First time booking with us? Here is everything you need to know!
How to choose entertainment?
a. Make sure to choose entertainment that your child likes to do. At the end of the day, it is your child's birthday and about them, not the guests. You want to choose things your child can do with their friends.
b. Don't overwhelm them with choices. Too much entertainment can be overwhelming to kids and may lead to meltdowns.
c. What can my venue handle? Think about what your venue can handle. How much is already included in your venue? How much extra space is there at your venue?
d. What is my child's favorite character or movie? There is always a temptation to book our favorite childhood characters. Or to pick a theme for our kids, but we have found that the most magical parties are ones that kids really love and know the character.
Booking & Enquiry
Your magical journey starts by filling in our booking form! Try to fill this in as accurately as possible.
a. First name and last name
This refers to the first and last name of the parent or person to contact on the day and to whom the invoice will be made out to.
b. Email address
We use this email address for most of our communication. You will receive a booking confirmation email, your quote, invoice and final detail confirmation email during your booking journey. Post party you will also be informed of new blog posts & events we are hosting. You can unsubscribe from this list if you wish not to receive these emails.
c. Phone number
This number is the one we should contact on the day of the party to inform you that we have arrived or to communicate any problems we might have on our way to your party. The day before the party we usually send a WhatsApp to help you prepare for our visit and to ask you for a pin drop to your party location. If your event is at Princess Maggie's Fairytale Cottage, we send you links to our location to help you and your guests find the cottage.
d. Backup number
This number is only used in emergencies in case we can't reach you on the day of the party. Be sure to use someone who will be attending the party or helping with organizing.
e. Date of Celebration
Choose a date for your party. This will be used to determine character availability so be sure your venue is booked and your calendar is clear for this day since it can be hard to move the date if we are available. If you book less than 2 weeks before your party you will be charged a rush fee so book sooner rather than later. We are usually booked about a month in advance.
f. Time Slot
Arrange to have the characters arrive approximately 30 minutes after your guests to ensure that you have enough time for guests to be late. Arrange for other entertainment like magicians, balloon artists etc. to be before or after our visit. Entertainers don't want to compete for kids attention and overwhelm them in the process.
g. Choose your add on
I. Face Painting
We use hypoallergenic, hygienic and vegan makeups and face paints to create stunning designs for kids. Most of our performers are trained in Face Painting and can paint approximately 10 kids in an hour. (hence the guest number limits)
Once our hour is up, we will not be doing touch ups since we will be focussed on playing games and doing activities in this time, we do not want the kids to get bored while we are busy painting.
To combat queues, we also bring colouring pages and pencils and make a list of kids names, that way kids can play on the jumping castle or do other activities you might have planned and we can call them when it is their turn.
Please ensure we have a table, two chairs and access to a little water for this.
[Pictured: Our Mermaid Shelly doing a unicorn face paint. Photo by: Attendant Queen Louise]
II. Swimming/mermaid parties
Most of our characters are available for swimming parties in the summer months. Please note that our performers are not first-aid trained so there should still be adults present and kids must be proficient in swimming to attend these parties.
These parties can be logistically harder, but contain fun swimming and water games. Make sure all kids have a towel and change of clothes with them for the second half of the party for on-land games and fun.
III. Craft/Painting/Slime Party
Crafts are individually created for your party based on the number of kids, the age of the kids and the theme of the party. Each kid gets their own pre-packed kit.
Please ensure we have a table to do this craft on with enough chairs for all the guests who will be taking part and access to electricity. (Please inform us before if this won't be possible so we can plan accordingly)
In the case of painting parties we bring easels, canvasses with pre-drawn outlines, brushes, rags, aprons, plastic tablecloths and palettes while a character guides them through every step of the process. Our Performers are trained painters and help kids with different brush strokes, mixing paints and more! Kids get to keep their own paintings and the birthday kid has the option of keeping the character's painting as this one is also signed by the character.
We need the same as above for craft parties but as a precaution, tell parents to bring old clothes with as some kids can be messy painters.
[Pictured: The Mad Hatter Helping kids decorate their own hats at Easter in Wonderland 2023. Photo by: Ludre Productions]
h. Characters
Next you are going to choose your character. When choosing the character, take the theme and your child's interests into account. It is always tempting to make choices to fit into a certain aesthetic, but make sure your kids know the characters before they arrive, this leads to a more magical experience and much better value for money.
We have a long list of characters including all of the princesses, superheroes like Spiderman, Batman, Superman and more, The Madrigal sisters, Barbie, Mermaids, Fairies, Pirates, Butterflies and a Unicorn! Scroll to the bottom of all the "experience" pages to see a selection of them
i. How many kids and adults will be at the party?
We know that you haven't necessarily received all your RSVP's back. Send us an approximate number. The final can be confirmed by the Monday before the party.
It is also helpful for us to have the first names of all the kid guests as this helps us prepare certain items like certificates and crafts, so feel free to send those as well.
Be sure to take the size of your venue into account when deciding on your guest list.
We prefer to not handle more than 20 kids at a one-character party to ensure that the character has time to interact with all the kids at the party.
j. Venue
Be sure to give us the full address of your venue and tell us about any alternative routes we must take on the way to your venue due to closed roads or other obstructions.
If your party is at an estate or complex be sure to send us a code or information for entry the morning before the party. Inform us exactly where in the estate or complex the party will be i.e the clubhouse or the park or your unit number and inform your security that we will be coming (we usually give the name Princess Maggie at the gate).
The day before the party we will ask you to send a pin-drop. Please send it to 061 642 3255.
Any venue more than 30 km from our HQ will be charged extra travel for at R10 per km.
k. Theme & colours/ details
We often customise elements for your party so they suit your theme & colour scheme. This is especially important for parties at our venue or if we are doing the décor for your party. You can absolutely also specify any details you want at the party.
[Pictured: Frozen Decor at the Fairytale Cottage]
l. Birthday Royal Name & Age
It is important for us to have the correctly spelled preferred name of the birthday girl or boy. This is so we can customize their certificate and other items for their décor. The age also helps us determine the approximate age of the guests and how we can customize the games and activities to suit their age group.
m. Tell us about your Royal
We try to create authentic and unique experiences for each child. This means we would like to know if your child has met a character before (at a friends' party or a theme park or public event), if they have any games they like playing or songs they like singing. What kids of food or candy they like eating is also important to know when we are doing a candy buffet, pinata or party packs. Their personality traits help us to prepare on how to approach the kids when arriving. This is possibly the most important question in our form, so be sure to spend some time and give us a good background for your child.
n. Language Preference
All of our characters are fluent English speakers, however we do have a few characters that can speak some Afrikaans. Knowing that your kids understand more Afrikaans than English means we can try get a performer at your party who your kids will understand. This is unfortunately subject to availability so we cannot always assure that you will have an Afrikaans performer.
Quote
If your character choice is available, you will get a quote with all the items you requested on your booking form. You have chance till one month before your party to discuss any additional items or to remove items from your quote. Once you are happy with your quote, you can click "accept quote" and an invoice will be automatically generated.
Invoice
You will soon receive your invoice via email. Please click "Pay now" to receive our banking details. Once we receive your 50% deposit, your party is secured!
What should my child wear to the party?
You are welcome to dress your little one in anything they want to wear. Just remember that dresses can be uncomfortable for a whole day, so take a change of comfy clothes with to the party - suggestion: a t-shirt and tutu with tights and sneakers look awesome!
Don't get your kid a tiara/superhero cape! We provide all our birthday kids with a gift which is in most cases a rhinestone tiara for princess parties or a lined superhero cape for superhero parties. Please do not worry about purchasing these yourself. If you would rather use a self-purchased gift or want to change to a different gift, please let us know.
Best hairstyles for parties: Braids - Braiding long hair for girls (especially in an Elsa Braid) is the best as it keeps kids' hair out of their face and helps them stay neat for the whole party!
[Photo from Google: Mya Papaya Boutique]
If you want to add something super special, have our Fairy Godmother in Training come in an Hour before the party and do your little one's hair and makeup for the party with an extra special sprinkle of bibbity bobbity boo!
A week before the party
You will receive a booking detail confirmation email. Please be sure to send through any changes you want on your details here. Confirm Final Numbers & guest list and make sure all is still exactly as it should be to ensure a perfect party.
The Friday before the party
You will receive a WhatsApp (or email if your WhatsApp is not available) detailing your exact program and asking for a dropped pin or directions to your venue.
The day of the party
We will message you about 30 minutes before the party giving an estimated TOA based on current traffic. Any factors causing a delay will be communicated with you. Once they arrive the attendant will come in to help you get the kids ready and to set up any equipment necessary like microphones or smoke machines or lighting. During this time the character will be hidden from view not to spoil the surprise or magic of the entrance.
I. Entrance
All characters have a different song and entrance experience. This usually entails a short interactive script to help the kids feel welcome to interact with the character. The character introduces themselves and also asks the kids to introduce themselves. Be sure to have the kids together and able to see the character.
[Pictured: Rapunzel entering a party Photo by: Attendant Princess Cindy]
II. Photos
We know not all party photographers stay for the whole party, so we try to schedule a photo session at the beginning of the party. Not all kids are comfortable taking photos from the start so we allow for a second session at the end once the kids are comfortable with the characters. Feel free to take a million photos. Our Attendants will also take photos and we will send them to you after the party
[Pictured: Our Frozen Queen taking a group photo at the beginning of the party Photo by: Attendant Princess Cindy]
III. About our performers:
Please inform your guests that our characters are in character from the moment they arrive and can as such not answer questions about their personal lives or anything outside the character's reality. If you would like to ask any questions about the party entertainment you can feel free to ask your attendant on duty.
IV. Games and Activities
Our characters will spend the time at the party interacting with guests, playing games, performing songs, teaching dances etc. Feel free to sit back, relax and enjoy some mommy time while we take care of the party. Please note that the performers do work intuitively with your kids and the venue and since your child's happiness is our top priority the program may change based on what our birthday kids want to do or based on what is possible at the venue e.g.. sometimes treasure hunt styled games don't work at restaurants when other kids are present, so we might change the treasures into prizes for other games OR perhaps your kids ask to play hide and seek or musical chairs. The program is a rough suggestion of what you can expect at the party, but not set in stone. Once we complete all the tasks on the program (please let us know if you have a pinata / other activities or formalities you want us to help with) we will ask you if there is anything else you would like, please feel free to suggest extra games or activities at this time.
Games usually include: Musical Statues/Musical Chairs; A Searching game like a treasure hunt/Scavenger Hunt; A themed Pin the tail on the donkey style game, the kingdom dance, the princess dance (for princess parties) and an obstacle course (for superhero or pirate parties) but are subject to change.
[Pictured: Beauty leading the kids in the Princess Book Balance]
[Pictured: The Little Mermaid playing pin the tail on the Mermaid Photo by Prince Adrian]
V. Cake Time & Formalities
Our characters will help coordinate "Happy Birthday" Cake cutting and any speeches or "thank you"s you want. Please let us know if you want our characters to do a short thank you for coming speech at the cake and let us know of any special mentions to add to this. While the kids are eating cake we can do story time or extra songs. Please let us know if the cake cutting or other party staples cannot happen due to cultural practices.
VI. Food & Snacks
Our characters do not eat while in costume, this is to protect our costumes. You are welcome to pack a snack pack for them to take home after the party. Please do provide our performers with water on the day as the costumes can be quite hot.
Please let us know if you want to work in a snack time or lunch time for the kids while we are at the party.
VII. Tipping your performer
Our performers are paid a standard rate for their party work, but if you think your performer is doing a great job, feel free to tip them! Please do so subtly so the kids can't see. We try to not tell kids that we get paid to go to their parties, but rather act like any other guest who comes with games and fun!
The Day After the Party
After the party, you will receive a message thanking you for booking and asking for reviews. We will also send you all of the photos of your party.
And that's it! You've completed a full Princess Maggie's Experience!
I hope this helps you understand everything there is to know! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at queenelsa.partyexperiences@gmail.com or WhatsApp 061 642 3255