Party ideas by age, with Manchester destinations

Ages 6 to 9: the princess limo, the football limo and the fire engine

At this age the limousine is the party. A pink Lincoln with the lighting set to pink, a tiara on each seat and a loop past the city lights is the classic girls' booking; the boys' equivalent is a black or white Hummer to the Manchester United stadium tour at Old Trafford or the Manchester City tour at the Etihad, then home via a pizza restaurant. The fire engine limousine sits somewhere between the two and wins with almost every six- to nine-year-old: a real red fire engine, stretched, with a party cabin inside. Keep the ride to about thirty minutes – younger children are happiest when the limousine is a surprise and the destination is close.

Ages 10 to 12: the Trafford Centre and the trampoline park

The most popular kids' booking in Greater Manchester: collected from home, a cruise in, drop at the Trafford Centre for the cinema, Sea Life or Legoland Discovery Centre and a food-court lunch, with the limousine returning for the group afterwards. Trampoline parks and indoor climbing centres around Trafford Park, Stockport and Bury work the same way, and Chill Factore for the brave. Eight children fit a stretch comfortably; for a whole class, see the kids' party bus.

Ages 13 to 16: the first "grown-up" night

Thirteenths and sweet sixteenths want the look of the adult booking without the adult venue: a pink Hummer or a white H2 collecting friends from home, a longer cruise through the city, and a drop at a restaurant in Spinningfields or the Printworks for a film. Mocktails on board go down well. A parent still travels with the group under 16, and no alcohol is carried on any under-18 booking regardless of who is on board. Once the birthday is an 18th, it is a different kind of night – that is covered on birthday limo hire Manchester.

Pamper parties and themed days

Limos are often the transport leg of a bigger party – a pamper party at a salon in Hale, a baking class in the Northern Quarter, a bowling alley at the Printworks or an escape room in the city. We time the pick-up to the booking and the chauffeur holds the bags and the presents between stops.

Which limousine do children choose?

Children are the most decisive customers we have. Girls between six and thirteen ask for the pink Lincoln before anyone has shown them a photograph; football parties want the Hummer; the fire engine is requested by name by children who have seen it outside someone else's party. Parents, sensibly, think about seat counts first.

• Pink Lincoln stretch – up to 8. Girls' birthdays from 6 to 13, and the single most requested kids' vehicle in Manchester.
• White Lincoln stretch – up to 8. Mixed groups, the lowest-priced option, and the one most parents pick for a first limo.
• Fire engine limousine – a stretched, converted fire engine with a party cabin; the booking for the child who already has every other party idea covered. A single vehicle, so ask early.
• Black or white Hummer H3 – up to 8. Football parties and boys who want "the big one" in a size that fits a cul-de-sac.
• 4×4 stretch (Navigator, Jeep, Excursion) – up to 13. Ten or eleven children, which is the size most parties actually are.
• Hummer H2 or pink Hummer – up to 16. Bigger friendship groups and 13th to 16th birthdays.
• Party bus – 16 to 30. Whole-class parties, with room to move about.

The seat counts include the accompanying adult. Eight children plus a parent is nine, which is a 13-seat vehicle; it is the most common reason a kids' quote comes back for a bigger limousine than expected.

Keeping it safe

• An adult travels with the group. A parent or guardian rides in the limousine on every booking for children under 16. For older teenagers we will discuss it with you when you book.
• Soft drinks only. The bar is stocked with juice, lemonade, cola and water, and mocktails if you like. No alcohol is carried on an under-18 booking, whoever is on board.
• Seated while moving. Children sit on the bench seating and use the belts where fitted; standing up to dance happens on the party bus, not in a limousine. The chauffeur will advise on very young children, and most parents of under-5s choose a short ride with a parent beside each child.
• Licensed vehicles and drivers. Every limousine we book is a licensed private-hire vehicle with a licensed, professional chauffeur, and the drop-off points are chosen for a safe exit – never into traffic.
• One named contact. You get the chauffeur's details the day before, and the chauffeur has yours.

Kids' party limo prices in Manchester

Children's parties have a built-in advantage: they happen in the afternoon, at the weekend, often in school holidays – all off-peak for a limousine fleet that is busiest on Friday and Saturday nights. Limo hire in Manchester starts from £365 for a one-hour stretch limousine, and a one-hour kids' party in a white stretch on a Sunday afternoon sits right at that end of the scale. From there the price of your party depends on four things: the vehicle (a pink Lincoln, a Hummer and the fire engine are each priced differently), whether you want the one-way ride or a return to bring everyone home, the date – a Saturday in prom week or the week before Christmas is busier than a Sunday in March – and where in Greater Manchester we collect you. We quote the figure for your date rather than from a list, and it is fixed once confirmed. How each factor moves a quote is explained on limo hire Manchester prices.

Balloons, a banner with the birthday child's name and party bags left on the seats can all be arranged. Many parents split the cost with the other families in the same way a trampoline-park party is split; we quote the per-child figure if you ask.

Booking a children's limo party

Tell us the date and time, the birthday child's age, how many children and adults are travelling, the pick-up address and the party venue. We will confirm which limousines are free – pink limos go first on summer weekends and in the Christmas holidays, and the fire engine is one vehicle – and send one fixed price. Three to four weeks' notice is usually plenty for a weekend afternoon; longer if the party falls in prom week or December, when the whole fleet is busy by the evening and afternoon slots get squeezed. Pick-ups anywhere in Greater Manchester work the same way, from Sale and Stockport to Bury and Bolton.