A 13 Year Old's Party at AirHop - Review

Each year it gets harder to come up with original and fun party ideas to celebrate L's birthday. It's important to mark the occasion, but older children have different ideas about what's entertaining! This year, however, I got really lucky and won  a party at Airhop in Bristol. We were celebrating L's 13th birthday and, since it's tricky to think of party ideas for older children, I thought I would share our experience. The Extreme UV party has many fun features and this post details how it was received by our guests who ranged in age from 6 to mid-forties! Could we really find a party idea that suited everyone? And what exactly is a UV experience? 

On arrival, we were greeted by our host who was very friendly and also surprisingly calm, considering the concept of a number of over-excited small people descending shortly. She explained what the event entailed and handed out free bouncing socks to everyone taking part. We were given big tubs to put our shoes in and these were stored, with our coats and bags, in our allocated party room. Once everyone had arrived, we were shown the safety video and given an hour of bouncetime to enjoy the many different activities that are available in the large play space. As well as a huge trampoline area, which features 135 interconnected trampolines, there are also games, such as dodgeball, wipeout and battlebeams, as well as a foam pit and obstacle course. The obstacle course was a firm favourite with the older children and it was lovely to see such a wide age range enjoying all the different activities. 

A big jug of squash and cups were provided for the children to help themselves to during their bouncing, which was much appreciated as it doesn't take long to get very hot and bothered in that environment. I was provided with a hot drink voucher to use in the cafe for when the need for a cup of tea became too overwhelming! After the hour was up, the children were more than happy to stop their bouncing, in favour of something less energetic. An hour may not seem that long, but I felt it was long enough for such high energy activities. We were shown into our party room, which was decorated with UV paint and had been laid with plates and cups made from UV material, creating a really colourful spectacle. 

As you can see from the picture, which isn't the best quality because it was dark in there, all the party goers were provided with free glow sticks, which they could assemble and wear. This, coupled with the UV face paints that were also supplied, provided ample entertainment for children and adults, while we waited for our food. It was a very short wait before we were treated to Domino's pizza, both pepperoni and cheese and tomato, which was more than enough for four adults and six children to enjoy. I didn't feel at all rushed as we all enjoyed our food and drink, whilst being coloured in by one of my nephews. When we had finished eating, our host brought in the cake I had provided, already set up with the candles lit. She was very organised and professional and made everything so relaxed for me and the rest of the adults in attendance, we didn't have to do a thing! 

As we were leaving, we were all given KitKat Chunkies and L received a birthday card with a voucher for a free bounce. Everyone had a really great time and it was all organised and timed to perfection. I was told that for younger children, the host can organise games if required, but it suited the older ones to just do their own thing. The event was really enjoyable for all and I highly recommend AirHop parties for any age, but particularly if you are organising an event with a mixed age group.