Planning a First Communion Party

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about planning a First Communion party.

The First Holy Communion, also known as the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is an important Roman Catholic ceremony. In the UK, many Catholic children receive their First Communion around the age of 7 or 8, usually during primary school.

After the ceremony, it’s become a much-loved tradition to host a party to celebrate the occasion with family and friends. Planning an event like this can quickly become stressful and, increasingly, many parents describe Communion preparations as feeling “like organising a mini wedding”.

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To make the process easier, we’ve outlined nine simple planning steps below, each with practical tips and advice to help you stay organised.

As always, the golden rule is to start early.

1. Confirm the Time and Date of the Event

First Communions are typically organised by primary schools in conjunction with local parishes.

In most cases, the school will inform you of the date and time of the ceremony. It often takes place on a Saturday or Sunday in May or early June.

As soon as you receive the date, start planning. Communions tend to happen on the same few weekends each year, which means many families will be hosting their parties at the same time. This can make booking venues and entertainment more challenging.

The sooner you begin, the more options you’re likely to have.

Pro-tip: If you’re starting your planning late for a Saturday Communion, which is often the most popular day, consider hosting your party on the Sunday instead. It may make it easier to secure your preferred venue or entertainer.

2. Plan the Guest List

Make a list of everyone you’d like to invite to celebrate the occasion.

Churches tend to have limited seating, so the religious ceremony is often restricted to close family. For that reason, hosting a party afterwards is the perfect way to include your extended family and friends.

You’ll also want to invite the close friends of the Communion child. Just keep in mind that many of their classmates may be celebrating their own Communions around the same time.

Pro-tip: If you’re hoping to stick to a tight budget, keep the guest list small. It’s one of the biggest factors affecting overall costs.

3. Book a Venue

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If you don’t have space at home, or if you’re planning to invite a large number of family and friends, you’ll want to book a venue for the day. Choose between independent function rooms in such places as church halls or community centres, or opt for a room in a restaurant, hotel, pub or club.

Check your local area to see what’s available. It’s important to take into account the travel time from the church to the venue. You don’t want to be rushing around on the day.

Independent function rooms like community halls tend to be more affordable but require a bit more legwork from the planner. The main thing is to make sure they have the required tables and chairs for your event. Everything else you can usually bring with you. If you choose to do this, you could consider hiring a caterer to take care of all the party food.

Restaurants, hotels, pubs and clubs, on the other hand, may or may not charge for the room, but you’ll generally need to order the food and drink through them. It can be more expensive, but it also makes life easier.

If you’re planning to host the event outside, make sure you have a backup plan. Even though Communion parties are usually held in spring or early summer, the weather can be unpredictable.

4. Plan the Entertainment

The key, when it comes to booking entertainment, is making sure that it’s appropriate for the age group. You can view some tips for hiring a great kid’s entertainers here.

If you’re inviting guests of different ages, from younger siblings to grandparents, it’s worth choosing activities that can appeal to everyone. You may also find our guide on how to host a multi-age party helpful when planning entertainment for a mixed group.

Some of the entertainment that’s most commonly booked at a Communion party includes:

Magicians

Magic shows are great because they appeal to a broad age group. There are three main options to choose from:

A kid’s show – This generally lasts around 45 minutes to an hour and is designed specifically to entertain the children. They’re guaranteed to love it.
A family show – This lasts 45 minutes or more and is designed to entertain both children and adults. This is ideal if you want everyone involved and don’t want to separate the kids.
Walk around magic – This is a more informal format where the magician moves among your guests, performing for small groups at a time.

You can book a magician directly through PartyWizz to entertain your guests at your First Communion party.

Disco

If your younger guests enjoy dancing, booking a disco is a great option. The entertainer often offers a combination of activities which might include musical games, dance challenges and karaoke.

These discos can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours, depending on your schedule and how much energy you have.

You can book a children’s disco party online through PartyWizz.

Bouncy Castles

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Bouncy Castles are always popular with kids. Most often, you rent them for the day, as long as you have enough space!

If you’re booking a Bouncy Castle through PartyWizz, you’ll find the space requirements listed on the profiles of the entertainment provider.

Pro-tip: As the children will most likely be wearing smart clothes, make sure the bouncy castle is supervised. Bouncing is usually fine, but rolling around in the grass afterwards might not be ideal.

DIY Entertainment

If you can’t book an entertainer due to budget or availability, or if you prefer to keep things simple, you’ll still want to plan some entertainment for the children. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out our favourite party games.

Alternatively, you could rent lawn games for the day, such as giant chess or outdoor garden games. Check your local area to see what’s available.

Pro-tip: If you’re hoping to book an entertainer, start early. Diaries fill up quickly during Communion season, and booking several months in advance isn’t unusual.

5. Decide Who’s in Charge of the Pictures

If you’d like some professional photos of the day, consider hiring a photographer. You probably don’t need them for the full event, an hour or two around the ceremony or key moments may be enough.

If you decide not to hire a photographer, make sure you choose someone to be in charge of taking photos. As the party planner, you’ll likely be too busy making sure all the guests are happy to focus on capturing the moments as well.

Pro-tip: Make sure devices are fully charged before the day and consider bringing portable chargers or spare batteries. A camera or phone with no power won’t be much help when you need it most.

6. Plan the Party Food

Planning the food isn’t as urgent as booking the venue or entertainment. If your event is being held in a restaurant, you may not need to worry about this at all.

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The first decision is whether you’d prefer a seated meal or a buffet. A buffet generally requires less planning and offers more flexibility. You can find some fun and easy ideas in our article on children’s party food.

Next, decide whether you want to make the food yourself, buy it ready-made, or order catering. This often comes down to how much time you have and how much you enjoy cooking. Don’t be afraid to ask guests to contribute something if appropriate, for example, a dessert.

There are also a few practical considerations to keep in mind:

What time is the ceremony? Services are often held in the morning or early afternoon, which will influence whether you plan a full meal or something lighter, such as afternoon tea.
What cooking facilities does your venue have? If you’re hosting at home, this won’t usually be an issue. However, if you’re using a hall or function room with limited facilities, you may want to opt for cold food only.
Do any guests, especially children, have allergies or specific dietary requirements? It’s helpful to ask this when you send out the invitations.

7. Plan the Decorations

The decorations you choose will depend a lot on the venue. Flowers, balloons, banners and other party decorations can easily be be coordinated in your chosen colours or theme.

After that, it’s simply a matter of displaying them neatly throughout the venue or your home. If in doubt, keep things simple. A few well-placed decorations often look better than trying to fill every space.

Depending on where you live, you should be able to find helium to make the balloons float. If you’re planning on blowing up regular balloons, make sure you buy a pump. They’re cheap, and they will save you a lot of time and energy!

Try to set up everything before the ceremony so you’re not rushing afterwards. Ideally, the only thing left to do when you arrive at the venue is to bring out the food.

Pro-tip: Choose decorations that are easy to remove. If you’re hosting your event in a venue, you’ll likely be required to take everything down at the end of the day.

8. Plan Party Favours & Thank You Cards

It’s a lovely touch to prepare party favours and thank you cards for your guests.

For inspiration on what to include, you can read our article on what to put inside a party bag. Small keepsakes, personalised treats, or simple thank you notes can all help guests remember the day.

If you’re short on time, you might also consider ready-made party favours or reusable gift bags to make things easier.

9. Get Some Help on the Day

Last but definitely not least, don’t try to do everything yourself.

Having someone you can rely on during the party makes a huge difference. Whether it’s a close friend, family member, or even an older cousin, having an extra pair of hands to help with welcoming guests, organising food, or managing the children allows you to relax and enjoy the celebration too.

After all, this is a special milestone for your child, and you deserve to enjoy it as much as they do.