How To Save RMB 8,000 on a Birthday Party at MeLand

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Beijing parents are always asking “Where can I throw a birthday party for my kid?” Well, we’re here to tackle that big bouncy question as we explore different types of venues all over the city, and give you an in-depth look at your kids’ party options. Search #BigBeijingBirthdayPartyList for more kids' birthday party recommendations from us.

If you have an active child below 12 and they haven’t yet been to the sprawling three-story indoor playground that is MeLand, then you should definitely put it on the list for one of these cold, wintry days. Earlier this year, I posted a video and article about how much my 6-year-old loves MeLand and spends the entire day there. We had been introduced to the playground by our dear family friend, Shu, whose son asked to celebrate his 5th birthday there this past October.

Indoor playgrounds like MeLand number in the hundreds in Beijing, and they are happy to take the reins from busy parents in terms of planning and putting together the entire party. However, the biggest drawback to this arrangement is the price tag, which starts at RMB 17,800 for a group of 12 children, plus adults. This pricing includes all-day access to the playground, finger foods, two hours in their dedicated party room – complete with decorations in the theme of your choosing – plus a little performance.

My friend Shu did the calculations and decided against the party package at MeLand, opting instead to simply rent the room for two hours at a rate of RMB 1,500/hour. You are welcome to go earlier and set up, but if you stay longer than your pre-booked time slot, MeLand can and will charge you for every extra half-hour. For the entrance tickets, she bought a membership at MeLand and stored a certain amount of money in her card, and then deducted the tickets from there at a discounted price. For seven kids and 14 adults, the tickets came to just over RMB 1,600.

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Having found and used a party supplier that she was more than happy with for her son’s previous birthday, Shu employed his services once again to construct a balloon backdrop for the venue, which you can see in the photos below. That cost RMB 1,000 including setup. The party supplier is also a clown/magician/balloon artist and for RMB 700, he put on an hour-long show that mesmerised both kids and adults!

As for the food, Shu ordered ala carte off the menu at MeLand’s own restaurant, which offers decent kid favorites like pizza, spaghetti, wedges…you know the list. For the entire party, the food cost came to RMB 1,700. If food is where you tend to spend the most, then you’ll be glad to know that if you spend a minimum of RMB 4,000 at MeLand’s restaurant, you can have part of it sectioned off just for you and your party. But be aware that it’s not private and any restaurant goers at MeLand are able to, and most likely will, watch enviously as you celebrate. We should also point out that you are free to bring your own beverages to the party, which Shu did, providing bottled water and soda for us, which cost around RMB 200.

Shu was also able to add in a few more finishing touches such as a piñata, which she bought and stuffed with toys from Taobao, themed paper plates, cups, napkins and party hats, all for under RMB 200. When she was quoted RMB 165 for printing the party posters by her party supplier, she took a walk around her neighbourhood and found a printer who did it for below RMB 50 instead.

So if you total up Shu’s costs, it all rounds up to about RMB 10,000, which is RMB 7,800 less than the basic package at MeLand. That’s more money for the ol’ college fund!

If you’re interested to book your kid’s birthday party at MeLand, search YY_2729_ on WeChat to add their party manager Yang Yang. For Shu’s party planner contact, search FengyunXiaoYao_Tao on WeChat.

Images: Uni You

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