Mazes, Races & More: Blend free play and organized
activities at the 92nd Street Y’s GymMaze Craze party, which features a
spiral tunnel slide, two ball pools, a rope swing and more. Preschoolers driven
by speed will love Chelsea Piers’ Ultimate Tykes Challenge, which
includes relay races with tricycles, potato sacks and scooters.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Housed
in a 1930’s subway station, the New York Transit Museum’s train-themed party provides little transit lovers with
guided tours of its memorabilia, including vintage collections of subway cars.
Looking for a more musical experience? Head to Three Little Birds, where
kids learn songs about transportation and imitate the sounds vehicles make
using musical instruments.
A Prehistoric Party: Throw a Dinosaur Discovery Party at
the American Museum of Natural History! The birthday child and guests learn
how paleontologists use evidence to unveil the secrets of these extinct
creatures, then explore the Dinosaur Hall and see dinosaurs “pop” to life in
the 3D art collection.
Farm Fun: Experience the Farm Animal Party at Art Farm in the
City. In addition to the animals normally there, children will get to meet
ducks, a sheep, chickens, turkeys and a goat from the farm in the Hamptons. You can also get the full farm
experience at the Queens County Farm Museum, where children can partake
in an animal feeding, a farmyard tour and tractor drawn hayride!
Move and Groove: It’s like two parties in one with Gymtime
Rhythm & Glues’ Gym Party! Spend one hour having a ball with coach-led
activities and free play in the gym, then change tunes and groove to DJ music
while playing games like freeze and limbo. A special visit from Gymtime’s Mr.
Bananas is included!
Ballerina Bash: At Ballet Academy East, the
birthday child and friends can enjoy a personalized ballet class with an
instructor, pianist and party host. After the lesson, guests will dance a
ballet story told by the teacher and enjoy some refreshments. At Twinkle
Party, kids can learn some new steps from a professional ballerina,
participate in ballet-themed crafts and activities and put on a performance for
the parent guests.
American Idol: Throw your child an American Idol
party at Citibabes! Guests can participate in dance contests, sing their
favorite songs and enjoy their own personal Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell or
Randy Jackson. A face painter or balloon artist will also join in on the fun!
Up, Up And Away!: Has your child ever tried a zipline?
They can as part of the Gymnastics Party at My Gym, which also features
games, activities, and songs. Kids also have the chance to soar through the air
with the Gymtastic! Party at 74th St. MAGIC, which
includes rides on the venue’s exclusive filing swing, on top of plenty of fun
in their fully equipped gym or baby gym and the use of the party room or
rooftop playground.
Roll N’ Bowl: Kids can compete to stay out of the
gutter while they battle each other in a birthday bowling game. From choosing
the perfect bowling shoes, to enjoying snacks and drinks, to hopefully rolling
a strike, it’s a full afternoon of fun! Great places to host parties include Bowlmor
Lanes, 300 New York, Harlem Lanes and Lucky Strike.
An Artsy Affair: Kids can try their hand at weaving at
Loop Of The Loom, choosing from a wall filled with over 500 colors of
spool. Or, tap into their inner diva with the Rock Star party at The Craft
Studio, where they can decorate superstar sunglasses, a pop star
microphone, and a celebrity-inspired hair pieces. Or head over to Scribble
Press, where kids can make books, calendars, and other personalized
keepsakes in a festive setting. For more hands-on fun, head to the newly
unveiled Make Meaning, where kids can create and take home their
masterpiece in candles, soap, paint, ceramics, glass or jewelry. Finally, check
out Poloppo’s party options—kids will flip over the chance to design
their very own t-shirts!
Toys & Dolls: If your child loves American Girl
Place, a special day at the New York store is the ultimate present!
Parties include a sit-down meal, doll tiara for each guest, a table game, a
take-home craft and much more. If it’s robots, not dolls, your child loves,
head to Robot Galaxy, where guests can hop aboard a “spaceship,” design
their own robot, then activate it! Or, how about stuffing, stitching and
dressing your own stuffed animal from scratch with a Build-A-Bear party?
Date On Skates: Put on a pair of skates and show off
your skills on the rink—or learn a few new moves from an on-site instructor. For a winter-wonderland
skate party, Wollman Skating Rink or The Rink at Rockefeller Center both
provide picturesque backdrops to a skating soiree. If your child wants to skate
in the summer, City Ice Pavilion hosts parties year-round.
Get Pampered: Treat your birthday girl and friends
to a full makeover at Cozy’s Cuts For Kids with the Glamorama Birthday
Party, which includes hair-dos, makeup and manicures—plus music and an art
project! Or, stick to the fingers and toes at Dashing Diva, where guests
get pampered with a manicure and pedicure. The Yoga Spa Party at Karma Kids
Yoga includes yoga moves accompanied by aromatherapy, hand and foot
massages, henna tattoos, islandstyle hair braiding, nail polishing and more!
Finally, wherever you hold your party, Face Art By Melissa
can create fabulous designs (glitter tattoos, too!) to match your theme!
Princess Party: Don royal court-dresses, shoes,
jewelry, tiaras, wands, glitter nail polish, fairy dust, eye shadow, jewels,
and more with the Happy Birthday Princess Party at Let’s Dress Up! The
day even includes a birthday tea served under crystal chandeliers. Or, add a
little music to the mix with a Princess party by Moey’s Music Party. Guests
love Moey’s sparkly pink dress and even get their own boas, tiaras and slap
bracelets to wear while enjoying Moey’s one-of-a-kind songs!
Toying Around: Looking for an iconic party venue? At
FAO Schwarz, families can rent the entire store if they like—though
taking over a portion of the store or using the party room is also an option.
Customize your own party theme with the help of the staff.
Learn And Explore: The Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s renowned Playworks exhibit, a unique, hands-on
learning environment for kids, is also the site of their PlayWorks-themed
birthday party. Guests can become a firefighter, “cook” a meal in the Little
Apple Deli, construct a tall building, create a birthday masterpiece on the
gigantic art wall and much more.
Rock N’ Roll: How about a personal birthday concert? The songs for
seeds celebration at apple seeds features a live band (guitar, keys and
drums) that kids can rock out to—plus, the birthday child and friends get their
own kid-sized instruments to try out! Or, have a dance party with Applause NY and put together your own playlist for live musicians to perform.
Puppets and bubbles are included! Kids can also rock out to Little Maestros,
who sing and play guitar, piano and drums. Songs range from traditional
kids songs to classic party tunes (or request your own). They even break out
puppets, bubbles, parachutes, and more fun activities.
Moviemaking Fun: Kids can tap into their inner filmmaker with the
Animation Celebration at the Children’s Museum of the Arts. Participants
learn the basics of claymation and then collaborate on a short animation movie
that brings their creativity to life.
Pizza Party: Kids can mix, measure, and stir up
their own whole wheat pizzas—learning about the cooking process along the
way—with the Pizza Party Extravaganza at Taste Buds. Later, they’ll eat
their creations followed by delicious cupcakes they decorate themselves (and
take home a personalized apron to boot.) With Mini Chef NYC’s Pizza
Party at Dos Caminos, birthday guests mold pizza dough into fun shapes, then
enjoy a magic show while it bakes in the oven.
Calling Clifford Fans:
The Scholastic Store offers
up Clifford’s BIG Birthday Bash, featuring a special storytime and craft
project. The finale is truly BIG— when Clifford stops by for photos, music and
dancing, cupcakes and cuddling!
TENNIS TIME: At SPORTIME at Randall’s Island, tennis pros lead kids in fun and
games on the courts (outdoor courts and picnic tables are available in summer),
followed by a pizza party in a private room. Is table tennis more your child’s
speed? Check out Spin, which specializes in ping pong and has plenty of
tables to play on!
Zoo Adventure: The Central Park Zoo offers
a theater-themed party that also features a live animal encounter—perfect for
kids who’ve been vying to get up close and personal with the zoo’s inhabitants!
Or, choose your own animal theme at the Bronx Zoo, which offers parties
that combine fun activities, arts and crafts, visits to exhibits and live
animal guests in the party room!
Pass, Kick, Score!: Opt for the Platinum Ball Party with Super
Soccer Stars for some actionpacked time on the field. The party includes at
least two coaches who oversee activities from warm-up exercises to games to a
mini-World Cup tournament. Food and cake follows, and each child leaves with a
Super Soccer Stars soccer ball to continue the fun at home.
Exciting Experiments: Want to explore the unknown? At Liberty
Science Center, party guests can command an electromagnetic crane, climb a
fossilstudded rock wall and control the water in a gushing geyser. For a more
scientific approach, team up with Mad Science, which hosts birthday
parties featuring hands-on experiments like tornado tubes, indoor fireworks and
chemical reactions that produce light!
Playspace Party: With a forest-themed play area, an
interactive water adventure space called Splash!, and a soft play room, there’s
plenty of fun to be had with a Playtime Party at City Treehouse! Or,
move the party outside at the West Side YMCA, where kids can play on the
venue’s new rooftop playground as part of the Roof Top Party, replete with a
slide and spongy surface.
Customize Your Own
Affair: Looking for
a great all-around venue where you can customize your own party and theme? Try
the JCC of Manhattan. It provides the party space while you bring the
creativity! Slate is another great space, which has its own party planner to
help you customize the perfect bash.
Games Galore: Host a Coney- Island style carnival for your child
replete with a basketball toss, fish pong, concession stands, snow cones and
more at Carnival, a whimsical space above Bowlmor Lanes. Looking
for the ultimate arcade experience? Head to Dave & Buster’s for
Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Dance Dance Revolution and more!
Bring On The Music: Sing, play kid-size instruments,
explore the sounds of the orchestra, and have lots of musical fun with a
birthday party at Hands On! Singing “Happy Birthday” never sounded so
good!
Martial Arts Fun: Kick, punch, and chop your way through the big day
with a birthday party at one of the city’s leading martial arts studios. Tiger
Shulmann’s Karate, West Side Taekwondo and East Side Tae Kwon Do are
all excellent options.
Amazing Athletes: With the Sports Party at Asphalt
Green, partygoers have the chance to partake in a sports bonanza, honing
their skills in soccer, basketball, softball, flag football and more all in one
day! Or, host an Ultimate Sports Party at Kidville, which includes
games, relay races and other challenges. Want a more focused sports
celebration? Celebrate with Kids In Sports and chose two to three sports
to focus on from among baseball, basketball, flag football, floor hockey and
soccer. At the NBA Store, aspiring hoop stars can get suited up in NBA
All-Star jerseys, pose for photos and show their skills in contests and drills.
For a more zen birthday experience, kids can host a Yogi Beans party,
where they can partake in fun yoga activities led by a certified and
experienced instructor.
Gym’s The Word: Kids run, bounce and slide to their
hearts’ content at Jodi’s Gym, where action-packed parties include the
use of the tunnels, a space bouncer, tumble track and more. Columbus
Preschool and Gym offers a great combination of gym time and old fashioned
party fun. Another great gymnastics experience is Discovery Programs, where
a coach guides kids on the trampoline, rings and more as part of the Gymnastics
Party package. Let little ones tumble to their heart’s content at Gymboree
Play & Learn, where you can choose from a variety of kid-pleasing
themes. Or, try the Jump N’ Jive Party at New York Kids Club, which
includes the chance to jump on the venue’s 20foot trampoline and tackle
obstacle courses.
A Personal Circus: Kids can create their own circus with
the Under The Top party at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. Guests fly on aerial silks, juggle, make their own
pyramids and become silly clowns. Optional add-ons include cotton candy
machines, candied apples, a bouncy castle, magician and more.
