Kids birthday party in Riga: a two-hour plan

A kids birthday party in Riga: the two-hour plan

Two hours is about as long as a group of children holds full speed. Longer, and the last hour turns into running down the corridor; shorter, and parents do not make it back in time for the second half.

• First 10 minutes — everyone arrives, coats come off, the briefing happens. This is usually the loudest part of the day.
• 60 minutes — the game. The children are split into teams and each team works through its own room. The game master follows along and helps whenever someone is stuck.
• 10 minutes — group photo and the first retelling of who found the key.
• 60 minutes — the table: cake, presents, games. This hour is included in the party price.

The order matters. Start with cake and the children arrive at the game full and sticky. Start with the game and they come to the table with something to talk about and the energy already spent.

What a kids party costs and what is included

The kids party has its own price, which is not the same as a standard room booking.

• 170 € — weekdays before 18:00.
• 210 € — after 18:00 and at weekends.
• Included: two game slots, one hour for the celebration and a game master who helps the children during the quest.
• Each additional hour of celebration is 50 €.

Each game slot takes a team of up to five children; every child after that is 5 € (under 14). Ten children in two teams is the format that works best, because afterwards the two teams have something to compare.

If you do not know the exact number yet, book with an estimate and call +371 22066566 once it is settled.

Ages, and which rooms suit children

Every room has its own minimum age, and it is not a formality: the puzzles are built for a particular age.

• Time Machine — 6+, a bright futuristic laboratory. The lowest age limit of all the rooms.
• Captain's Cabin — 6+, the story of a long-lost captain. A good first room.
• Harry Potter — 7+. Children who know the books recognise half the room.
• Sherlock Holmes — 7+, up to 7 players. The only room that fits a large team.

The Experiment and House of Mysteries are 16+ and are not for a children's party. There is a separate piece on which rooms suit a family.

How many children to invite, and what to tell the parents

Eight to ten children is the size where everyone has something to do. At fifteen there are always three who spend the hour watching the others play.

• Invite children of a similar age. A seven-year-old and a twelve-year-old play very differently in the same team.
• Give parents an exact finish time, not an approximate one. Otherwise half of them arrive an hour late.
• Comfortable clothes and shoes you can crouch in. Dresses and new white trainers are a bad idea here.
• Phones stay outside during the game. Not out of strictness: with a phone in hand a child stops looking at the room.
• Ask about allergies in advance if you are planning food at the table.

Is it frightening for children?

This is the most common question of all. The rooms for younger players are not horror rooms: the Time Machine is a bright laboratory, the Captain's Cabin is a sea story, Harry Potter is a room full of magic. No darkness with sudden noises.

The game master sees the room for the whole hour and stays in contact with the team. If a child stops enjoying it, the door opens at any moment. There is more on how frightening our "frightening" rooms actually are here.

How to fill the hour at the table

The celebration hour is where plans usually end with cake and twenty minutes of silence. Four things that work with no props and no hired entertainer.

• Talk about the game, with one rule. Each child describes one thing they personally found. Two minutes each, and half an hour is gone.
• A vote. Which team would have escaped first with five more minutes. Children argue about this more seriously than adults do.
• Presents after the cake, not before. Once the presents are open, nobody sits at the table again.
• Group photo early, not at the end. By the end of the hour half the children are tired and it shows.

If the hour turns out to be short, each extra hour of celebration is 50 €, and it is easier to decide that while booking than halfway through the party.

If your child does not want to go in

It happens, and usually not out of fear but because they do not know what is about to happen. Three things help.

• Describe the room in advance. A known scenario is far less frightening than an unknown one.
• Say that the door opens at any moment. For children this is the main question, and the answer is simple.
• Let them walk in with a friend rather than first. The first five minutes decide the rest of the hour.

The game master sees and hears the room throughout. If a child has had enough, the game stops and the others can carry on.

How to split the children into teams

The split decides whether the hour is fun for everyone or only for the three loudest. Four rules that hold for any group of children.

• The birthday child picks their own team. It is the one privilege that actually matters on the day.
• Spread the older and younger ones evenly. Put all the older children in one team and the other spends the hour losing.
• Do not stack the quiet ones together. Two quiet children in a team with three loud ones will stand aside for the whole hour.
• Keep best friends together. For a six-year-old, having a friend beside them matters more than how hard the puzzles are.

With more than ten children, two teams at different start times work better than three teams at once: waiting bores children faster than any puzzle does.

Questions parents ask

Pick the date, count the children and book a weekday before 18:00 if you want the cheaper slot. Bring the cake for the celebration hour, not for the game.