You can throw a complete kids' birthday party for 12 guests for about $150. Make the food, bake the cake and run your own games. For about $300 you can add delivery pizza, a bakery cake and one paid activity. Both plans are below, line by line.
The numbers come from Festidy's planning levels for a kids' birthday: about $15 per guest for Simple, $30 for Standard and $50 for Splurge. For 12 guests, that looks like this:
| Level | Per guest | 12 guests |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Home food, homemade games | $15 | $180 |
| Standard Bakery cake and one hired activity | $30 | $360 |
| Splurge Entertainer, rentals, and custom decor | $50 | $600 |
Both plans assume 12 guests (7 kids and 5 adults) and a 2-hour party from 2 to 4 pm. Hosting between meals means snacks and cake, not lunch, and that alone saves real money.
Three decisions that set the budget
Make these before you buy anything. They matter more than any coupon.
- The guest count. Every guest adds about $15 on a simple plan and $30 on a standard one. Four fewer guests saves about $60 to $120. For young kids, a common rule of thumb is their age plus one.
- The time of day. A 10 am to noon or 2 to 4 pm slot means nobody expects a meal.
- Your big two. Ask the birthday kid what matters most, often the cake and one activity. Spend there and keep the rest simple. The kids' birthday party budget guide has more on this.
The $150 party, line by line
This is a Simple party: home food, a homemade cake and games you run yourself. Prices are rough US estimates.
| Line | What you buy | About |
|---|---|---|
| Pizza | 4 large take-and-bake or frozen pizzas (29 slices needed, 32 bought) | $35 |
| Fruit and veggies | Cut your own: a melon, a bunch of grapes, carrots, cucumbers and a tub of dip | $12 |
| Snacks | Pretzels and one more snack bowl | $6 |
| Drinks | A big water dispenser plus 2 jugs of lemonade or juice, about 30 cups | $10 |
| Ice | About 24 lb | $8 |
| Cake | One box mix for a sheet cake or 24 cupcakes, frosting, sprinkles, candles | $12 |
| Tableware | 24 plates, 30 cups, 36 napkins in solid colors | $10 |
| Decor | Balloons in two colors, streamers, a tablecloth, a printed banner | $20 |
| Games and craft | Supplies for 2 games and a simple craft, plus stickers for prizes | $10 |
| Favors | 9 favors (7 kids and 2 spares for siblings) at about $2 each | $18 |
| Invitations | A Festidy invitation with an RSVP link | $0 |
| Cushion | For the thing you forgot | $9 |
| Total | $150 |
The drink count follows Festidy's rule: adults get 2 in the first hour and 1 each hour after, kids get 1 juice box or cup of lemonade an hour, and water is counted on its own (8 oz a kid an hour, half that for grown-ups). For 7 kids and 5 adults over 2 hours, that's 15 drinks for the grown-ups, 14 for the kids, and about 1.5 gallons of water.
If any guests are under 4, cut grapes into small pieces and skip popcorn, nuts and hard candy (HealthyChildren.org).
The $300 party, line by line
This sits a little under Festidy's Standard level (about $360 for 12 guests): delivery pizza, a grocery bakery cake and one paid extra.
| Line | What you buy | About |
|---|---|---|
| Pizza | 4 large delivery pizzas, timed to arrive about 15 minutes before snack time | $60 |
| Fruit and veggies | Two small store-made trays | $22 |
| Drinks and ice | Water, juice boxes, lemonade and about 24 lb of ice | $20 |
| Cake | A decorated grocery bakery cake that serves 12 to 16 | $35 |
| Entertainment | One paid extra (see below) | $80 |
| Decor | A balloon garland, tablecloths, a backdrop and printed signs | $40 |
| Tableware | 24 plates, 30 cups, 36 napkins | $14 |
| Favors | 9 favors (7 kids and 2 spares for siblings) at about $3 each | $27 |
| Invitations | A Festidy invitation with an RSVP link | $0 |
| Cushion | $2 | |
| Total | $300 |
What $80 of entertainment buys. Good options: a craft kit for every child, a rented bubble machine and lawn game set, or a bigger prize table for your own games. You could also put it toward a short booking with a local face painter or balloon twister. Performer rates vary a lot by city, so get a quote for a 45 to 60 minute slot before you count on it.
The full $40 decor plan, item by item, is in party decorations on a budget.
Side by side
Here's how each plan spreads its money. The last column is Festidy's standard split: food and cake 40%, entertainment 25%, decor and tableware 20%, favors and extras 15%.
| Category | $150 party | $300 party | Standard target for 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and cake | $83 | $137 | $144 (40%) |
| Entertainment and activities | $10 | $80 | $90 (25%) |
| Decor and tableware | $30 | $54 | $72 (20%) |
| Favors and extras | $18 | $27 | $54 (15%) |
| Cushion | $9 | $2 | |
| Total | $150 | $300 | $360 |
The simple plan leans harder on food because homemade games cost almost nothing. That's normal, and it's where a simple party saves most.
Where to cut first
If your number is still too high, cut in this order. The first items save the most.
- Guests. Each one costs about $15 to $30.
- The meal. Hosting between meals and serving snacks and cake instead of pizza saves about $35 to $60.
- Favors. One small thing per child beats a bag of extras. The goodie bag calculator does the count.
- Decor. One palette and one focal point, as in the $40 plan above.
- Entertainment. Run your own games. Our list of birthday party games by age has supplies for each one.
- Cake. A grocery bakery sheet cake costs less than a custom cake. Toy figures from the toy bin make a great topper.
- Invitations. Digital invitations are free and collect RSVPs for you.
What not to cut
Some lines look easy to trim but cost you more on the day.
- Enough food and drinks. Running out halfway through is hard to fix mid-party. Buy to the counts: 2 pizza slices per kid, 3 per adult.
- Ice. About 2 lb per guest, and double that on a hot day. It's cheap, and warm drinks on a hot day are not.
- The cake moment. Candles, the song and a photo. It's the part that ends up in every picture.
- A helper. One other adult on the door, the food or the cleanup costs nothing and frees you to host.
- An allergy-safe option. Ask about allergies on the RSVP, then have a few safe cupcakes or a fruit tray ready.
- Trash bags. Six bags and a roll of paper towels turn cleanup into 15 minutes.
A bigger party, or a different kind
More guests. For 20 guests (12 kids and 8 adults), Festidy's levels are about $300 for Simple, $600 for Standard and $1,000 for Splurge. Pizza goes up to 6 large, ice to about 40 lb, and favors to 14.
Other parties. Each party type has its own per-guest figures, at the Simple, Standard and Splurge levels: a baby shower is $20, $35 and $60, a graduation $10, $20 and $40, an adult birthday $20, $35 and $65, and a house or holiday party $10, $20 and $40. A 12-guest baby shower at the Simple level, for example, comes to about $240.
The party budget calculator works out all three levels for any party type and guest count. When you're ready, Festidy's free planner turns the budget into a dated plan and a shopping list that updates as RSVPs come in.
FAQ
How much does a kids' birthday party cost?
Festidy plans about $15 per guest for a simple party, $30 for a standard one and $50 for a splurge. For 12 guests that's about $180, $360 and $600.
What's the cheapest way to feed a party?
Host between meals, 2 to 4 pm or 10 am to noon, and serve snacks, fruit and cake. If you do serve pizza, take-and-bake or frozen large pizzas cost far less than delivery: about $35 against $60 for four.
Can I skip party favors?
Yes. If you'd rather keep them, one small favor per child at about $2 is plenty, or let the craft the kids made be the favor.
