they don’t set out chairs and tables, please ensure somebody arrives early to set up the room for you.
Saturdays and Sundays are extremely popular for parties, Christenings and other family occasions, and often other kiddies parties or events can clash with yours!
Why not have a weekday party? Weekdays are a great alternative:
• they don’t clash with other parties
• venues are more likely to have availability
• The Party Squad usually has more availability
• Frees up time for families at a weekend so children can still attend their weekly activities like football or horse riding etc.
If you decide to have a party on a Saturday/Sunday, the following times follow natural meal times 11:00am-1:00pm / 4.00pm-6.00pm, the earlier timeslot is the most popular for younger children. If you want your party later for older children then an evening party can be arranged if there is availability.
HAPPY HOUR TIMES: 11.00am – 12.00pm 11.30am – 12.30pm 12.00pm – 1.00pm 3.00pm – 4.00pm 4.00pm – 5.00pm 5.00pm – 6.00pm |
NONSTOP NONSENSE TIMES: 11.00am – 12.30pm 11.30am – 1.00pm 3.00pm – 4.30pm 3.30pm – 5.00pm 4:00pm – 5:30pm 4:30pm – 6:00pm |
MAGIC, MUSIC & MAYHEM TIMES: 11.00am – 1.00pm 3.00pm – 5.00pm 3.30pm – 5.30pm 4.00pm – 6.00pm |
Variations in time, and additional hours, are catered for at schools, weddings, christenings/baby naming, communions and other events subject to availability.
BOOKING A PARTY
First thing to do is check availability for your date by completing the information requested on the ‘Get in Touch’ page, give Ditzy as much information about your booking as possible, once completed expect a response within 24-48 hours this may increase to 72 hours at peak times.
Ditzy will check for availability, and she will send a return email to let you know the outcome. If available and you want to proceed with the booking, you will then be issued with an event contract, this outlines all the terms of your booking, and once you click the agreement button, will then generate the payment process, your deposit invoice will be generated. Payment details are set out in the below FAQ section.
HOW TO PAY
PRIVATE PARTIES & FAMILY EVENTS:
Deposit; To secure your booking you will be asked to pay a £50 deposit, this initial payment not only secures your booking, it will go towards purchasing any materials needed for your party package. Preferred method is via Bank Transfer, but for your convenience The Party Squad now accepts online payment. All information on how to pay will be issued when you receive your invoice.
Balance of Payment; is due 5 days before the event, again this can be paid via bank transfer or online payment.
Payment in Full; if you wish to pay the total amount upon booking, you can only do so via Bank Transfer.
CORPORATE/PUBLIC & EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS:
Payment terms will be discussed when booking.
The following additional fees may be added to your booking, when this is the case, you will always be informed what those additional fees will be. Additional fees are as follows:
Venue Location:
PARKING: Should your venue not have free parking available you will be charged for parking.
CONGESTION CHARGES: should your event be in a location where congestion charges are in place at the time of the event, the fee must be paid by you the client.
OUTSIDE THE AREA: If your party is further afield the areas covered by The Party Squad, you will need to cover additional travelling expenses, this will be discussed at the time of enquiry.
Early Set Up Service £50: Typically Ditzy will only need 30-45 minutes to set up before the event start time, and is part of the party fee. But, if you require set up much earlier than this, an Early Set Up fee will apply (this is typically at corporate/public events.)
If set up at the venue is required the day/night before the event please note this will incur a higher rate. This will be based upon distance and time to the venue and time to set up.
Please check with your venue that access can be made available at the time you desire the setup to commence.
Function Room Access Fee £30:
Please choose a function room that is on the ground floor of the venue, please avoid a function room that is upstairs (as Ditzy has heavy equipment and health conditions that could be affected if she needs to carry the equipment across country to get to the performance area).
If this cannot be avoided there will be an additional set up charge, as Ditzy will need more time in order to bring the equipment in and out of the function room – you must tell The Party Squad when booking services, the location of the function room within the venue building. If you cannot avoid a venue where the function room is upstairs you MUST ensure there is a sizeable lift to ensure Ditzy can load equipment. Any event on any other level other than ground level will be charged at £30.
If you do not inform upon booking The Party Squad the room is on a level other than ground floor, and if there is no lift, you run the risk of Ditzy not being able to perform at your event.
OTHER QUESTIONS
Based in Runcorn, Cheshire The Party Squad is ideally situated to travel to most areas surrounding the Borough of Halton including Cheshire, Merseyside and The Wirral.
If you don’t see your area covered within the boundary still do get in touch to see if Ditzy can attend your event.
Please don’t forget to give venue postcode when enquiring for your party so we will be able to quote accordingly.
Should your venue not offer free parking, Parking and Congestion Charges may be incurred.
The Party Squad only offers seasonal character mascots of their own, Silly Santa and Bobtail Bunny!
If Ditzy is attending/hosting your event, please do let The Party Squad know if you are inviting mascots/singing princesses to your event, as this may impact on what Ditzy can do within the timescale she is at your event for.