Our office team gets calls asking us to “donate our time” or “provide free face painting” daily, so we finally wanted to blog about it. We love working for nonprofits–actually, we specialize in it! But a lot of these types of phone calls end in this: “I think we’ll just have our volunteers do it.”
It’s tempting (we know) to get a service done for free when you’re on a limited budget.
Hiring Kaleidoscope almost always mean you can actually make money off of face painting, but it’s still a leap of faith. So if your organization is still looking to get free face painting, here are a few tips from the professionals on making sure your event’s face paint isn’t a disaster:
Kaleidoscope’s staff is full of art-nerds. Like, we-dream-about-face-paint nerds. Go-out-to-dinner-together-so-we-can-talk-about-balloon-twisting dorks. So, naturally, our friends send us anything they see online that has to do with face painting or body painting! Today we were sent this article today by Alex Iwashyna: an awesome mom who loved face painting and wondered, “how hard can it be?” Here’s an excerpt of Alex’s post:
Body painting is the coolest! We’re convinced there is no better way to impress a crowd this Halloween with your costume. And good news! Kaleidoscope is taking face and body painting private appointments in CT and MA this Halloween to make all of your awesome/sexy/terrifying-costume dreams come true.
So as we count down the days to our all-time-favorite holiday, here are a few tips and tricks for body painting this Halloween!
If you’ve wanted to throw a foam party, we have professional technicians and foam machine rentals who will service all of CT, MA, and RI, with over a decade of experience from New England’s largest creative entertainment company!
Fill your lawn with music, dancing, and mountains of magical foam!
Throw a Foam Party in CT, MA, or RI
A foam party is a family-friendly dance party for all ages, where our professional foam technicians will crank the music and fill your space with foam up to guests’ hips or shoulders.
To throw a foam party, all you need is:
A flat, outdoor space like a lawn or driveway.
Water and electric hookups within 100 feet of that area.
That’s it! Our talented foam technicians will bring:
A giant foam cannon that will stack mountains of foam for your guests.
A speaker system that’s compatible with aux or BlueTooth.
More foam and bubbles than you’ve ever seen in your life!
We take care of everything. All you need to do is invite your guests!
Foam Machine Rentals for Kids’ Birthdays in CT, MA, and RI
Our one-hour birthday package is perfect for kids 4-12 and has everything you need for an amazing party.
Our foam tech will arrive an hour before your scheduled start time to set up the equipment. All you have to do is show them where to go.
When the big moment comes, our foam tech will explain the rules to your party guests (no hitting, sliding under the foam, or eating the foam.)
Then, the foam will start to blast in the air! Complete with our party mix of family-friendly edits of today’s big hits + some 90’s club throwbacks for parents, your guests will all be waist-deep and dancing in no time.
By the end of your hour, guests will be smiling and exhausted (no matter how much energy they normally have!) from dancing in the sunshine and bubbles.
The foam tech will turn off the music and foam cannon. They’ll clean up all of their machines and the foam will naturally dissolve in the heat.
Our hour-long birthday party package is perfect for ages 4-12 but can be enjoyed by kids as young as toddlers, plus teens and adults.
The package is made for up to 25 kids and is normally around $500, but will include travel fees depending on where in CT, MA, or RI you’re in.
Our summer camp packages are built for daycares, PreKs, schools, libraries, and camps that have tight schedules and anywhere from 25 – 500 kids.
Here’s what you can expect:
At the time of booking, we’ll give you a custom quote for the number of kids you’re expecting this summer.
We’ll work with you to schedule groups of up to 25 kids in 30-45 minute rotations that fit with your camp schedule.
On the day of your event, our foam tech will arrive an hour early to set up. All they’ll need is for you to show them where to set up, and have maintenance help them with water/electric in case anything needs to be turned on.
The foam tech will keep the foam and music flowing for the duration of your event! Counselors will be able to rotate kids in on the schedule you set.
After the last group is done, the foam will naturally dissolve as the foam tech is cleaning up their equipment.
Whether you’re planning a Bar / Bat Mitzvah in a nightclub, a Sweet 16 in a backyard, a Project Graduation in your school, or a friends and family graduation party, we have the most original entertainment around!
Tween and teen foam parties are similar to all of the other ones we do: our foam techs come, blast foam up to guests’ shoulders, and get a dance party going. But there are a few things you should keep in mind while booking your event:
Make sure your venue is compatible with foam. If you’re outdoors, we just need a flat area (turf or black top are fine) with access to electricity and water within 100 feet. If you’re indoors, the area will need to be cement with drainage (a nightclub is normally perfect, but gyms, cafeterias, or homes won’t work).
Book multiple cannons or schedule guests in waves. 1 cannon can produce enough foam for up to 20 teens at once. Plan to reserve multiple cannons (such as for a Bar / Bat Mitzvah with an open dance floor, or a Quince with a specific dance time) or schedule groups to come in waves (such as a school-wide Project Grad).
Make sure guests bring a change of clothes. While teens might want to come to your big event dressed up, they shouldn’t wear anything they don’t want to see wet into the foam. Encourage them to bring a change of clothes they can get wet in, as well as athletic sneakers or sandals that firmly strap onto their feet.
Reserve a DJ. For events with more than 1 cannon, we highly recommend getting a professional DJ with us or reserving your own. The perfect playlist is crucial to an amazing foam party, and when we have multiple cannons running at once you’ll need a pro sound system to make sure guests can hear the music.
Large-Scale College & Corporate Foam Parties
If you’re throwing a huge corporate event, we have up to 5 foam cannons that can be reserved at once. Here’s how we suggest planning your party:
When you book with us, we’ll give you several pricing options at various lengths of time and with different numbers of cannons. This way, you can plan the right experience for your run of show and budget.
Our techs will turn up 60 minutes before their scheduled start time to set up. All you’ll need to do is show them where to set up, but make sure maintenance is around to help with any issues concerning water or electric hook-ups.
You can plan your event with a multitude of cannons running at once (up to 20 guests in any time per cannon) or have scheduled times for guests to dive into the foam portion of your event. You can do that using wristbands, staggered entrance times, or by organizing a line to the experience like a carnival ride.
At the end, your foam tech will clean up everything while the foam naturally dissolves.
For a large event, we just have a few suggestions.
Make sure your venue is compatible with foam. You’ll need a flat outdoor pace with no sprinklers, sewers, stumps, or rocks (plus hookups for water and electric within 100′). For indoor spaces, flooring should be cement and have adequate drainage (like a nightclub floor).
You’ll want a pro DJ, either from us or from another company. Music is key in having the perfect foam party!
Brief guests on the right dress code. They should wear clothing and shoes they’re OK getting wet in, as well as abide by any guidelines HR or legal set for the event.
You’ll want a space for guests to keep phones and bags. For a private event, normally our clients set up some long tables near the foam areas.
FAQ
What happens at a foam party?
A foam party is like a dance party, but in mountains of foam! Your guests come to dance, make TikToks, take selfies, and build memories while a foam cannon sprays more bubbles than they’ve ever seen in their lives.
How do you plan a foam party?
There’s not much to plan: simply contact us for a quote and we’ll do the rest.
All you’ll need to figure out after that is guest lists, food, tables and chairs, and other parts of your event.
What time of year can you throw a foam party in CT?
In New England, the foam season is generally the same as pool season: Memorial Day to Labor Day. However, there’s some flexibility with this–just know your guests WILL get wet, so prepare them and plan your space with plenty of areas to dry off and warm up.
What do I need To Throw a foam party in CT, MA, or RI?
A flat area (ideally outside) where there aren’t tripping hazards like sprinklers, sewers, rocks, or stumps.
Water hose and 3-prong electric hook-ups within 100′ of that foam area.
If you’re having a party of under 25 people, that’s it! We bring a professional speaker that’s compatible with aux and BlueTooth.
If you’re having a party of over 25 people, you’ll also want to reserve a DJ.
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Are foam parties safe for kids and pets?
Yes! Foam is super safe for skin and eyes, and won’t damage hair. Just like with soap, it’ll make you vomit if you try to eat it, but it won’t irritate kids in any other way.
That said, we recommend that pets are kept away from the foam. Our furry friends love to explore the world by licking, and foam might look interesting but will make them vomit if ingested.
We also require adult supervision for all children while playing to make sure that they’re being safe with each other, especially with mixed-aged groups where toddlers are running between the legs of older (and rougher) elementary schoolers.
Yes! Our foam is almost entirely made of water with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Glycerol in it. Those ingredients won’t hurt your lawn and will naturally dissolve after your event.
If your party is more than 3 hours long, it might make your lawn a little muddy. If you’re considering about the amount of water and feet trending on a certain area of grass, we suggest planning your foam party on hardtop like driveway, parking lot, or paved area.
Are foam parties wet?
They sure are! If you duck in and out really quickly, it’ll only be like getting some foamy dish detergent on you. Maybe damp for a few minutes, but easily dissolved.
But if you stay in the foam for more than 15-20 minutes, it’ll be like jumping in a pool!
What is the foam made out of?
Our foam is almost entirely made of water with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Glycerol in it.
It contains no animal products, gluten, latex, fragrance, pine nuts, or soy. It is vegan, kosher, halal, and allergen-free. See our full SDS here.
Will the floor get wet from foam? Can you slip?
You can slip in the foam, yes. This is why it’s so important to have your party on a lawn, outdoors, or on cement floors with good drainage.
Guests should not wear shoes that could twist their ankles (such as heels, platforms, or shoes with rollerblades in them) or shoes that will easily fall off (such as ballet flats, slides, and sandals that aren’t made for sports).
We recommend wearing athletic shoes (such as gym sneakers or water shoes) or going barefoot.
Can I throw a foam party in a pool?
NO. The foam is extremely dense and will obscure the water, creating a serious drowning hazard.
Foam will not be sprayed within 100′ of any body of water including pools or lakes unless that water is fenced off and locked from any party guests.
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What do you wear to a foam party?
DO WEAR clothing that you could play sports with or jump in a pool with. This could be anything from bathing suites and surf gear to t-shirts and shorts to sun dresses or jeans.
DON’T WEAR clothing that can’t get wet or dirty. (If it needs to be dry-cleaned, it’s not worth it!)
DO WEAR shoes that are safe for running, jumping, and dancing in water with. We recommend water shoes, sandals made for outdoor sports, gym sneakers, or just barefoot.
DON’T WEAR shoes that could twist your ankle (heels, platforms, or shoes with rollerblades), hurt someone if you stepped on them (heels, sport cleats), that could fall off easily (slides, sandals, flats), or that you can’t get dirty (designer heals, collectable sneakers).
Will the foam ruin clothing?
If you’re wearing clothing that is dry-clean only, then yes foam can ruin it.
No leather, suede, lace, silk, or anything too expensive!
But your t-shirts and jeans? Sun dresses and shorts? They’ll be just fine–our foam doesn’t have any dyes or corrosive materials.
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Can we just rent the foam machine?
Foam canons are heavy, hard to maneuver, and could cause injury if they fell on someone.
Not only that, but they have both water and electricity running to them at all times!
For your safety, all of our foam canon rentals come with a professional technician who will take care of everything.
How much does a foam party cost?
Single-cannon, one-hour rentals start at around $500 plus travel. This includes everything you’ll need.
For longer events with multiple cannons, the experience starts at $500 for the first hour per cannon and then has a discounted rate for more time.
When you contact our office, we’ll give you multiple pricing options including travel fees to where you’re located.
Can you have colored foam?
We don’t currently offer colored or UV-reactive foam. In our experience, the mess these dyes can cause guests doesn’t add to your overall experience.
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How do you clean up after a foam party?
Our foam techs will clean all of their gear after themselves. The foam will naturally dissolve by itself in 10-30 minutes, depending on heat and humidity that day.
Does your school, nonprofit, or fundraiser need some entertainment? From airbrush tattoos and face painters to balloon twisters and puppet shows, we have special non-profit packages customized for clients looking to do build a better world on a budget.
