Taking the party indoors!
Got a birthday party to plan mamas? It’s all good if your little people celebrate their special day during the cooler months but what if the beaches and parks are out of bounds? Check out our pick of the best places to book up a summer birthday party indoors and you can guarantee your birthday boy or girl the best day ever.
Got a thrill seeker in the family? Head over to Adventure Zone at the Galleria Mall, a fab indoor adventure space that offers everything from climbing to zip-lining and more. Little kiddos can clamber around on their awesome rope course set just ½ metre off the ground and there are 12 fun walls that’ll allow them to climb a dinosaur skeleton, a castle façade, a quiz wall, giraffe and fireman’s wall plus loads more, all with the help of lovely smiley staff (and with maximum harness protection!).They do fantastic birthday bash packages that’ll score you a free gift along with all your party gear, plus there are picnic baskets from their fab café for sating that post-climbing hunger.
With their awesome team keeping an eye on the littles, you’ll be able to chill out with the other parents and catch up over a cup of Jo. Still haven’t checked it out? Sofia’s headed over before here.
Adventure HQ, The Galleria Mall, Jumeirah Beach (Al Wasl Road), Dubai, Tel: (+971) (0)80 022 5544, www.adventurehq.ae
Read more: Sassy Mama’s Guide to Indoor Play Areas
Got energetic little people to entertain? Bounce is a 2-storey trampoline park in Al Quoz and offers some of the best birthday fun our littles have had, from the Free Jump arena to the Big Bag (literally a huge bean-bag style space to leap onto), Slam Dunk and Dodgeball Courts plus a crew of enthusiastic staff who lead them safely from one task to the next, this is pure kiddie heaven. While the kiddos somersault their heart out, mama can take refuge in the cosy little cafe at gallery level and keep an eye on them at the same time (if you’re not too tempted to jump around yourself…)
In addition to a world of trampolines to discover, the party group gets their own room for a birthday meal (pizza from Freedom and other options available) and a host to kick-off the singing!
Bounce, 32, 4B Street Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, (Behind Ace Hardware – Sheikh Zayed Road), Tel: 04 3211 400, info@bounce.ae, www.bounce.ae
The cutest little option for younger tots (those who haven’t yet grown out of teddy bears and cuddly toys), book in for a party at the Build-A-Bear store in Dubai Mall where kids get the chance to create their very own stuffed animal friend complete with heartbeat (if they choose!) and clothing! The experience of bringing their bear (or pony, cat, dog – the options are endless!) to life is so sweet and there are games, songs and other fun activities along the way too.
Read Ash’s full review of her daughter’s Build-A-Bear party here mamas!
Build-A-Bear, Unit 166, 2/F, Dubai Mall, Financial Centre Road, Tel: +971 800 382246255, www.buildabear.ae
Read more: 15 of the Best Kids Party Options in Dubai
Treat your creative birthday people and their guests to a paint your own party at Café Ceramique – and let them get messy on someone else’s watch! Get them busy decorating their own party bag mementos from money boxes to plates, bowls and other ceramics so they can unleash their inner artists while creating something unique and practical. The two hour party includes a full intro to pottery painting and all the materials necessary for creating their own masterpiece – plus various party-food options too.
Café Ceramique, Dubai Festival City Mall, Festival City, Tel: (+971) (0) 4-232 8616, www.cafeceramique.ae
Skydiving? Indoors? Yes, it’s possible mamas – this is Dubai after all! For a birthday party experience that’ll have everyone buzzing and excited for days afterwards, book in at iFly, Mirdif City Centre and let the kids soar like a bird!
Safe, challenging and exciting, this is the perfect option for mini thrill-seekers to experience the closest thing to flying in the world’s first-ever double and vertical wind tunnel that’ll have them suspended 4 meters above the ground (even little ones as young as 3 can have a go!).
Birthday packages include room hire for briefing and for proud mamas to watch the tunnel during flying time – plus for food and treats after (discounts available at MAX Burger, Leil Nhar and Carcluccios) and goody bags. Keep it small with 8 guest minimum or invite up to 20!
iFly Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, Playnation, 1/F, Tel: (+971) (0)4 231 6292, www.theplaymania.com/ifly
Curious little people will love Little Explorers – a space dedicated to learning through play (the learning bit is cleverly disguised as activities that the kiddos love) divided into five zones; Discover Myself, Locate Myself, I Can Do, All Together and I Experiment. The idea is for kids aged between two and 7 to learn physical as well as social and emotional skills through interacting with their petit peers and figuring out how things work.
Go for the silver, gold or platinum package and your birthday gang will be treated to 2 hours of supervised play in the zones, goody bags, invitations, decorations in a dedicated room, cake ceremony and even magic or clown shows, face painting piñata and workshops too.
Little Explorers, Mirdif City Centre (inside Playnation), Tel: (+971) (0)80 0386, www.theplaymania.com/little-explorers
For the sweetest of birthday parties head to Partylicious, Dubai’s largest candy store where an entire room dedicated to treats and fun awaits! There are two packages to choose from for kids between 1 and 13 years of age: Funtalicious parties come with a mascot appearance to bring the party to life, whilst Fabulicious parties include a magic show and face painting plus more!
You can also expect a buffet of yummy treats, with candies, chocolates, gourmet popcorn from Garrett Popcorn Shops and delicious mini sliders -not forgetting a birthday cake and a surprise gift to round off an unforgettable experience for the birthday boy or girl.
Partylicious, Mezzanine floor inside Candylicious, The Dubai Mall, Tel: +971 (0) 564425361, www.facebook.com/partyliciousae
During the hotter months, a party on the slopes is quite literally the coolest thing. Ski Dubai offers various packages for parties between 10-25 people – from entry to the snow park where the party gang can enjoy slides, tubing, tobogganing and the bobsled (plus pelting each other with snowballs) to a discovery of skiing/snowboarding or even hanging out with the penguins! Packages include clothing rental, invitations, decorations, photos of the birthday boy or girl and a gift plus food from the St Moritz Café. Time to hit the slopes!
Note the age minimum is 3 years old.
Ski Dubai, Tel: (+971) (0)4 409 4000, www.skidubai.com
thejamjar, Our fave arty destination has moved to an awesome new space in Al Serkal Avenue and now offers a huge warehouse size area for plenty of painting fun. Got a small group? Book out the smaller studio at the entrance for a cosy little celebration, or go for the huge studio behind for oodles of space and huge windows that bring the outdoor light streaming in.
Party packages include a petit painting lesson/demo that’s brilliantly engaging for the littles and allows them to copy techniques and learn about some of the art world’s greatest names – the Jackson Pollock option sounds right up our street – plenty of splattery splashy fun!
thejamjar, RKM Properties, St. 17a, Comm 368, Al Quoz 3 (behind Dubai Garden Centre), Dubai, Tel: (+971) (0)4 341 7303, www.thejamjardubai.com
No, we’re not talking a few cinema tickets and a bucket of popcorn for your guests – this is about getting a movie theatre all to yourselves for your precious little party people to enjoy a private screening, have a go at karaoke or battle it out in an Xbox or Playstation tournament.
The Vox Kids Cinema at Mall of The Emirates will allow your kids to invite up to 38 of their closest friends for a film-tastic celebration – and where a private party room and interactive gaming zone is also available. Packages include usher and waiter services, food options and a tonne of customisable details from the cinema decor to playing video messages on-screen from anyone who can’t be there in person. But frankly who’d want to miss out on this one, mamas?!
Vox Cinemas, Level 2, City Centre, Al Ittihad Road, Deira, Tel: +971 4 294 9000, uae.voxcinemas.com
Read more: What’s New In Mall of the Emirates
Featured image from Colour & Twine via Pinterest
