Less money, less crowded: Celebrate kids' birthdays on weeknights

CHICAGO — After years of shuttling her kids to Saturday-afternoon birthday parties, Becky Hart was surprised by the invitation that came addressed to her 7-year old, Claire, last month.

For: One of Claire's classmates

Where: Chuck E. Cheese

When: A Wednesday night.

"At first I thought it was kind of strange that it was at night," said Hart, who, despite her reservations, bought an Irish Setter Webkinz and wrapped it in pink princess paper for her daughter to take to the school-night bash.

Two hours later, her daughter left pleasantly stuffed with pizza, and Hart said she began to reconsider the assumption that kids' parties should all be squeezed into already overbooked weekends.

"We always have something going on. She's always doing something: soccer and ballet," said Hart. "In the summer, it might work really well."

Like Hart, many parents have strayed from the Saturday-only birthday rule to consider midweek birthday celebrations. Popular party destinations across the country report an increase in kids' parties booked Mondays through Thursdays.

One obvious reason for the trend is financial: Companies that specialize in kids' parties have dropped prices and added incentives for parents who book parties for weeknights. Parents save money, and struggling businesses make money on what would ordinarily be slow nights.

But parents and experts who study parenting habits say the increase in weeknight parties may also point to a shift in the way moms and dads view birthday celebrating.

While there will always be parents who insist on weekend parties — or take them to the extreme a la MTV's "My Super Sweet 16" — many parents seem to be returning to party-throwing habits of the 1970s and 1980s, with smaller parties thrown on a child's birthday. That approach acknowledges kids' busy schedules and keeps the children grounded, said Lisa Kothari, author of "Peppers and Pollywogs — What Parents Want to Know about Planning their Kids' Parties."

"It's bringing us back to a simpler time, but at the same time the celebrations are still wonderful," said Kothari. "The competition of wanting to get people to come to your party is not as great."

Claudine Schramko of Hinsdale, Ill., was happy when she realized that her 10-year-old daughter Emma's birthday — April 8 — fell on the Wednesday before spring break this year. Without hesitation, Schramko booked a party for Emma at Sweet & Sassy, a salon and girls accessory store.

Days before the event, Emma's friends talked giddily on the phone about the upcoming party. At school that day, girls counted down the seconds until the final bell. By the time all 11 girls arrived and put on sparkly tiaras, feather boas and sequin dresses, Emma and her friends' excited squeals were louder than the "High School Musical" songs pumping out of the speakers.

"I couldn't wait for it all day. I was just like, 'I can't wait until school's over,' " said Bryn Latimar, one of Emma's classmates.

The birthday girl explained that she and her classmates liked having a reward for their busy schoolwork.

"Sometimes, when we're in school, we're usually studying, so when we come here, we can have something fun," she said.

Emma's mother said her decision to hold the fete on a Wednesday was less about the discount — weekday parties cost 10 percent less at Sweet & Sassy — and more about saving weekends for her family to be together.

Other companies have their own weekday deals that seem especially good in today's economy: Pump It Up (www.pumpitupparty.com), a national chain of indoor inflatable parks, offers an average discount of 20 percent during the week, officials said.

Chuck E. Cheese (www.chuckecheese.com) is another national chain using perks to reel in weekday parties.

Brenda Holloway, spokeswoman for Chuck E. Cheese, said there are certain advantages to booking a birthday party Monday through Thursday. "Unlimited time at the party table and 8 extra tokens per child," she said.

A manager at the Whitehall, Pa., Chuck E. Cheese said weekend nights could see anywhere from 8 to 30 parties come through, while on the weekdays they expect one or two per night.

"Tokens intrigue (parents), but the main reason for them is because it's less crowded on weeknights," he said. "They know the kids will get to play all the games and not have to wait."

Because of the businesses' push, some parents say they don't see the weekday birthday party trend going away any time soon. Which is a good thing, said Kothari, who also operates a Web-based business all about kids' parties (www.pepperspollywogs.com).

"It's something that's going to be a change in America's mentality," she said. "We're kind of redefining how we're going to spend our money and how we're going to spend our time."