Kids party entertainment and party hire, all in one place

Most entertainers price a one to two hour package rather than an hourly rate. As a general shape, face painters and balloon twisters sit at the lower end, all rounder entertainers and magicians in the middle, and multi performer character packages at the top. Play hire is priced by the set and the hire window rather than by the hour. Send one brief and you will get itemised quotes to compare instead of a single ballpark figure. Our kids party cost guide walks through what changes the number.

Four to six weeks is comfortable for most weekends. Book eight weeks or more ahead if your party falls in the spring and summer peak, on a long weekend, or in the fortnight before Christmas, because that is when Saturday mornings go first. If your date is close, send the brief anyway. Availability moves around and cancellations happen.

Soft play is a padded, ground level play area of blocks, mini slides, rockers, ball pits and fencing, designed for babies through to about five. A jumping castle is an inflatable that needs power, anchoring and open ground, and suits roughly three years and up. Parties with a wide age range often book both, so the little ones have somewhere safe while the older siblings bounce. Compare soft play hire and jumping castle hire.

One year olds do not sit through a show, so the entertainment needs to be something they can move around in. Toddler play hire, a small soft play set and a ball pit work far better than a performer. Many families add a face painter or a balloon twister for the older cousins and siblings, and keep the whole event to about two hours around the baby's nap. See 1st birthday parties.

For a private party at home you generally do not need council approval, but the supplier should hold their own public liability insurance and be able to send you a certificate of currency. Ask about anchoring on grass versus hard surfaces, whether an operator stays on site, and what happens if it is windy or wet. For a park, a school or a public event, the venue will usually want that certificate plus a risk assessment before they confirm. Our safety, space and setup guide covers the questions worth asking.

Yes, and that is the point of Kids Party House. Instead of contacting an entertainer, a castle company and a soft play business separately, you describe the party once. Your suburb, your date, your child's age and what you would like. We match that to suppliers who cover your area and are free on the day, so you compare complete party options rather than piecing them together yourself.

No. Sending a brief and receiving quotes is free for families. You book and pay the supplier you choose, directly. We are a matching platform rather than the entertainer or the hire company, so the booking, the pricing and the service on the day sit between you and that supplier.

New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, with dedicated area pages for Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Perth. Suppliers travel well beyond those centres, so if your suburb does not have its own page yet, send your brief and we will tell you who covers you.