Australian parents are treating young children to extravagant birthday parties based on their favourite films at costs of $10,000 or more, according to professional party planners.
Homes have been transformed to look like scenes from Alice in Wonderland, The Smurfs, Lord of the Rings and other films, complete with luxuries such as props, actors, stage lighting, live animals, gelato bars, lolly corners and fairy floss machines.
These birthday bashes are the creative masterpieces of event organisers and professional party planners, and those who attend could be forgiven for thinking they'd stepped onto a film set.
The professionals behind these events spoke with ninemsn about some of the more extravagant parties they have organised:
Anthony Del Col, Staging Connections
"After The Smurfs movie came out last year we hosted a Smurf themed party with a big Smurfette cake, lots of blue lighting, lots of big mushrooms — it was very lavish. The Smurfs are very small, so we created bigger prop pieces so the children felt like they were in that scene. When you have jumping castles, entertainment, food for 80 kids plus parents, before you know it, the costs do add up. A themed party is about taking your guests on a journey from the moment they arrive until they moment they leave with their party bags."
Party location: Sydney
Event: 10th birthday
Approximate cost: $15,000
Alex Shaw, The Inspired Occasion
"Last year we turned a massive back garden into a dinosaur lair, with a marquee, a jumping castle in the shape of the dinosaur, and all the food was dinosaur themed. There were life size dinosaurs everywhere — we literally turned the back garden into Jurassic Park."
Party location: Melbourne
Event: 4th birthday
Approximate cost: $5000 - $10,000
Stuart Katzen, Eventify
"We did an Alice in Wonderland themed party for a little girl about three years ago and it was lavish. It included massive lolly pops, about 6.5ft high, a chocolate fountain, bushes made of fairy floss. It was like Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka because everything was edible. All the tables had real grass on them. There were live animals, a snake, a camel, bunny rabbits. It was a dream event."
Party location: Sydney
Event: 6th birthday
Approximate cost: Undisclosed
Alex Shaw, owner of The Inspired Occasion events company, told ninemsn parents were still throwing lavish events for their children, despite many being more cash strapped in the current economic climate.
"Maybe because people are cash strapped they're having bigger events as opposed to having lots of little events," she said.
"A lot of people are combining events, like a first birthday with a christening."
Staging Connections event designer Anthony Del Col told ninemsn some parents joined forces with three or four others to host a combined birthday for their children.
"It might sound like more of a spend, but when combining with three other kids who go to the same school, financially it works out better," he said.
"It doesn't mean they'll do a featured party every year, but they might decide for a fifth or a 12th birthday they'll go a little bit more out."
Mr Del Col said many customers had become more conscious of sticking to their budgets in recent times, but the troubled global economy did not stop them from throwing extravagant affairs.
"Some people might spend during a GFC because it brings happiness to the family and people involved," he said.
Stuart Katzen, director of boutique events company Eventify, said his clients had toned down the level of extravagance in the past year.
"It's never a cheap endeavour but it's not at the level we've seen in the past," he said.
Have you been to a lavish party for a child? Send an email to Fiona Willan, the author of this article.
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