birthday parties

[Anonymous]

We have had O Susannah at our children's birthdays starting at age 2. She does a fantastic job engaging young kids, with each child getting a turn using puppets, small instruments etc to play along to the music. She also does facepainting and some animal balloons as part of her fee, but the real draw is the music. Our kids grew out of her by age 5ish, though. I think John Henry is great for older kids (4 and up) and the Great Zucchini (though his act isn't my thing) is lots of fun for a rowdy crowd 4 and up.

Will also echo that we have found Andy's parties to be underwhelming, 1 instance with a blonde teenager in a Cinderella costume who smiled and posed for photos with the 3 yr olds, another party with Tigger and his handlers leading the 3 yr olds in a dance. Both perfectly fine and harmless, just lacking in 'stage presence' that resulted in the vast majority of party attendees not being that interested in the show (the "talent", while polite, did not seem to be very experienced in engaging and interacting with young children in the party setting).

[Anonymous]

FYI - Barry Wood is a great magician who can tailor his shows to specific age groups. We used him for my daughter's 4th b-day and were very pleased. He was silly, but very entertaining and talented. Well worth it.

[Anonymous]

We have used Andy's Parties but will not be doing so again. TI'd sooner pay double for Kidsville. Those teenagers are definitely not totally engaged in the task. A friend of ours also used them after we did and we attended the party for a 4 year old girl. The entertainers lacked enthusiasm, the pace was slow, and the kids were defintely bored as were the parents watching. Parents get a kick out of seeing their kids obviously enjoying themselves and kids can usually find most things fun as long as the entertainer engages them and is enthusiastic. that was not the case at that party. In total I have attended 4 of Andy's parties and I think only one was just okay.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with many of the posts here.I had a party with Andy's Parties very recently and everyone had a blast, parents included. We are a small preschool class, and use Andy's Parties for every birthday party- we all come and watch our kids have fun, and have grownup talk on the side. Maybe it depends on what staff you end up with- and I've never seen an entertainer or character, but the staff I had was polite, excited, had control, and willing to go crazy with the kids. I will definitely be using them again.

[Anonymous]

I've heard that ballet parties at Ballet Petite are great for four and up girls-their classes are wonderful too.

[Anonymous]

We went to a pirate party at Mrs. B's in Bethesda with our four year old recently. I think the company name is Tea With Mrs. B. She was super great with the kids - high energy and personal. The kids were three and a half to nine yrs. Everything was done up so nicely. did I mention she gave us space enough for the parents to relax and mingle? A+ in my book and well worth whatever they paid. it's the best I've been to in quite a while!

[Anonymous]

Also, Ballet Petite is hosting a grand opening this weekend at their new McLean location! Very nice studio. It's next to the Balduccis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have had O Susannah at our children's birthdays starting at age 2. She does a fantastic job engaging young kids, with each child getting a turn using puppets, small instruments etc to play along to the music. She also does facepainting and some animal balloons as part of her fee, but the real draw is the music. Our kids grew out of her by age 5ish, though. I think John Henry is great for older kids (4 and up) and the Great Zucchini (though his act isn't my thing) is lots of fun for a rowdy crowd 4 and up.

Will also echo that we have found Andy's parties to be underwhelming, 1 instance with a blonde teenager in a Cinderella costume who smiled and posed for photos with the 3 yr olds, another party with Tigger and his handlers leading the 3 yr olds in a dance. Both perfectly fine and harmless, just lacking in 'stage presence' that resulted in the vast majority of party attendees not being that interested in the show (the "talent", while polite, did not seem to be very experienced in engaging and interacting with young children in the party setting).

Are you sure you're seeing the right people? You tend to say the age brackets you think certain entertainers are geared for, but I think you're off. I saw John Henry entertain 2 year olds for 45 minutes at a bday party before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have had O Susannah at our children's birthdays starting at age 2. She does a fantastic job engaging young kids, with each child getting a turn using puppets, small instruments etc to play along to the music. She also does facepainting and some animal balloons as part of her fee, but the real draw is the music. Our kids grew out of her by age 5ish, though. I think John Henry is great for older kids (4 and up) and the Great Zucchini (though his act isn't my thing) is lots of fun for a rowdy crowd 4 and up.

Will also echo that we have found Andy's parties to be underwhelming, 1 instance with a blonde teenager in a Cinderella costume who smiled and posed for photos with the 3 yr olds, another party with Tigger and his handlers leading the 3 yr olds in a dance. Both perfectly fine and harmless, just lacking in 'stage presence' that resulted in the vast majority of party attendees not being that interested in the show (the "talent", while polite, did not seem to be very experienced in engaging and interacting with young children in the party setting).

Are you sure you're seeing the right people? You tend to say the age brackets you think certain entertainers are geared for, but I think you're off. I saw John Henry entertain 2 year olds for 45 minutes at a bday party before.

I'm the PP. I guess, my point is that just because you have been to a party where a particular age was entertained at the party you were attending, doesn't mean the entertainer doesn't have shows geared for younger ages. You might just be relating them to the ages of the kids at the party.

[Anonymous]

I used O Susannah for my son's 2nd birthday at our home and for a preschool fundraiser when he was turning 4. She did an outstanding job both times and was worth every penny! It doesn't matter if it is a small or large crowd she can keep them entertained! For my home party she did a little face painting, some balloon art and lots of great music. I've used Rocknoceros for a birthday party and it was okay, everyone enjoyed the music but they do not offer the same kind of variety and are much more expensive. Great if your kids are die hards but only if they are old enough to get it. With that said, we LOVE their music and always enjoy the shows. I don't know about JW Tumbles but My Gym in Chantilly throws a pretty good party if you don't want to have it at home.

[Anonymous]

I should have read these reviews before . Party was run by 3 kids. 1 teenager and 2 may be 10 yr olds who were very calm and shy. It was a utter waste that I spent 425 dollars for this. Based on my experience with them I would never recommend this to any of my friends. I am so disappointed; I would have done better if I had done my daughter's birthday party at home rather than these guys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I should have read reviews about Andy's parties before signing up the contract. Party was run by 3 kids. 1 teenager and 2 may be 10 yr olds who were very calm and shy. It was a huge waste that I spent 425 dollars for this. Based on my experience with them I would never recommend this to any of my friends. I am so disappointed; I would have done better if I had done my daughter's birthday party at home rather than these guys.

[Anonymous]

We had a FANTASTIC party with Squeals on Wheels for DD's 5th birthday! You might think about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I should have read these reviews before . Party was run by 3 kids. 1 teenager and 2 may be 10 yr olds who were very calm and shy. It was a utter waste that I spent 425 dollars for this. Based on my experience with them I would never recommend this to any of my friends. I am so disappointed; I would have done better if I had done my daughter's birthday party at home rather than these guys.

Which guys?

[Anonymous]

What a waste of money!!!