How do you level up a birthday party at home or in the park? Hire a character or other local entertainer, face painter, or balloon artist! These performers come to you, so travel fees may apply—don’t forget to factor that in when looking at pricing.
Note: There’s a cottage industry of side hustles and small businesses in this field. Our guide below includes the bigger, more established companies, but if there’s an artist or performer you particularly recommend, feel free to share in the comments!
Real Hero Parties
Superheroes come to you and host party games, take photos, give an encouraging “Real Hero Talk,” and more. See link for package pricing and more details.
Royally Yours Princess Parties
Book a famous character princess for story time, sing-a-longs, games, princess lessons, and more. They recommend booking three months in advance to ensure availability. More details and pricing at the link!
Fairytale Princess Parties DFW
These princesses wear high quality custom-made dresses and offer party packages with activities like story time, dancing lessons, face painting or makeup sessions, and more. Lots of info at the link, including pricing.
Blue Collar Balloons
Balloon twisting, face painting, magic shows (and strolling magic), juggling, and glitter tattoos. Check out their à la carte pricing, or bundle two or more services and save.
Characters.io
A national party character company, offering princesses, superheroes, storybook characters, etc. If you don’t see the character you’re looking for, reach out to see if they can accommodate your request.
Gig Salad
Use this marketplace to find and book entertainers near you, from musicians to caricature artists and everything in between. You’ll find a whole section on their site with specialty acts for children’s parties.
Party Pals on the Go
A hands-on stuff n’ fluff experience, where kids get to create their own stuffed animals. Kind of like Build-A-Bear, but they come to you. Check out all the animals available in the Gallery and request a quote at the link.