The Birthday Party That Every New Orleans Kid Needs!

Note: Parties are seasonal and may not be available during cold months or during the holiday season! 

What is more New Orleans than Cafe du Monde?!

Last month, we had my son’s 2nd birthday at Cafe du Monde in City Park, and we had a blast. I haven’t decided if I’m a “birthday party every year” kind of mom or not, but I knew I wanted to celebrate this birthday. My goals for this party were: outdoors, not too time-consuming to plan, and not hosted at my house. Cafe du Monde checked off each category, and we loved it so much that I have to share!

So if you’re thinking ahead to your next party, here’s all of the info…

The Logistics

Parties are only available at the City Park location, and the party price includes an order of beignets, a drink, hats, and party favors for 20 guests. Beignets and drinks can be added a la carte for additional attendees. You can choose between a morning and an early afternoon time slot, and you are allowed an hour to set up and 30 minutes for cleanup. The parties are hosted outdoors under a large covered patio, and Cafe du Monde also provides the tables, chairs, and tablecloths. All we needed to bring was any decorations or additional food and drink that we desired.

This was the perfect location for us. With a midsummer birthday, it will always be HOT for my son’s parties. The covered patio provided the perfect outdoor venue somewhat shielded from the New Orleans heat and humidity. Also, the communication was excellent. The Café du Monde team was quick, detailed, and proactive.

The Details

I love that you can do as much or as little as you want with a party here. If you’re the type of parent who wants to walk into a space and not have to do anything, this can work for you. If you prefer to carry out a theme, the space is a blank slate for you to go all out if you would like.

I fall somewhere in the middle with kids’ parties. I decided to use the location to my advantage and went with a “beignet” theme. We added balloons and placemats as décor and set up our bubble machine to provide endless toddler entertainment.

Probably what makes the space so attractive is the location being in City Park. The location is so unique and the park provides the perfect party backdrop. The restaurant is steps away from a pond with ample ducks waddling around and is right next to Stanley Ray playground.

OUR PARTY

Here is what worked for us…

As I mentioned we went with a beignet theme. We chose a Sunday early afternoon and I really didn’t want to spend anytime running errands before the party. I had Panera Bread sandwiches and fruit delivered directly to the venue and also ordered pizzas to be delivered there. I brought coolers with additional drinks for the adults and extra juice and water. We went with a cookie cake and cookies for additional sweet treats and had some other snacks available too.

It is summertime in New Orleans, so of course, rain was in the forecast. We planned in advance to move our party over to the playground after we were done at Cafe du Monde if the weather permitted. Without knowing if the kids would definitely be able to play on the playground or not, I wanted to have another activity available. We brought cookie decorating kits for the kids to decorate and eat during the party. This was a hit! The rain held out enough for us and after the party, we set up a tent and table next to the playground and brought our drinks and snacks over to continue the fun for the rest of the afternoon.

What I Would Change

Because not everything can be perfect, here are a few changes I wish I could make:

  • The time slots are short and are only available early. We worked around this by moving our party to the playground after to extend the fun.
  • Parties are currently limited to a package of 20 with an a la carte option for additional guests. We had well over 20 guests and it worked out just fine, but I wasn’t sure in advance. We used the provided seating for the kids and the adults mainly supervised and mingled.

Overall, we had a great time. I love a unique party and this checked off all of my requirements. Many thanks to Emily, Paige, and the Cafe du Monde team for providing a truly extraordinary and an “oh so New Orleans” experience.

I truly think this is the birthday party that every New Orleans kid needs.

Tip: I can SO see this party and location twisted to host showers, adult birthday parties, brunches and so much more!

Danielle Blanco
Danielle is a native New Orleanian. She graduated from Ben Franklin and attended the University of New Orleans' undergraduate and graduate schools. She and her husband Abraham married in 2017 and welcomed their son Blaise in 2019 and son Beckham in 2021. She balances motherhood with working full time as the Director of People and Culture in the local healthcare and education industries. She is learning to embrace the chaos of life as a Mom. Danielle’s current struggle is navigating preschool options for her oldest and managing the endless appetite of her youngest. This type-A mama can usually be found on the go with a to-do list and a plan. She enjoys trying new things, thrifting, and is always in the middle of glittering or a DIY project. Additionally, she never turns down a happy hour or beach vacation. She is excited to experience New Orleans as a mom and is truly proud to call it home.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Yes, I agree!! We had our son’s first birthday there when it was Morning Call. It was perfect, everyone loved it. We just had close family and friends so it was small. In fact I started the trend to have birthday parties there, with some of my family members, that in fact they also had birthday parties there. Till this day we bring our son there on his birthday to celebrate.

    • Aren’t they pretty?! They are from a local New Orleans Mom! Her Facebook page is: Bryoni’s Catering and her Instagram page is: @bryonicatering.

    • They were beautiful and delicious! They are from a local New Orleans Mom! Her Facebook page is: Bryoni’s Catering and her Instagram page is: @bryonicatering.

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