http://washingtontalent.com/novelties/

here is a good place to start. You could do karaoke, kid gambling, photo booth, spray painting done on shirts, tee shirts etc, indoor basketball game, indoor mechanical bull ride,

Don't rule out the dj, They can do lots of games and not so much dancing if you want.

There is a reason so many people do them. They make the party fun. You just customize the event so that it is what you son wants.

I've been looking at some of the klezmer bands for mine although I haven't booked anyone yet. They do lots of Jewish music, a great hora and also do more contemporary music for the kids. I was also recently at one (out if town) at a Strike Bethesda type place. My friend had a magician entertain during cocktails and had the kids do a couple of dances before dinner. Then he acted like an emcee and announced the family, introduced toasts, etc. After dinner everyone bowled. It worked out really well.

If you're willing to spend a little extra, you should contact the a capella group Six13 which is a Jewish a capella group. They are a modern rockapella style a capella group with a strong Jewish background. I've been to a number of a capella festivals, concerts and competitions over the last several years and they've made a strong showing. For a sample of their work, you can visit their website at: http://www.six13.com and specifically the information about what they do for Jewish events at http://six13.com/#!/simcha.

The catch is that they are a New York based band, so they may be a little more pricey, but I would almost guarantee that the kids will love the modern style music. You can listen to samples of their music on the web-site. Check out the videos subpage.

We attended an out of town bat mitzvah party held at a bowling alley (like Strike Bethesda). It was fun. We also attended a local bar mitzvah party at the Espn zone. That wasn't as fun imo. Do you have enough separate room in your venue to hire one of those portable laser tag parties?

Anonymous wrote:Need more info. What kind of party hall is this? What kid if budget are we talking?

Are you not going to have a traditional party (band, dancing, dinner, etc.) for the adults? Are you just looking for something extra for the kids? Can this kids entertainment be separated out from the rest of the party?

I'm not really sure what you're looking for. In all honesty, if I was your cousin and my whole family came in from Boston to an ice skating bar mitzvah, I'd be pretty pissed.

I have to say that I go to Bnei Mitzvot for the service and to be with friends and family. I would not be "pissed" if I had to go to an ice skating rink, bowling alley, whatever. You are entirely missing the point of the Bar Mitzvah if this "pisses" you off. It's all about being together-- where ever that may be. Adults can ice skate or sit around and schmooze.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Need more info. What kind of party hall is this? What kid if budget are we talking?

Are you not going to have a traditional party (band, dancing, dinner, etc.) for the adults? Are you just looking for something extra for the kids? Can this kids entertainment be separated out from the rest of the party?

I'm not really sure what you're looking for. In all honesty, if I was your cousin and my whole family came in from Boston to an ice skating bar mitzvah, I'd be pretty pissed.

If I was your cousin and my whole family came in from Boston to an ice skating bar mitzvah, I'd be thrilled. So much more fun than having to go to a stuffy dinner/dancing wedding wannabe party. Ugh, I remember having to go to waaay too many of those when I was 13.

I'm the PP. I totally get going outside the box, and an ice skating party could have it's off-beat novelty charm. But try selling that to the 80-something holocaust survivor relatives, or the 60+ crowd in general. Just sayin'. Bar mitzvahs aren't like other birthday parties or even weddings. It's not just about the birthday boy. It's also about dozens of family members and friends of all ages that come from far and wide to celebrate a religiously significant milestone.

If I was your cousin from Boston and you chose only to have your DC's friends and adults that were immediate family, I would not be offended. Do what you want for your kid, op.

What are his interests?

Boyz II Menorah!

As you say, I was looking for non-traditional ideas. The space allows us to have separate activities for adults and kids if we chose to do that. We are not sold on the DJ thing and was looking for other ideas.

Anonymous wrote:Need more info. What kind of party hall is this? What kid if budget are we talking?

Are you not going to have a traditional party (band, dancing, dinner, etc.) for the adults? Are you just looking for something extra for the kids? Can this kids entertainment be separated out from the rest of the party?

I'm not really sure what you're looking for. In all honesty, if I was your cousin and my whole family came in from Boston to an ice skating bar mitzvah, I'd be pretty pissed.

If I was your cousin and my whole family came in from Boston to an ice skating bar mitzvah, I'd be thrilled. So much more fun than having to go to a stuffy dinner/dancing wedding wannabe party. Ugh, I remember having to go to waaay too many of those when I was 13.

I think have a hennah/mendi artist would be totally cool http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-art-of-henna/2012/11/05/1f212d12-2513-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_gallery.html . I had it done a lot when I was in N. Africa and then saw that article in the Post. I thought it would be cool to have at a party.

Need more info. What kind of party hall is this? What kid if budget are we talking?

Are you not going to have a traditional party (band, dancing, dinner, etc.) for the adults? Are you just looking for something extra for the kids? Can this kids entertainment be separated out from the rest of the party?

I'm not really sure what you're looking for. In all honesty, if I was your cousin and my whole family came in from Boston to an ice skating bar mitzvah, I'd be pretty pissed.

Yes, adults too but could get some other entertainment for them.. live music etc. Most concerned about the kids at this point.

Wait, is this just for kids? What about the adults?

My son's bar mitzvah is next year. We are looking for some creative ideas for entertainment for the afternoon celebration. Getting a DJ seems so cookie cutter. My son agrees. But we need to find something to entertain lots of boys and some girls for the party. We have the venue lined up.. a party hall. We looked at renting an ice rink etc but that was too complicated.

Thanks.