How many young guests should I invite?

There's no "magical" number of children to invite to a party. You want to invite enough guests to make it a party atmosphere - just 5 or 6 children might seem more like a get-together than a party. If you are going to invite a couple of classroom friends, some will feel slighted if not invited, so it may be best to invite them all, if it is a reasonable number. Most likely, half of the classmates will decline. Twelve kids is a nice party number. With 12 to 17 kids it can seem like a much more special event. It also depends on the length of a party; the more kids the more hectic it becomes for the organizer. For older children (10 and up) you may also want to just invite their close friends.

All boys, all girls, or both?

Here's a great subject to talk to your child about. They'll most likely have a preference. It really doesn't make a difference because the Magical Birthday Party is successful in all cases. For the younger age groups especially, more girls added to a boys party may cut down on some of the wildness that occurs when you get a bunch of boys in the room together.

Should I invite some other parents?

Absolutely. Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles can be a great help too. They'll be able to help you with any discipline problems that might arise, and can help with other tasks such as cutting the cake, pouring drinks, taking kids to the bathroom, etc. This will give you more time to enjoy yourself, and keep everything running in order. They too, will get a kick out of the Magical Birthday Party show, especially seeing the Star of the Show perform like a professional magician.

How long should the party be?

An important rule is to "leave them wanting more". For 4-7 year olds, 1.5 - 2.5 hours is usually a good rule of thumb. This could be slightly longer if  you have live entertainment such as the Magical Birthday Party with Dennis Michael! The longer the party, the more games and activities will need to be planned. A 45-minute magic show followed by the eating of the cake and ice cream, and the opening of the presents will be over 1-1/2 hours.

What time of day is ideal?

Time of day hinges on several factors. If you're hiring live entertainment you might want to book that entertainment first. The best performers are usually booked at least a month in avance and they usually have more than one show a day! Afternoon parties between 1:00 and 3:00 on the weekends are most common. Consider other times such as the 10:00-12:00, or 4:00 - 6:00. Talk to your entertainer about his available times.

What type of food to serve?

If you do want to serve the kids food, pizza works best. And, just about everyone likes cheese pizza (and you won't spend your time picking toppings off the pizza for the picky kids.) Most kids like hotdogs also, but remember the risk of the mustard and ketchup spilling or squirting on your rugs. (You may want to have peanut butter and jelly on hand if you think there are going to be some really picky eaters among the bunch.) Sprite and Coke for the drinks. Don't pour the drinks before hand - delegate a fellow parent to pour the drinks as the kids are seated with their pizza. Be prepared for spills. Chocolate Covered Pretzel which look like magic wand, will disappear real quick. Make extras because the parents love these too!

Since this is a Magical Birthday Theme Party, how about trick candles on the cake?
It works well if you have a small number of guest and each get a cup cake with a candle on it. Use regular candles if you want the child to make a wish when they blow out the candles on the bunny cake or sheet cake that was ordered.

Magical Party Hats?

Cone Shape Party hats are not necessary, and the kids really don't want to wear them, however, party supply stores have inexpensive black "magic" hats. After the magic show they will like to pretend they are all magicians.

Off-limit rooms?
One way to insure that the kids don't scatter around your house is to only turn on the lights in the rooms you want to contain the party in. You can increase the contrast by adding higher-wattage light bulbs, or putting in an extra lamp or two into the rooms you are keeping this kids in.

What kind of Ice Cream should we serve?

Neapolitan (chocolate/vanilla/strawberry ice cream) is quick and easy, and is alway well received. Vanilla and Chocolate are favorites if you want carton ice cream. With Carton IceCream, Make "Magic Rabbit Ice Cream Balls" Make a large ice cream ball for each of your guests. Roll each ball in coconut flakes and set it on a flattened cupcake wrapper. Use black jelly beans for the rabbit’s eyes, and a red jelly bean for its nose. Cut out "ears" from pink construction paper, or use halved sugar cookies instead. Store them in the freezer until ready to serve. These treats are sure to disappear fast!