Hiring a balloon artist for birthday parties

Your child's birthday is coming up and you're trying to figure out what to do. A balloon artist is always fun, but is it right for your child? My first question to you would be, how old is your child? Next, how old are the children attending the party? The answer to the second question may be more important than the answer to the first question. For example, if someone wants me to come to a birthday party for a 2 year old, my first instinct is to say no, and offer a bubble artist instead. But when I ask how old the guests are, it may be that this is a family party and the majority of the other kids are 3- 7, a great age for balloons. So, if you are having all the other 2 year olds in the class, and none of their older siblings, you may want to consider another type of entertainment, on the other hand, if you're having a huge multi- aged group, then your balloon artist will be the hit of the party.

As discussed above, for baby parties, 1 year old parties, and 2 year old parties, I only recommend hiring a balloon artist if it will be a multi- age event. Now let's talk about the pre-school ages, 3-5. This age LOVES balloons! They want to make their own balloons, they are fascinated by watching the balloons turn into elaborate shapes, and they really get it. In fact, at this age, balloons are more magical than magic, because they believe in magic, most of the impact of the magicians show is lost on them. (Which is why if you are hiring a magician for this age, you want one whose show is comedy based, but that's another article).

There are many types of balloon artists out there, so let's go over some of them. The most commonly known is the clown. Now, clowns can be tricky, on the one hand they're very colorful. On the other hand, some children are afraid of clowns. Be sure to ask for a picture of your clown before you book to ensure that their "persona" is one that will not frighten your child. Some clowns make amazing balloon sculptures. Other clowns are more of a jack of all trades, they do a little bit of balloons, a little magic, and a little face painting. They're only ok at each of them, but as a package it's a nice set. Both styles are valid, you just want to make sure that you know which you're getting.

The next type of balloon artist is the master balloon artist. They are the specialists. They only do balloons, and they do them exceptionally well. They can probably make absolutely anything and take great pride in the artistry of their creations. This is the type of balloon artist that will have your guests going home shaking their head and saying "I've never seen balloons like that before". The only thing that you might need to worry about with this style of balloon art is that it obviously takes longer per sculpture, so they can't make balloons for 30 children in 30 minutes. You want to make sure that you book enough time.

The third type of balloon artist is the magician/ entertainer. They have a show, that may be utilize balloons as props. They may give out a few balloons during the show, and perhaps some simple balloons after the show. This style is great if you have a group who has the attention span to sit for the show. The thing that you want to ask them is if every child will get a balloon, or only the birthday child and a couple of volunteers.

These same types of balloon artists also apply to the 5- 10 year olds as well. For 7 year olds, there is one other option, and that is the workshop party. This age group has the motor skills and attention span to learn to make their own balloons. It's a great complement to a slumber party, and I recommend keeping the number of guests low (like 10).

Now let's talk about the tweens and teens. They're too old for balloons, right? Wrong! For this age you want the master balloon artist. The tweens and teens need to be blown away with balloons that are extraordinary. They will really get into character parodies, super heros, and crazy hats. The more elaborate the balloons, the better this age will respond to them. For evening events, a balloon artist who makes use of glow sticks in thier designs will go over really well. But put them in the room with a master balloon artist, and watch their adolescent jadedness dissappear! This is also a great age for workshops, as at this age it could become a really lucrative hobby as well.

If you have any questions on hiring a balloon artist in your area, feel free to send me an email to sandiballoon@hotmail.com