Parties are a blast and always a great time. Nowadays, they come in many different shapes and sizes that can be personalized to any group or individual.
If you have a special occasion coming up, try spicing things up with a roller skating party.
Roller skating is suited for all ages and is a fun way to get everyone active. However, planning parties can be overwhelming at times.
If you want to know how to plan a roller skating party, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ll break down everything from the timeline you should follow leading up to the event to roller skating party ideas.
How do you plan a roller skating birthday party?
You should start planning out about 1-2 months in advance for a roller skating birthday party.
Why so early, you ask? Well, not only because planning at the last minute is a recipe for disaster, but there is also a chance you won’t have enough time to get the materials needed or even book the venue.
Here is a general timeline you can follow to ensure the best experience possible:
1-2 months before the party
Pick a party theme
Let you and/or your child’s imagination run wild!
This can range anywhere from having a retro roller disco party to dressing up in all neon. Think about how you can incorporate the theme in the party décor, cake, favors, and other details.
Budget it out
Parties can get pretty expensive if you don’t keep track of all costs.
First, sit down and figure out how much you can afford to spend. Call different venues for pricing and factor in food, roller skating party favors, and décor costs.
As you compare prices, ask yourself what you’re willing to splurge on and what you can cut back on.
Pick a date(s)
Depending on the time of year, there may be more birthday parties or other events happening.
Choose an ideal date and a few backups so that you’re able to book the venue and inform your guests on time.
Book the roller skating venue
When scouting out rinks to potentially host your party at, you should consider a few factors:
1. Do they offer birthday party packages?
Some rinks have all-in-one birthday party packages that include admission to the rink, food, party supplies, and a private room.
This is convenient if you don’t have the time or energy to organize these yourself.
2. How many guests can they accommodate?
If you have a list of guests you’d like to invite, make sure that the rink has enough room for them.
3. What time are you allowed to set up?
You want to make sure that you’re allowed in the venue with enough time to set everything up before guests arrive.
Additionally, do they also give you some time afterward to clean up?
4. What is the contact information for the venue manager?
You will need this information in case you are in an emergency, such as being locked out.
5. What is the parking situation like?
Ideally, the venue has free ample parking. If not, you might have to factor in the costs of parking into your budget.
6. Does the venue have built-in entertainment?
While roller skating is the main attraction, it can be tiring to skate the entire time. Some rinks have TVs, arcades, and other fun activities guests can participate in on their breaks from skating.
If they don’t have it, you could consider arranging your own entertainment.
7. Put together your guest list
Think about who you or your child would like to come on this special day. Only invite a certain amount of people if the venue restricts the number of guests.
8. Order supplies
You should start shopping and ordering the supplies needed for invitations, décor, and roller skating party favors, especially if you’re following a specific theme.
3-4 weeks before the party
Inform your guests
During this time, you should be sending out invitations to your guests of choice. Make sure that you include the start and end times, your contact information, location, and theme.
Order food and beverages or catering
If you decided not to opt for the venue’s party package or their own food vendors to feed your guests, you want to get food/catering arranged so that it will arrive on your desired date.
Make the décor
Once you have your supplies, you can start putting together the décor according to your theme.
Brainstorm activities
Other than what the venue has to offer, you can also choose to have some fun with your guests with dancing, board games, or trivia competitions.
Buy the necessary supplies if needed.
1 week before the party
Order the cake
Give the bakery a heads up on the party that you’re planning so that they’ll be able to whip up an amazing cake for you.
However, different bakeries have various policies and schedules. Check to see if you should order your cake earlier or later and what policies they follow.
Get a final head count
Follow up with everyone you’ve invited to see if they can make it to the party or not. This helps give you an idea of how much food and supplies to bring.
Prep food items
If you’re making food for the party, now is the time to start gathering ingredients and prepping food that won’t spoil.
Finalize party plans
Now that you’ve come up with activities to do during the party, it’s time to nail them down. It helps to have a written-out schedule of what you hope to accomplish on the day of.
The day before the party
Go last-minute shopping
This is one of your last chances to get any supplies or food needed. Double-check your lists and current needs so that you’re prepared to get them at the grocery store.
Pick up the cake
By now, the bakery should be done with the cake you ordered. You should store it in the fridge so that it doesn’t go bad.
Place an order for pizza or other food not ordered ahead of time
Fast food items like pizza can usually be bulk-ordered the day before (or even the day of) without any issues.
Ordering the day before ensures that the restaurant has enough food and time to prepare your order.
Day of the party
Pick up pizza or have it delivered
Before the party starts, don’t forget to pick up pizza or other food ordered. If the restaurant or fast-food chain has the option to deliver to the venue location, that would be even better and save you time.
Go to the venue ahead of time
If possible, go to the venue a few hours in advance to scope out the place and party area. Doing this can help you identify issues early on and address them with the staff there.
Decorate the party area
Before guests arrive, carve out some time to decorate the party area.
This is your time to shine and decorate the area as you envisioned it a few months ago. Your themed décor will definitely help tie the whole space together.
Set up the table and other activities
Plates, cups, utensils, napkins, roller skating party favors, food, drinks, and activities should all be set and ready to go for guests.
Place a sign to guide guests
To avoid any confusion, place a sign near the entrance to help guests navigate and find the designated private party area for your group.
Clean up
After a fun time, it’s time to clean everything up and call it a day.
Have some volunteers from your group or venue staff help you disassemble décor, throw away unwanted supplies or food, and load everything else into the car.
Write thank you cards
Although this doesn’t have to be done the day of the party, eventually you’ll want to sit down and write thank you cards for all of the guests that were in attendance.
What can you do at a roller skating party?
Roller skating in the rink can be a great time, but to be honest, it can get old after a while. At a roller skating party, you want to keep everyone entertained no matter what.
The following is a list of games and activities you can try out if things start to die down:
1. Roller tag
This is just like playing regular tag, but with the added challenge of skating.
All you have to do is pick a player to be “it” and have them chase everyone else around in the rink. Once the “it” person touches another player, then that person is now “it”.
While this game is fun, it can also get out of control quickly.
Parental supervision is advised.
2. Musical “chairs”
Mark a few spots in line with each other in the rink with tape.
Have your players stand on each spot. There should be one more player than there are spots.
Then, get the DJ to play a song and stop it randomly. Players should be moving while the song is playing and not stopping until the music stops.
If someone doesn’t get to a spot in time, then they’re out of the game.
Continue removing spots with every round until there is a sole winner.
3. Limbo
Two skaters should be holding each side of a pole so that it is horizontal relative to the ground.
Other skaters should form a line and take turns trying to “limbo” under the pole without touching or falling.
Anyone who touches or falls is out of the game. After each player goes, the pole should be lowered until the winner is left.
How low can you go?
4. Conga line
Have all skaters form a line and hold the person in front of them by the hips.
The leader of the line can direct the rest whichever way they want.
It’s usually more fun if they’re going fast and in twisted directions, but make sure not to break the line.
5. Dance!
Usually, roller rinks have a fun selection of music perfect for dancing.
If you want an excuse to dance, you can request for them to play the hokey pokey, YMCA, macarena, or other dance songs you’d like.
6. Monkey race
Competitive skaters would love the monkey race.
In this game, skaters have to squat down and use both of their hands on the ground to push them forwards.
This game is better done when the rink is empty since there is a risk of collision with other skaters or even getting injured.
7. Shoot the duck race
Like the monkey race, you’re squatting down to the floor, except in this race, you extend one leg out in front of you, and you don’t need to push.
There are some variations to this race, but usually, skaters like to see how many laps you can go around or how long you can hold this position.
What do you wear to a roller skating party?
Whether you’re dressing up to a particular theme or not, you always want to prioritize comfort and mobility over everything else while roller skating.
Wearing clothes like shorts, sweatpants, or athletic pants will give you the most optimal experience. Restrictive clothing like stiff jeans or tight dresses could prevent you from being able to move properly.
On the flip side, loose clothing can get caught in your skates.
You should also wear thick, tall socks so as to prevent blisters that can form from the skate boots. Most importantly, wear a full set of protective gear, which includes a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and knee pads.
You are guaranteed to get hurt while skating, so it is better to be safe than sorry in this regard. You can read our guide here on what to wear roller skating.
Conclusion
A roller skating party is one of the best ways to celebrate any special occasion. It’s fun, healthy, and can get everyone of all ages involved.
Just like any other party, you do want to plan ahead for a roller skating party since there are several moving pieces involved.
You will have to coordinate everything from booking the venue to ordering food to setting a theme for the party. You can opt for a birthday party package at select rinks that offer them. Being a good host also means staying engaged during the party and offering games or activities to any bored skaters.
Nonetheless, being organized will help you put together an event that will be remembered for years to come.
