Birthday Party Venue Hunting

*Updated to include details of Kizsport and Kids E World.

I've been spending my last two weekends, hunting for a suitable location for Aiden's upcoming birthday. Usually, we would have his party at home. But this year, after attending so many parties at JKids, Kizsport and the likes of it, he requested to have his party at a similar play land.

Although his condition is clear and simple, unfortunately mine isn't that easy to fulfill. I want to be able to entertain and talk to my guests, hence I do not want a place that is too big, crowded and noisy. Also, given my love for dessert tables and anything personalized, I want the freedom to be able to bring in my own cakes, cupcakes and such. Lastly, since Malaysians are always prone to 'Malaysian time', the location must be flexible enough to allow the place to be booked long enough for me to setup the place and also to cater for latecomers.

So we've been visiting quite a number of play lands recently, and here I am sharing with you what I found. Sharing is caring, kan?

Disclaimer: Information below are correct at time of writing, based on my interpretations. Please expect some variants in the packages and prices, as most of the locations are more than happy to customize according to your needs. Please call the venues directly for more information, and depending on your power of negotiations, you may be able to strike a better deal than what I got below!

JKids, various locations

Jkids, image from here.

With over 7 locations to choose from, Jkids offer a very competitive price as compared to the rest. Entrance fee for kids attending parties is just RM26.50 per person. Kids below 6 months old and above 13 years old, enter for free. You will need to pay RM159 to book the party area for 2 hours (add RM53 for additional hour), and order one item from them (food, party pack etc) but other than that, you are home free to do anything you want, i.e. outside food, own cake, personalized decorations etc. One entrance and one exit, hence you don't have to worry about your little guests roaming out of the play area. 

JKids Paradigm - single entrance/exit. Ian really loves the sand pit area! However the sand pit closes at ~6pm.

Unfortunately, since the price is very competitive, it is almost always fully booked. If you are unlucky, you may even have back to back bookings with your own party, hence you will not have sufficient time to setup and then have to rush to pack up afterwards to make way for the next party. Lastly, activities here are more suitable for kids younger than ~7 year olds. There are no activities catered for your more matured guests.

KizSports & Gym, Bangsar Village
Four outlets to choose from, namely Main Place Subang, Great Eastern Mall Ampang, Desa Park City and the one I usually frequent - Bangsar Village II. I was told that the Bangsar Village II is the only branch that allows outside food, as they do not have an in-house cafe. Yeay! Entrance fee for party guests is RM42 per child for unlimited play time, including use of their party room for 2 hours plus a party pack. Add RM150 per additional hour, and RM150 for a games coordinator (~45mins). (Do note that entrance fee for party guests may be slightly higher for other branches, as their package includes food from their cafe.)

The two cheeky boys posing as mascots, at KizSports, Bangsar Village II.

Jungle Gym, Atria
Two outlets to choose from, BSC and the newest one in Atria. Apparently the BSC branch has a play area concept that is similar to Jkids, however the one we visited in Atria has a more elaborate play area and even a movie screening room. It is huge!!! Entrance fee for guests entering the party is RM38 and RM58 for kids 1+ years old and 3-12 years old respectively. Adults enter for free. To book a party area for 2 hours, you need to pay RM1500 (or RM3000 for 5 hours) which you can offset to pay for entrance fees and food. You will need to order a minimum of 5 kinds of food from them, and then you have the luxury of bringing in anything extra at no cost. Very strict security at entrance and exit posts, manned by staff with access cards and all.

There are 4 different party areas within the Jungle Gym, hence 4 parties can go on at the same time. It was quite chaotic and noisy when we were there. You would have to raise your voice to be heard! Giving them the benefit of the doubt, maybe it is quieter if you book a slot in the earlier part of the day, if compared to when we went (~6ish pm).

Two of the party areas, side by side.

The only party space located at the front of the play area.

Kids E World, Ikano

Two outlets to choose from, one at Ikano Power Centre while the other at The Gardens Mall. The one I visited was the one at Ikano. Entrance fee for each child (above 100cm in height, below free) is RM45 for unlimited playtime, use of the party room for 3 hours, plus a party pack. However, you will need to pay separately for food. Children's menu starts at RM30 while the adult menu is RM45. You can also choose to opt out of the children's menu and just order for the adults, as the child can always enjoy the same food as his/her parents. By the way, they also have a special promotion now - RM58 per child inclusive children food menu but without the party pack.

If you choose to bring outside food, you will be charged RM100 per item. Same goes for dessert tables, magician, clown etc. Each activity will be charged RM100. Only the cake enters for free!

However, I noted that the party room is located outside the main play land. There is also another small play area suitable for toddlers, adjacent to the party room and also outside the main play area. My main concern is that while the parents are eating or mingling around, the kids are free to walk in and out of the main play land to get to the party room/toddler play area and vice versa.

Funtopia, SS15 Courtyard

Funtopia is not officially open to the public just yet, but you can go check them out for a few minutes trial. Since this is not so much a play area but rather an 'extreme sports' kinda play, I took Aiden over last weekend to see whether he would like it. Exactly like his mummy, he's scared of heights, hence I wanted to make sure that he is able to have fun during his birthday instead of just watching everyone else climb over him, literally!

Aiden trying out rock climbing for the first time. Riding that huge slide is cool too, check out the video on their official FB page.

Tons of climbing obstacles for everyone.

Two party packages to choose from, at RM70 and RM110 per pax for the Classic party and Premium party respectively. The package includes food etc. etc. Since the minimum age is 4 (or 100cm), thankfully there is a soft play area for the younger ones (Ian and his guests!), chargeable at RM10 per child.

Ian checking out their soft play area.

Unfortunately, you are only allowed to bring outside food with a fee. Just to give you a feel, you will have to pay RM50 to bring in a birthday cake. I guess I will have to pay more to bring in my own dessert table. Furthermore, the Classic party package is only for an hour's worth of party space, hence a bit too short for my needs.


Amanville, Space U8
I haven't been to Amanville for a while, but when I was last there (over 4 years ago), it had so much potential. Location is awesome too (for us), as it is just 5 minutes away from Bukit Jelutong. Unfortunately, they no longer take bookings for birthdays. I guess they are planning to close down soon? *sigh* Such a shame.


Jumpstreet, Petaling Jaya
Their party package starts at RM55 per pax, which includes an hour of jumping, a coach dedicated to the kids for the entire hour, jumping socks, food and use of the party room for half an hour (after the kids are done with their one hour jump). Kids below 3 are free of charge (for jumping) but if you want food for them, then you have to pay the same price. 

Read my previous review on Jumpstreet here.

You are not allowed to bring outside food, other than the birthday cake itself. Cakeage charge is RM30. Guests cannot enter the party room until the half hour starts, hence my guests would have to wait outside at the common area (or probably jump together) before that. Half an hour is simply too short for me. Also, the place is very big so you cannot just leave your little ones loose while you chit chat. Hence, I do not foresee a lot of mingling around!

The party room.

If you have any suggestions on other play areas to check out, do leave a comment. Thanks in advance!