Another year older means another year wiser. But being wise won’t stop your kid from wanting a unique and fun birthday party. The sprawling nature of Beijing can sometimes overwhelm many parents of young children when looking for the perfect place to hold a family-friendly birthday party. To save you stressing out from reading the myriad of reviews on Dianping, Meituan, or Weibo, here is a convenient list of our choices of the best places to have a birthday party in style here in Beijing.

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Q-World Science Center, 量子世界科学馆

Q-world Science Center in Hello Mart is a fun place for kids (3-13 year old) that like to explore things, try simple experiments, and learn about physics, chemistry, biology, geography, astronomy, computers, and genetic engineering. Each course lasts about 45 minutes. They offer birthday parties with fun experiments for different ages, and course kids can have a birthday cake with friends in a separate room. You are allowed to bring your own food on site.

Mon-Sun 10 am-10 pm. RMB 150-180 per course for children 3-6 year old; RMB 180-210 per course for children aged 6+. F1, Hello Mart Urban Market A18-19, No. 48 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区亮马桥路48号Hello Mart城市市集A18-19 (177 1028 7616)

Bounce Park, 反弹工厂蹦床公园

Bounce Park has 20,000 square meters of trampolines, foam pits, a Lego land, climbing walls, slides of varying steepness, and many more entertainment facilities for families. There is a public food court on the second floor which offers drinks, dessert, and snacks. Families can also book a room on the first floor to celebrate a birthday privately with cakes, balloons, and songs.

Ages 6+. Mon-Sun 9 am-9 pm. RMB 100 per person. No. 8, Huagong Road, Fatou Industrial Park.化工路8号垡头产业园泓彤体育院内 (6720 5958)

Red 1 Go-Karting, 瑞得万国际卡丁车场

When it comes to go-karting, people generally think of it as a sport for older kids. However, some go-karting places offer various kids go-karting parties (the suggested minimum age for driving a kart is 6), which could offer an exciting racing experience for your child’s next birthday. At the food court of Red 1 Go-Karting, parents can order western food like pizza, sandwiches or spaghetti, as well as Thai food and Chinese noodles. Families are also allowed to bring birthday cakes.

Ages 8+. Mon-Fri 1pm-1am, Sat-Sun 11am-1am. RMB 200 per person. No. 88, Laiguangying East Road Chaoyang District.北京市朝阳区来广营东路88号 (6430 6687/6688)

Rock Hour Climbing, 岩时攀岩

Rock Hour Climbing consists of several climbing walls with more than 200 climbing routes of different difficulty and height, which have been set by an international team of indoor climbing specialists. They provide training courses, gear rental, automatic safety devices, and shower facilities. The staff can speak some English, and there is an open area on the second floor where kids can host their birthday parties.

Ages 8+. Mon 11am-10pm, Tue-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-9pm. RMB 110 per person. Building 74, 27 Xi Dawang Lu, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区西大望路27号院74栋 (5720 0101, 137 1888 1250)

Arrow Strike, 全城弓猎

Arrow Strike Archery Club is near Joy City shopping mall Chaoyang, where you can find a lot of family-friendly restaurants and activities. Children’s archery lessons are offered for different levels to help confidence building and improve focus. They also offer some open areas with a projector and a sound system for birthday parties as well as authentic archery competitions.

Ages 8+. Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat-Sun10 pm-11pm. RMB 154 per person. B1, Building 6, Yard 3, Guomei First City, Qingnian Road. 青年路国美第一城3号院6号楼B1. (8579 8567)

KTVs

As we blogged before, KTVs can be a very fun place to go with your family as some KTVs offer rooms decorated with pop culture figures and provide kid’s birthday dinner. Check this quick guide to learn how to KTV with your family in Beijing.

Parks

Honglingjin Park, 红领巾公园

Honglingjin Park designated a national AAA scenic spot, is a family friendly park with a children’s playground, practical road safety education base, and many sculptures. The lawn by the lake is dotted with flowers and trees. Families can bring their kids to have fun at its children’s area, enjoy Beijing’s upcoming blossom season, feed cute ducks, or even take a boat sightseeing on the lake.

6am-9pm. Free. No. 5 Houbalizhuang, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区朝阳门外后八里庄

Yuyuantan Park, 玉渊潭公园

Yuyuantan Park is one of the major urban parks in Beijing. The “Chinese Zodiac” area is in the center of the children’s game square, which is probably the best place for kids to enjoy their birthday. There are also big slides and lovely animal sculptures the surround this area. Another special attraction here is the Mandarin ducks that call the Cherry Blossom Lake home.

6am-7pm. RMB 2. No. 10, middle Xisanhuan Road, Haidian District. 北京市海淀区西三环中路10号

Chaoyang Park, 朝阳公园

Chaoyang Park is located on the site of the former Prince’s Palace and offers a myriad of leisure activities to celebrate a birthday. Kids can kick or throw a ball on the big grass field near the entrance, and the concrete podiums beyond are tree-free kite flying zones. Other kid-friendly areas have cute boats, carnival rides, and playground equipment. There is an RMB 5 admission fee to enter.

6am-10pm (late entry at 9pm). RMB 5. No. 1 Nongzhan Nanlu, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区农展馆南路1号.

Dine

Liliput, 粒粒堡亲子餐厅

As one of the famous kid-friendly restaurants in Beijing, which offers western food and good children’s facilities, many parents host birthday parties here. The children’s combo, spaghetti, and chicken burritos are usually recommended here.

RMB 126 per person. F2, North Area, Shine City, Shunyi District. 北京市顺义区中粮祥云小镇北区Costacoffee楼上201 (138 1016 5171)

Bistro Blu, 布鲁亲子餐厅

The chef here is from Germany, and every dish is homemade in the open kitchen. With a comfortable environment and entertainment facilities, it’s a popular place to hold birthday parties for kids. Cream of mushroom soup, German potato salad, and Panna Cotta are just a few of the dishes that are popular here.

RMB 145 per person. No.2 Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区将台路2号 (8450 1589)

School’s Out 酷乐派儿童主题餐厅

With pumpkin carriages, stars, and a fairy tale background wall, this place is straight out of a fantasy. The restaurant has a large area for kids to play, making it also suitable for birthday parties. Parents can order a variety of nutritious birthday dinners for their kids. The spaghetti and chicken burritos come highly recommended!

RMB 214 per person. F2, Ritan Hotel, No.1 Ritan Road. 日坛路1号日坛宾馆2层 (8579 4330)

Photos: Courtesy of featured restaurants and theme parks, Pixabay.com

When Josh Geddes of Air Factory reached out to us for a review, we couldn’t turn him down. We had taken a team meeting at the trampoline park a few months before on a weekend, and we were curious to see how the weekdays compared.

Air Factory is a large and spacious trampoline park in Beijing that’s easier to access than the Shunyi parks for those who live in the city or Haidian (bonus: air filters in each location).

When we went on the weekend, it was full with lots of people. It wasn’t so full that it was hard to enjoy what the park had to offer, as there were plenty of places for parents to plop and wait, plenty of coaches to make sure the area was safe, and plenty of spaces to frolic.

I took my kids for the weekday review though. They had remembered the trampoline park on our last visit, and my son literally ran to the building when he saw it. Only a handful of other parents and kids were there, which was nice for us because we enjoyed the space with ease and plenty of time to thoroughly inspect the area. OK, I jumped and stole away to inspect the place. My kids jumped around like wild things while trying to suck me back into jumping every two minutes, but someone had to focus on writing the review. Alas, they overcame me.

We highly recommend Air Factory for its cleanliness and safety. Coaches are careful to watch what children are doing, catching even the naughtiest of children before they do something crazy. This would be the perfect place to go on a bad air day or when another sandstorm whips through Beijing. My children particularly loved falling into the foam pit, and I stomached doing this despite my fear of falling.

Other than trampolines, the park is also home to extracurricular classes provider, Opening Minds. They hold classes like painting, crafts, cooking, and more. At times they put on additional events, such as for holidays. Rock climbing and fitness classes are available at both locations, and the Haidian location boasts a jungle gym!

If you’re coming on a budget, we suggest bringing your own water, as Evian priced at RMB 18 was the only water available. Otherwise, food can be gotten here in a pinch.

One other thing to mention is that it’s easiest to get to the Chaoyang area if you have your own car or if you have a driver, not due to arriving here, but due to getting out of the area. You will still be able to get a taxi to leave, but you’ll need to tip to get them to make the hassle of coming to the area. Parking is a bit expensive, so other parents were parking outside of the complex (which also hosts a hockey and ice skating rink).

If you’d like to try out Air Factory, you’re in luck. They’re giving out 1,000 tickets that can be used Monday-Friday, 9.30am-9.30pm.

If you can’t make it on the weekdays, no worries, tickets are available for purchase at varying rates. Their times are Saturday-Sunday, 9.30am-9.30pm.

To find their locations, search for 空气工厂 in Didi or Baidu Maps.
Chaoyang Location
东坝店 (Dongba)：朝阳区平房村48号东院小狼国际院内

Haidian Location
四季青店(Sijiqing)：海淀区田村北路旱河路0号青泉汽车园内

Photos: Vanessa Jencks, and courtesy of Air Factory

More stories by this author here.
Email: vanessajencks@truerun.com
Twitter: @vanessa_jencks
WeChat: vanessajencks

Australian trampoline park chain Latitude recently opened its first China branch in Shunyi, and already it’s become a favorite for parties and birthdays. Located on Anping Street, the activity center not only has an array of trampolines, it also boasts climbing walls, obstacle courses, a dodgeball court, and lots more to keep your spirits lifted and test your gravity defying skills.

You can work with staff to plan a party and have them arrange everything you’ll need for a price that varies based on each party’s requirements, or you could just book the venue ahead of time and bring everything you need for a party with you.

Feedback from parents who’ve held parties there has been mostly positive. They all talked about how great the activities were and how much the kids loved it. Some were concerned that there were older kids in the same area as the younger ones, although they agreed that overall, the venue was in good working order and felt quite safe. A lack of adequate English-speaking staff was another issue; however Latitude makes up for it by assigning numerous staff to your party, to ensure you have enough hands on deck to manage a group of excited and boisterous kids.

Overall, parents were pleased with the fun activity options, the upbeat music that keeps enthusiasm levels high, and the overall atmosphere.

Mon-Fri: RMB 108 per hour (RMB 98 for members)
Sat- Sun: RMB 138 per hour (RMB 128 for members)
Group price: Two people or more can enjoy an RMB 15 deduction each
Parent-kids price: From Mon-Fri one adult at full price can take one child that is up to 1.1 meters tall for free

*NOTE: We understand from Latitude that these prices may change after summer.

Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat-Sun 9am-10pm. 3 Anping Street, Houshayu, Shunyi District. (8047 6556, service@latitudechina.com.cn) www.latitudechina.com.cn 北京市顺义区后沙峪安平街3号（枯柳树环岛国门一号）

This article originally appeared on page 3 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: latitudemelbourne.com