To start, I have never written a bad review before, of any business, but I could not let this terrible experience go undocumented. I want to warn other parents before they spend almost $500 on a sports birthday party about our awful experience, from start to finish, of our son's 8th birthday party 6/25 at Monarch Parties.
I booked a 3-activity party: flag football, soccer, inflatable obstacle course for 16 kids, with 2 coaches who were supposed to run the party, set up, help with food service and cleanup and generally engage with the kids and make it a fun experience. Now I'm grateful we had so many cancellations (only 8 kids) because they couldn't manage a party half the size we booked.
Setting aside the lack of communication and spotty responses from Jay prior to the event, the actual party was disorganized from moment one. They asked everyone to sign waivers prior to the activities and upon arrival, they couldn't find them. The 2 young women who were the "coaches" had set up the wrong sports (this was after Jay, the supervisor, emailed me earlier in the week to ask which sports we wanted and I confirmed flag football and soccer (apparently he didn't keep track of what I requested a month prior when I paid the deposit)). The inflatable was not inflated upon arrival which I had requested for the non-sporty kids. Eventually, the kids played soccer (started at least 15 mins late for a 2-hr party and rushed us because they had another one right after), at which time Jay approached me to tell me he couldn't locate the football, did I want another sport or should he go buy one? I told him to go get one as this was the centerpiece of my son's request: a football party.
Football was a disaster as the two women did not know the rules or how to explain it (or even make something up). I had to intervene after a couple of the kids became upset that they didn't know what to do. The young women were not engaging or rallying the kids in any way - instead made the excuse that the football coach didn't show up and they didn't know how to explain the activity. It was a disaster and the kids ended up having a totally frustrating experience (some knew the rules, some didn't).
By the time we got to the inflatable on the hot concrete, it was 100° and the kids wouldn't play on it because it was too hot. Instead of the coaches pivoting and being creative to engage with another activity, they basically said, you're out of time (when they were 15 mins late to get started) and we said forget it, let's have pizza.
The coaches were supposed to help with service and cleanup -- be present at least! Instead they disappeared into the office only to reappear after cupcakes and cleanup was occurring and handed the kids hockey sticks and disappeared again. The kids were running around with them and Jay came out to take the hockey sticks away? It was all very disorganized and confusing. Thankfully the other parents were able to step in and help with cleanup and otherwise managing the kids because the staff hid in the office rather than leading the kids in singing Happy Birthday and otherwise leading this part of the party. I don't think any of them even said Happy Birthday to my son. We got in the car and my son said it was the worst party he ever had. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. read more