My first party in Sooooouth London. I think? Maybe? Not sure. But definitely memorable. I'm wishing I got this article out nearer the time as I know I came away from the party just buzzing with enthusiasm for how enjoyable it was. I am very lucky to be a professional performer and although sometimes kids parties can be a tough crowd. This was not one of those days.
I was blessed with a very engaged set of parents and performing for a birthday mum that works in children's tv and an ex stand up comedian. So it was a good mix of pressure and friendly young cool parents that I felt a great connection with from the first email.
The birthday boy was called Spike so that's already racking up some cool points before I even get to the party, a few days before the party birthday mum (Isabel) explains that Spike has his girlfriend coming to the party. 6 year old Spike. I didn't get a girlfriend until I was 16 and that only lasted a couple of weeks. So Spike is already cooler than me.
Not only is she coming to the party, she no longer lives in England. The family had moved to Holland and now Spike and Maisy are continuing their relationship long distance with FaceTime chats!
I arrived to the party and Spike and Maisy were like two peas in a pod, super cute playing together. On his friends arriving Spike was diligently walking around introducing Maisy to his friends so she knew enough people.
I've got in trouble for deserting my wife when she doesn't know many people at a party and I'm a fully fledged adult and married. So now Spike's cooler than me and got better social skills.
Enough about the kids party talk to me about cake!
Back to the original point I was making in this post. The reason I feel this post could be useful to lots of other parents planning children's parties in the future was Isabels exceedingly good idea when it came to decorating the cake.
Purchasing a second hand probably late 1980's play mobil circus kit of eBay. She was able to make a super simple chocolate cake that just got covered in chocolate icing. Then decorate all around it using the circus toys and even a circus ring with a light up sign.
Minimum effort for maximum impact!
I can further compliment it as an idea because my dear ol mother also did the same for our cousins circus party recently where she made a birthday cake and decorated the top using the jugglers from the same play mobile set.
I can't speak from experience because I'm not a baker, but I can only imagine that when it comes to birthday cakes some people might feel pressure to provide a perfectly decorated cake and stay up late into the night trying to stop bits falling off or create an elephant out of icing.
I guess for some people they enjoy the challenge, but if it's not your forte then I'm sure you've got more things to worry about. So I just thought it was such a great idea that it was worth sharing.
How did the party look? You can find out by watching the video below.
The circus show was full of moments unique to the party, I remember one point during the hats where I just felt like I would never drop a prop again. I was taking confidence and trying all my hardest tricks back to back and I didn't make a mistake. Watching the full video back I couldn't hide my celebrations when it went so well. The definition of playing it cool.
I was glad the show went so well as Isabel had said during the enquiry stage that for someone that's been in the industry she hadn't managed to pick a great party entertainer so far. I hope I did myself justice!
This super simple birthday cake tip won't be for everyone, but if it inspires one person to take action and follow suit then I think it was worth making. Hopefully you can find your own play mobile circus kit so you don't have to wrestle with too much complicated cake decorating. I'm sure they are getting more and more antique as the years go by.
Are you in South London and looking to book an entertainer for your next children's party?
If you are impressed with what you've seen in this video and other pictures on my site then do get in touch. 2020 availability is very slim already up until September. I have a couple of dates here and there but generally it's fully booked so please do get in touch as early as possible if you're looking to book.