Guidelines for booking entertainers
Children's entertainment is no small feat! Picture many kids in high spirits because not only is it somebody's birthday, not only are they at a party, but there's a real-life entertainer right there - just for them! How does one person deal with so much energy? In a word: experience. Here at JoJoFun we've been at this for over a decade, and you pick up a thing or two over the years about how to guide that abundance of energy towards the games and activities at hand. Another huge factor is preparation.
Prepare to be entertained!
It takes two to prepare for quality party entertainment. Both the entertainer and host have to make sure everything's in place. For the host's part, they can assist the entertainer in managing the children by providing a suitable space to entertain in and making sure the guests are ready to begin when the entertainer arrives. The entertainer of course must be aware ahead of time just how many children are attending the event so that games and activities can be planned accordingly.
How many kids?
Having entertained for a number of years, we've found the best entertainer to child ratio is 1:25. That is, one entertainer can be hired to entertain up to 25 children (30 at a stretch), but any more than this and an assistant entertainer is required. This is ideal for a standard children's entertainment package with multiple activities (games, magic, bubbles, etc.).
Other service providers such as stilt walkers and balloon modellers are not typically expected to manage the children or guide them in activities, and as such do not have limitations on the numbers of children they can entertain. However, if you are expecting many children, you should consider hiring multiple entertainers (e.g. 2 to 4 balloon modellers for a street party) so that all the children present are attended to.
Like balloon modelling, face painting is a "one-at-a-time" activity and so the only limit really is time. Several face painters should be hired for big events, but one face painter should be suitable for a small-scale, 1-hour party of 12-15 children.
Were you wondering about crowd numbers for an entertainment option not mentioned above? Email us and we'll update our article with the answer!
Conclusion
This is a brief overview of our guidelines at JoJoFun. However, different entertainers will have their own requirements and comfort levels with crowd numbers. When checking availability for your event, be sure the entertainment company have asked for the number of children at your event before confirming their availability - you don't want any surprises on the day, such as the necessity for another two or three entertainers!
