How to throw the perfect birthday party
Does your teenaged daughter obsess over The Hunger Games? Is your youngest in love with UP, Bob-the-Builder, Peppa Pig, or something more traditional like Peter Pan?
If so, you may want to talk to London-based party planner Mr Twizzle (aka Peter Robertson). He is renowned for throwing truly spectacular parties. At recent events he has re-created the house covered in balloons in UP, used a green-screen to help children fly like Wendy, and helped older children play their own, non-lethal Hunger Games in garden woodland. In the highly competitive world of party planning, it is inventive touches like these that elevate Mr Twizzle’s parties above the rest. We caught up with Peter and picked his brains about how to plan the perfect party, and what makes him the right person to help.
To be or not to be
Peter’s training and background may explain why his parties are such a hit. A trained actor at London’s prestigious Guildhall school of music and drama, he has since worked extensively on stage in London’s West End, as a model, and in commercial television. Once, he even auditioned to the famous Barbara Broccoli for the role of James Bond! But it was not to be. However this thespian background means he has the contacts and experience to pull together the right team of experts for almost any party experience you, or he could dream up.
T-Rex drops by
For a Jurassic Park party, he can arrange for a visit from one of the fearsome creatures. Or how about a game of sleeping dinosaurs, or hide while T-Rex sleeps? If you are after a really big adventure, an expedition to London’s incredible Natural History Museum, with a tour of the galleries, fun and games, plus dinosaur balloon modelling might be just the ticket. The roll call of customers for his parties is pretty impressive, and while he won’t divulge any details of the parties that he has organised for celebrities and royalty, he admits that the list includes Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Paul and Stella McCartney, David and Victoria Beckham, Jamie Oliver, comedian Michael McIntyre, Mick Jagger, Claudia Schiffer, the Saudi royals, and supermodel Elle MacPherson.
Twizzle’s traditional, high-energy parties with games and magic are still in demand, but he says that right now, the most popular themes are Frozen, Superhero, and Star Wars parties with a visit from Darth Vader. Older children favour the Twizzle Pop Star party, where you record your own track in the studio used by Kylie Minogue. “We are also asked to create fully themed parties where we use a set designer, and add extra excitement using famous vehicles,” he says. How about a superhero party with rides in the Batmobile? Or a James Bond adventure with explosions and an Aston Martin? The choices seem endless. A brief look at Peter’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram feeds shows that entertaining children is part of his DNA, it is a stream of great ideas for days out, themes and ‘what’s on’ in London right now.
(@TwizzleUK, www.facebook.com/Twizzle-UK, www.instagram.com/twizzleparties)
The essentials of entertaining kids
However Peter firmly believes that the essence of a party, entertaining children, and having fun, hasn’t changed. “It’s a special moment in a child’s life so parents often stay to watch and the entertainment must appeal to them too,” he says. There is definitely an art to creating excitement and laughter one moment, dealing with the unexpected, and then calming everyone down to enjoy their tea and go home with happy memories, no matter what the age group.
For more information, call Peter on 020 8392 0860, email Twizzle or visit his website: www.twizzle.co.uk
