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Kid's Birthday Parties in Jakarta

Any of you with young children living in Jakarta have probably already experienced the “Indonesian Birthday Party”. For those that haven’t, it’s a very extravagant affair to say the least. I have heard of 5-star hotel ballrooms being booked out for a 3 year olds’ birthday. There is usually nothing spared from acrobats, professional MC s, live super heroes or princesses, to rounding it all off with a party bag that is worth more than the gift you have taken! And if that wasn’t enough, a full spread is usually put on for the parents as well the children.

How do you compete or just deal with this when it’s your child’s birthday? What I have found in the past is that Indonesian Mum’s appreciate the simplicity of western parties. One mother commented to me at my son’s birthday that “wow this is really a great kid’s party”. Rather than pulling out all the bells and whistles, it is quite ok to stick with the basics like a tug-a-war, treasure hunt, and other more traditional or classic party games. Although, I must admit for a few of the early years, I did hire a fantastic Magician who was worth his weight in gold. He ran all the party games and kept the kids in order! Entertainers are very reasonably priced here and it can be fun for the kids to have something special. There are plenty of options to liven up the party like Magic shows, Mad Science, bouncy castles and so on.

Venues
If you don’t want to hold the party at your house there are plenty of options but all will cost money. Some are reasonable through to very expensive. McDonalds and KFC do the complete package, or there are a few indoor playgrounds that do party packages including food, entrance, cakes, and entertainment. I have done this once and must say it is nice to walk out at the set time with nothing further to do. A lot of restaurants are also family friendly. There are some great pizza places that let your kids make their own pizza - a great activity. For Rp50,000 the kids get their pizza, a drink and ice cream! Or you could go all out and hire out a hotel ballroom. And don’t forget, catering here is quite cheap if you plan on having the party at home. McD’s & KFC deliver as well or if you want to ensure the food arrives on time - send your driver to collect it. Going to the movies, or letting them try their hand at bowling, are also great activities to entertain the masses.

The invitation
Most invitations seem to arrive home suddenly in your child’s school bag a day before the party. Yikes! I keep a supply of party gifts in a cupboard at home for this very occasion along with a supply of wrapping paper and birthday cards. You can buy handmade cards at the ANZA gift shop. Over the years I have found it ok to decline invitations, especially in the younger years. The parents are probably breathing a sigh of relief with the thought of one less party bag to organize. I usually ask the kids if they want to go and with having two boys, they usually don’t want to go to girls parties! “ Girls have cooties don’t you know Mum!” Check with your child’s school as they may have rules about sending invitations through the school bags. Hint: Don’t forget to put a start and finish time on your invitation. Most parents are bad at RSVPing here. You may send out 20 invites and only get 10 RSVPs, but 25 turn up to the party. Don’t forget siblings either - they’ll want a party bag too! It makes catering hard. If you want to be sure of numbers ring or sms around to check who is definitely coming. BTW don’t expect the Mums and Dads to always come as this is a “nanny” state. To keep the nannies happy, get your cook to prepare something like a big bowl of nasi goreng, or if at a venue, ask if they do lunch boxes for nannies.

Party Decorations
Easy here! You can get the large plastic banners made very cheaply or there are party places that hand paint large Styrofoam characters to order. Balloons are good option but for helium it gets a little pricey. Note; the guy on the street selling balloons does not use helium. It is probably hydrogen or something similar. We tested it at a party and they were definitely flammable. A trick I have picked up is just buying air filled balloons on fishing wire (they’ll deliver or have your driver collect) and have your staff stick the balloons to the ceiling. It gives the illusion of helium balloons at a fraction of the price.

The Cake
All I can say is the wow factor is not always the tastiest option. I have seen cakes way more extravagant than any western wedding cake. One cake had lights and a waterfall! Not being a cook myself and because of my son’s allergies, a homemade chocolate cake, and later on a “Betty Crocker” box cake, work fine. Apparently they have gone down a real treat with the boys’ classmates so the teachers tell me. A few plastic action figures and candles stuck on top did the trick. Maybe as your kids get older let them decorate the cake.

Party Bags
After your first Indonesian kids party you’ll be embarrassed that the party bag you walked out with really out- weighs the gift you have given. Don’t stress. It’s not about that. The parents don’t care how expensive your gift is but keeping up the party bag extravagance is important to them. If you’re looking for party favours to include in a goody bag there are plenty of small shops at the ITC stores selling all the fillers. You’ll be surprised how little a Disney Princess or Ben Ten backpack actually costs here. I try to think of different things rather than the usual lunch boxes and backpacks. Usually I incorporate something from the decorations or theme that the kids can take home. For instance for my son’s 2nd birthday we had a jungle party and I bought a heap of stuffed toys -monkeys, crocodiles etc, (found of all places outside the zoo!), and scattered them around the yard for decoration. Each child got to pick one to adopt and take home. At a recent sleepover I found reasonably priced sleeping bags and we wrote the boys’ names on each one. They were a big hit. Even a bag of candy plus a tooth brush is something different. Unfortunately the kids living here do expect something so I have told my boys that they do not get a party bag until they have thanked the host for a lovely party.

Does it all sound too much?
The most important thing is that the kids have fun! Otherwise plan a trip away over their birthday to avoid all this - that may work for a couple of years!

Kindly submitted by Kelly Ginley
ANZA's "Expat Expert"

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