FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 29, 2020 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
kids & education
Creative ways to celebrate birthdays
and special occasions in New York City
BY JANA BEAUCHAMP
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Life’s special moments still want to be
celebrated! New and exciting ways to celebrate
big days are coming to life since
large-scale, traditional celebrations are on
hold in the current climate.
We spoke to Laura Remmert, expert
event planner and contributor forMartha
Stewart Weddings, to learn about current
event trends. We also spoke to celebration
experts to get the scoop on the best innovations
and products to help you make
the most memorable milestone celebrations
right now.
Micro events and other
COVID party trends
According to Remmert, event planner
extraordinaire, a popular party trend is
micro mitzvahs (just like micro weddings).
Gather a group of close family
and friends and plan a “micro mitzvah.”
Celebrate with close family and
friends in person to keep the party small.
Th e service can be available on Zoom for
special guests who cannot attend in person.
Work within the local rules and regulations
for the event, noting guest count
limits, social distancing, and utilize outdoor
space when you can. To make these
micro mitzvahs smart, safe and sentimental,
Laura Remmert Events supplies
gift bags to guests with hand sanitizer
and custom masks, tables are spaced six
feet apart and guests were grouped with
their family or friends they see on a regular
basis.
Remmert also plans weekends away
for the mitzvah. Start by renting a space
where close family and friends can stay
for the weekend, planning fun activities,
the mitzvah service and dinner to celebrate.
Whether fi nding a family-friendly
home rental, remote cabin, vacation
villa, or resort rooms or cottages, there are
many fun and diverse options.
Remmert tells us that any of these celebration
styles can be for any type of party,
too. She added, “We’re seeing a lot of
‘micro events’ and a lot of trips for smaller
groups to celebrate big life moments. One
big thing we’re seeing is lots of fun personal
details, special place cards for guests
that can be taken home as a keepsake,
custom masks and letters to each guest at
their seat.” Th ere are many ways to make
celebrations as special as can be and celebrating
in the style that’s just right for you
is always the way to go!
Birthday fun
When it comes to birthday celebrations
for kids the most popular options
are a small, smart, safe, socially distanced
gathering outside or a larger, virtual bash
for your closest family and friends. Roof
decks, parks, playgrounds and green
spaces are the ideal venues for socially
distanced celebrations. Just
don’t forget to BYOM
— bring your
own mask!
For a
p a r t y
plann
i n g
p r i m e r,
visit ourHow
to Have a Birthday
Party Amid COVID.If
going the virtual birthday party
route, check out ourBest Virtual Birthday
Party Ideasfor the best(virtual) party
time! For both types of parties, having a
party host with the most can make all the
diff erence.
DJ Natalie is hosting parties and can
host your virtual dance party on Zoom or
bring the beat in-person to the outdoor
location of your choice! She is incredibly
engaging with kids of all ages and
the parties are epic! Virtual dance parties
are a super fun way to connect with
friends and family from afar! Her Zoom
parties include a high-quality dependable
stream; incredible audio, a fun look (DJ
Natalie transforms her home studio into a
disco with pulsing lights and a shimmering
background); virtual jumbotron (her
Spotlight Video feature is a fun way for DJ
Natalie to highlight diff erent guests and
encourage participation); and more fun
and games. Kids will enjoy group dances
such as the Macarena, follow the leader,
show and tell, dance contests and more.
You will party like a rock star!
Family holidays
Make family holidays extra special
while supporting local NYC business as
well as innovative merrymaking services
that are helping people fi nd
creative ways to celebrate
holidays
and every
day.
Tribute
videos make it
easy as pie to create
a meaningful video
montage for special moments
from family and friends near and far so
that the special someone feels the love.
Plus, the Tribute is fun to make and simple
to use. Th e Tribute family “recognizes
the deep impact COVID-19 has had on so
many important milestones in our lives.
We believe that in a time of unprecedented
uncertainty and change, social connection
is more important than ever, and we
want to do our part.” It’s a gift they will
treasure now and cherish forever.
Celebration Stadium is a family-owned
business fi lled with heartfelt ideas to keep
the candle fun while staying safe. Th ese
stunning centerpieces are a creative and
cool way to put one to 100 candles on
anything from cake to pizza to pancakes!
Being able to move the dessert away
and safely enjoy the tradition of blowing
out candles without getting germs
or candle wax on anyone’s cake is priceless.
Plus, they make for beautiful photos
and are very Instagram-worthy. Families
can purchase candles and decorations
with the stadium or add DIY decorations
like fl owers or make fl ags or other personalized
items. Th e stadium (we adore
the mirrored and heart designs) can also
be used for holidays not just birthdays!
Celebrate a birthday, holiday or any day
with your own stadium, using coupon
code NYFAMILY15 for 15 percent off .
Sign Gypsies is the largest yard greeting
company in the U.S., delivering festive
and colorful greetings in a big way. Th e
Sign Gypsies yard greeting displays are
great for homes, schools and businesses.
Th ey create a custom yard greeting that’s
as special as your guest of honor, and
they handle the setup and breakdown of
the greeting. Th ey love bringing joy and
it is sure to create a magical and memorable
moment.
Balloon Saloon recently made Kelly
Ripa’s 50th fabulous and can give you
the royal treatment, too. Balloon Saloon
brings the fun to any and every occasion
with their joyful balloons. Balloon
Saloon’s beautiful and celebratory creations
will make a big day extra special.
Th ey can personalize every arrangement
with balloon names, clusters, age numerals
and organic columns. Giant confettifi
lled balloons are so popular now as well!
Th ey do an expert job to customize creations
to clients’ likes and colors. Balloon
Saloon has been bringing joy throughout
Manhattan and now with a COVID business
pivot is off ering curbside delivery as
well as delivery service to the outer boroughs
and suburbs like Long Island and
the Hamptons. You can even arrange a
socially distant pickup by having Uber
pick up and deliver your bunch of balloons.
Cameo special celebrity greetings are
the new greeting card! Imagine getting
a personal birthday greeting from Snoop
Dog or Michael Rappaport! Cameo has
40,000 talents around the world that
delivers personalized video messages, live
Zoom calls, direct messages and more.
Kids’ faves include personal greetings
from the famous animals on Cameo,
Coyote Peterson, David Henrie and Fiona
the Hippo. Since kids are following their
favorite people on social media without
being able to interact, this is a special way
to get a personal message, interaction and
birthday satisfaction. Simply fi nd your
perfect star match, check the price, and
fi ll in the recipient and occasion (use the
text box to put in a message with relevant
info) and ask for the shoutout. To make
it extra memorable, add as much color as
you can to ensure the recipient gets the
most out of it! Cameo features every type
of talent and is sure to give the birthday
kid major bragging rights!
Photo via
Getty Images
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