Top 10 Kids Birthday Party Trends

Make sure your child's birthday party is picture-perfect by setting up a super fun photo booth! First, find a blank wall to hang a scene setter so the kids can have their photos taken framed by their favorite characters. Next, have guests adorn themselves in party hats and other wearable favors. For an extra special memento, take a picture of each birthday guest with the birthday girl or boy and include the photos in thank-you notes you mail out after the party.

Kids love it when you invite their favorite characters to the party! Let the birthday girl and her friends dance along with Minnie Mouse by placing a Minnie Mouse Giant Gliding Balloon in an open space and turning up the tunes! Minnie Mouse, like other giant gliding balloons, has small weights in her feet, heavy enough to keep her upright and near ground level, yet light enough for her to float gracefully across the floor. Giant gliding balloons are available in a variety of popular boys' and girls' party themes including Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and many others.

Little girls love to give each other makeovers, so why not make their favorite activity a part of your little fashionista's special day? Make it easy and fun for birthday guests to make themselves glamorous by creating a fashion station favor bar! For our hippie chick birthday party we made a jewelry-making fashion station for our crafty birthday girl, but also included ready-made wearable favors like rings, bracelets and hair clips for the girls to pretty themselves up with.

One of the most extraordinary new birthday party ideas uses a combination of decorations and guest participation to transform a room into a one-of-a-kind experience. Picture this! On her birthday you give your little princess the royal treatment by transforming your living room into a grand ballroom complete with a royal banner proclaiming the day to be hers. The room sets the scene for a gala event, but the real magic begins when the guests arrive, each girl dressed as her favorite Disney Princess! You can be sure your daughter will remember this joyful scene for many years to come!

Kids' parties these days are often for kids only – so be different! Invite the parents to stay and make it more fun by asking them to dress up in costumes based on your child’s party theme! The kids will be thrilled to see their moms and dads joining in the fun! You can even hand out a few silly themed party favors for parents to get into the spirit. Nostalgic toys like inflatable swords, bubbles and blowouts make grown-ups feel like kids at heart!

Stop clownin' around! One of the biggest trends in kids' birthday parties is creating a real destination for your child's party. Choose to throw a carnival in a beautiful park or how about a wild jungle safari at a local adventure spot? No matter where you want to have your child's birthday party, Party City offers many entertaining themes to liven up your party location.

Kids love to see their favorite cartoon characters, superheroes, celebrities and princesses attending a celebration for their special day! Life-size cutouts not only make eye-catching decorations, but are also great for photo opts. Here's a clever strategy for creating adorable momentos to tuck in the 'thank you' cards you'll send after the party. Ask your child to serve as the official birthday party greeter. As each guest walks through the door your child should give them a wearable favor and pose with them for a photo in front of the life-size cutout. This ensures every child is in at least one picture with the birthday girl or boy with both children looking their best.

Why wait for Halloween for your kids to enjoy playing dress-up? A hot birthday party trend is to bring your party theme to life with costumes and make-believe accessories. Give out wearable favors to match the party’s theme such as masks, tattoos and party hats so every guest gets to play a role in the party. The guest of honor will feel so special dressing up as their favorite character.

Want to make them feel like a star? A custom banner with your birthday girl or boy's name printed in bold, colorful letters will make it seem like the whole neighborhood is celebrating their special day! On PartyCity.com, once you select the banner you want, you can choose from a variety of fonts and colors to communicate your personalized message and see a preview before placing your order. Custom balloons, invitations, and thank-you notes are also available.

Add favors to birthday invitations to make them even more irresistible. Eye-catching birthday-themed confetti makes the invitation burst with excitement when a guest opens it. A small favor, like a tattoo or bracelet for a girl’s birthday party or a pirate’s eye patch for a boy’s birthday party, can be the ‘secret pass’ to getting into your exclusive party.