Poll - party length

sunnydays99 · March 2014

I'm trying to decide if DD's 2nd birthday party should be 2 hours or 3 hours. It would be starting at 11, and will be a mixture of friends and family. Kids will range from 8 months to 5 years old. I'm hoping to have some outdoor activities set up if the weather cooperates. Otherwise it'll be the typical lunch, cake, presents timeline.

sunnydays99 · March 2014

Hav=Fath said:

SS - Unless it's a drop off party I wouldn't set a time at all. We never do, the closest friends & family stick around for hours, usually later into the evening.

Drop off parties make sense since the parents need to come back to get their kids.

A stay all day, come as you please party is so NMS and honestly no one here does that. In fact the idea of it gives me anxiety!! Lol

notkateanymore · March 2014

I can't imagine having an end time on parties. But if you don't want people there very long, do two hours. I think that's a little short. I would do 2.5 or 3 personally...or all day.

sunnydays99 · March 2014

I think I'm just going to put the start time on the invites. I know that no one in my circle will stay longer than 3 hours anyway. That way if they want to leave earlier it's no big deal.

Eta: it's funny because I already feel "guilty" for making people give up part of their weekend! I can't imagine asking people to stay all day! Lol

raraavis28 · March 2014

lolonyo said:

Hav=Fath said:

SS - Unless it's a drop off party I wouldn't set a time at all. We never do, the closest friends & family stick around for hours, usually later into the evening.

Drop off parties make sense since the parents need to come back to get their kids.

A stay all day, come as you please party is so NMS and honestly no one here does that. In fact the idea of it gives me anxiety!! Lol

Really? This fascinates me! You need a start time, obv, but are you going to kick people out after 2 or 3 hours? In my experience, people usually leave on their own after the main action has died down (cake, games, presents, etc.) but no one checks a clock to see if it's the party's "end time" yet. If you are going to have an end time, though, I'd shoot for 3 hours....2 just seems awfully short for a party.

rosesandpetals · March 2014

DD's party wasn't at home and we only had the room for a certain time so we had a start and end time. We said 2 hours but everyone ended up staying for 3. 2 hours was just really short.

raraavis28 · March 2014

lolonyo said:

I think I'm just going to put the start time on the invites. I know that no one in my circle will stay longer than 3 hours anyway. That way if they want to leave earlier it's no big deal.
Eta: it's funny because I already feel "guilty" for making people give up part of their weekend! I can't imagine asking people to stay all day! Lol

This seems like a good call....now the real important question is: will there be alcohol at this party???

sunnydays99 · March 2014

marchesa28 said:

lolonyo said:

I think I'm just going to put the start time on the invites. I know that no one in my circle will stay longer than 3 hours anyway. That way if they want to leave earlier it's no big deal.
Eta: it's funny because I already feel "guilty" for making people give up part of their weekend! I can't imagine asking people to stay all day! Lol

This seems like a good call....now the real important question is: will there be alcohol at this party???

Lol! Figured that would come up!! Yep, beer will be provided! :-)

notkateanymore · March 2014

lolonyo said:

I think I'm just going to put the start time on the invites. I know that no one in my circle will stay longer than 3 hours anyway. That way if they want to leave earlier it's no big deal.
Eta: it's funny because I already feel "guilty" for making people give up part of their weekend! I can't imagine asking people to stay all day! Lol

You're not asking, you're offering.

notkateanymore · March 2014

Time line of our parties like all the true party stuff is done by about 2.5 hours like games, food, cake, we don't do presents and then people either leave or grab a drink and hang out.

Chapter79 · March 2014

I will put an end time to kids parties, so the parents know when to pick their kid up.
Family party? Nope. We start it around noon... and people leave whenever they say "Ok honey, think we should leave?".. usually after 5-6 hours. They just kinda leave whenever (my siblings, grandparents, parents).. that's just how we work, always have.

vlagrl29 · March 2014

we just had DD's party a couple weekends ago from 1:30-3:30. After lunchtime and before nap time. Most people left by that time.

AprilLVE · March 2014

My close friends and family would probably assume the end time was meant for everyone else and not for them. At these kind of parties, we always look forward to the peripheral people leaving so we can catch up, drink, play cards etc afterwards.

LoriLee14 · March 2014

yep, I find most people make an exit after the excitement runs out. People will want to start leaving to get home to make dinner.... put kids down for a nap.... put back on sweatpants (that might just be me.) Usually only family sticks around longer than that and they help clean up. I never turn down help.

Also that will que some people to leave cause they want to get out of the way

CountryMile · March 2014

I would stick to 2 hours. If it was just family I wouldn't put down a time.

spring_time · March 2014

I have found that parties at your house last about 2.5 to 3 hours. We had DS's party today and some people came over half an hour late, this is especially true when naps are still involved. If you are planning on doing games, food, cake, and presents you need a little longer. If you are not planning on opening presents, you may be able to get away with two hours. Also, if your family is anything like mine, they don't really feel the time applies to them. His party was over after 3 hours, but my family (sisters and parents) hung around for 5. They finally got the hint when DH started turning out lights!