Planning a bouncy castle birthday party in Winnipeg

A bouncy castle does two things for a birthday party. It entertains the kids with no planning on your part for the whole afternoon, and it gives the party a centre, so twelve seven-year-olds are not running through the house. This guide covers what it costs, which castle fits which party, whether it fits your yard, and what to do in January.

What it costs

Every price on our site is per 3-hour rental, with delivery, setup and takedown included, anywhere in Winnipeg, southern Manitoba and North-West Ontario. There are no add-on fees for the standard rental.

For a backyard birthday with 8 to 15 kids, the answer is almost always a medium castle at $275. Split across 12 guests that is about $23 a child, which is less than most indoor play places charge per head, and the party is at your house.

Which castle for which party

• Classic bounce, biggest crowd per square foot: the Medium Bouncer, 27 × 20 ft, 12 ft high. Open floor, nothing to climb, so it is the easiest one to supervise.
• Bounce plus a slide, for a yard with less room: the 20 × 16 ft Medium Bouncer & Slide. Our smallest footprint.
• Bounce plus a slide, for a yard with more room: the 27 × 20 ft or 32 × 20 ft combos. Same price, more run-up.
• Ages 3 to 6, or a basement-ceiling hall: the Fun Tunnel. A crawl-through maze, 8 ft high, no heights to fall from.
• Ages 8 and up who think they are too old for a bouncy castle: the Obstacle Course or Giant Slide. Races and a two-storey slide change the conversation.
• The big one: the Monster Truck, 38 × 20 ft and 22 ft high. Needs a large yard, a field or a gym with a high ceiling.

Will it fit in my backyard?

Measure the flattest part of the yard and compare it with the footprint on the card, then add about 3 ft on every side for the blower, the entrance mat and the kids waiting. For the smallest combo (20 × 16 ft) that means a clear, roughly level area of about 26 × 22 ft. For the Medium Bouncer (27 × 20 ft), about 33 × 26 ft.

Many Winnipeg lots in older neighbourhoods (Wolseley, St. Boniface, the North End) have narrow yards and a back lane; the 20 × 16 ft combo is the one that fits those. Newer suburban lots in Sage Creek, Bridgwater or Waverley West usually take a 27 × 20 ft unit easily. If you are not sure, text us a photo of the yard from the deck with a rough measurement and we will tell you what fits.

Other things to check:

• Gate width. We carry the castle in rolled on a cart. A standard 36-inch gate is fine; a 30-inch gate or a route through the house is something to tell us about.
• Overhead. Look up. Tree branches and the power line from the pole to the house are the two things that rule out a spot. A medium combo is 13 to 14 ft high.
• Outlet. An outdoor outlet on the house, or an indoor one through a window, within reach. We bring the cord.
• Ground. Grass is best; we stake into grass. A paved driveway works with weights. Tell us which.
• Sprinklers and dog spots. Turn the sprinklers off the night before, and do a quick walk of the yard.

Winter birthdays

About half of Winnipeg's birthdays fall between October and April, when the backyard is under snow. A castle still works; it just moves inside. The venues that work best for a private party:

• Community centre hall. Most neighbourhoods have one, boards rent the hall by the hour, and many have an outlet and a kitchen. The ceiling is the question: a 10 to 12 ft hall ceiling means the Fun Tunnel; a hall with a gym takes any medium unit.
• Church hall or gym. Often rentable to members and sometimes to the public. Same ceiling question.
• Your own garage? Honestly, no. A double garage is about 20 × 20 ft with an 8 ft ceiling; nothing in the fleet fits with clearance.

The indoor and winter guide has the ceiling-height table for every castle and what to ask the venue.

A party timeline that works

For a 2:00 to 4:00 party with a 3-hour rental:

By age

• 3 to 5. Fun Tunnel or Medium Bouncer. Keep it to 6 to 8 kids at a time, same size kids together, and a parent at the entrance.
• 6 to 9. Any medium combo. The slide is the thing they remember.
• 10 to 12. Obstacle Course for races, or the Giant Slide. Two castles (a package) if the guest list hits 20.
• Teens and adults. Text us first. The large units take bigger bodies, but we want to talk about numbers before we promise anything.

Our birthday picks

• 
  Medium Bouncer & Slide

  $275 per 3 hrs · 20 × 16 ft · 14 ft high · Medium

  Fits a narrow Winnipeg backyard. Bounce and slide in one.

• 
  Medium Bouncer

  $275 per 3 hrs · 27 × 20 ft · 12 ft high · Medium

  The classic. Easiest to supervise, takes the most kids at once.

• 
  Medium Bouncer & Slide

  $275 per 3 hrs · 27 × 20 ft · 13 ft high · Medium

  The roomier combo for a bigger yard or a hall.

• 
  Fun Tunnel

  $275 per 3 hrs · 40 × 40 ft · 8 ft high · Medium

  The toddler pick. Low, soft, no heights.

• 
  Obstacle Course

  $500 per 3 hrs · 38 × 20 ft · 14 ft high · Large

  For 9 to 12 year olds who want to race.

• 
  Giant Slide

  $500 per 3 hrs · 30 × 25 ft · 24 ft high · Large

  Two storeys of slide for a big-yard party.