Location
London
Guests
100
Type of Event
18th Birthday Party
Turning 18 is a big deal, so when Tom and his parents asked Clownfish to help him celebrate we were only too happy to help. But an 18th birthday party throws up a few challenges – how do you make it cool enough for your mates, but safe enough to keep your mum and dad happy?
The brief
When we first met Tom, he wasn’t sure what he wanted for his party. It had to be big, it had to be cool and it had to fit his personality. Black tie was too formal, plus he wanted something a bit different from his friends’ parties. A tricky brief, but loads of scope for creativity – which we love!
Concept design
What Tom and his mates really wanted to do was go clubbing, but at 17 or 18 this was off the cards. So Clownfish brought the club to them.
Ali and Matt designed an incredible, New York-themed nightclub concept especially for the occasion. They started with a CAD drawing to map out the space and identify the optimum positioning of the set, the DJ booth, lighting rigs, furniture and the photo booth – and then they built it in Tom’s back garden.
The centrepiece was a jaw-dropping graffiti backdrop, drawn from scratch by Ali and reproduced on a massive scale in UV paint. We added a black LED ceiling, starlit dance floor, LED furniture, lighting rigs and spheres and loads of UV to transform the space and recreate the ambience of a proper nightclub.
Unique considerations
Throwing a party for teenagers at home can be a worry. Tom’s parents were rightly concerned not only about the safety of the guests, but also about their house.
To create a spectacular welcome, we lit the front of the house with coloured lighting and created an entrance with VIP ropes up to the front door. A marked walkway continued through the house and straight through to the back garden, making it clear which parts of the house were off-limits.
Guests entered the ‘club’ via a tunnel walkway illuminated with UV graphics, so there was no reason for them to venture into the garden.
The Clownfish Events team and bar staff were young and friendly, but experienced enough to deal with this particular age group. We also provided a doorman to ensure that nothing got out of hand and that the guests respected Tom’s parents’ property. A super silent generator powered the entire event so that we didn’t have to take a feed from the mains supply.
Planning a teen party? We’ll make it worthy of their social media feeds.
Our box of tricks
A DJ known for his local club residency, for extra cool factor.
Special effects lighting, including loads of UV and LED spheres suspended from the ceiling.
An illuminated bar and cube seating, plus cruise tables for mingling on the edge of the dance floor.
