How to Book a Park for Kids’ Birthdays in Brisbane

With thousands of awesome parks in and around Brisbane and beautiful Aussie weather, hosting a kids’ birthday party in a park is an extremely popular idea. The kids can run around and have a play, the adults can cook up some sausages on the barbecue, and best of all, there’s no mess to tidy up at home afterwards!

In general, council parks are shared facilities where people can hold small gatherings like birthday parties without needing to book or have permits. Usually, the best procedure is to get to a park as early as possible on the day of the party if you want to set up in a shelter or particular area. However, in some parks, you can book a particular park area in advance. In addition, council approval or consent may be needed for some activities you may consider having at the party. Read on to learn the rules for park booking for your council area. Plus, some great party ideas are below!

Brisbane City Council

You will need council approval for a party in a Brisbane park if you plan to have special events or structures, such as a jumping castle, animal nursery and pony rides. You will also need consent to book part of a park for exclusive use. Follow this link to find out more about park bookings and consents. To book, you need to fill in an online form here. Please bear in mind that processing your application may take up to 10 working days, so make sure you allow enough time.

You can use the map here to find out which BCC parks have designated sites that you can book. Just click on an icon for more information and links to booking a site at that park. Popular parks with designated sites that can be booked include:

Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha
City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane City
Frew Park, Milton
JC Slaughter Falls, Mt Coot-tha Reserve
New Farm Park, New Farm
Rocks Riverside Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks
Sherwood Arboretum
And more

You can also visit brisbane.qld.gov.au for general information on parks in Brisbane.

Moreton Bay Regional Council

You do not need to apply for permission to hold a family or casual social gathering in a Moreton Bay park. Activities involving animals or petting zoos are only approved for organised community events, and store bought jumping castles are not allowed. To learn more about organising an event in Moreton Bay Region park, click here.

For more details about Moreton Bay parks and gardens, visit moretonbay.qld.gov.au.

Ipswich City Council

In the Logan area, facilities in parks, such as shelters and barbecues, are shared and cannot be reserved. Instead, getting to a park as early as possible on the day of your party to get the best spot is best. If you are planning to hold another type of event, like a sporting event or community event, you will need to apply for a permit or licence. You can find out more about that at ipswich.qld.gov.au.

More information about Ipswich parks can be found here.

Redlands City Council

In the Redlands area, you only need to book a park for parties if you plan to have entertainment activities run by a business, such as a jumping castle, farm animals or pony rides. The operator must have $20 million public liability insurance cover, which you must provide proof of when booking.

If you are hoping to book a park, reserve or beach, you need to do so at least 5 working days before the event. To book, you can email City Sport and Venues on rcc@redland.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3829 8999. Note that you cannot book barbecues, tables or shelters, so to secure one, you need to get there as early as possible on the day of the party. Full details about booking a park can be found at redland.qld.gov.au.

For more information on Redlands parks and reserves, click here.

Logan City Council

With more than 900 parks in the Logan area, there are plenty of venue options for your special occasion, from bushland settings to urban playgrounds.

If you are planning to hold an event at a Logan park, you can notify the council of this by filling in the form on logan.qld.gov.au. This will be necessary if you plan to have a marquee, jumping castle or animal farm. Note that processing can take up to 21 working days, so allow plenty of time.

You can find out more about parks in Logan here.

Park Party Ideas

Entertainment

If you’re holding a party in a park and want to take the hard work out of it, why not consider hiring an entertainer? There’s everything from magicians and scientists to superheroes and musicians. Many entertainment options are also available, such as sports, arts and crafts, and laser tag. Whatever your child’s interests, there is bound to be something to suit them. You can find our full directory of Kids Party Entertainment here.

Themes

Another great option is to pick a fun theme for your kid’s party. Our Party Ideas page features everything from Peppa Pig parties to Big Top Circus Parties, packed with ideas to make it easy for you to pull everything together.

Games

Party games are the highlight of kids’ parties. We have many ideas for fun games in our 20 Fun Party Games for Toddlers and the 10 Best Balloon Games with Kids.

Party Food

Another thing to think about when it comes to a kids’ party is the food. We’ve put together some great ideas for low-stress and healthier Sweet Party Food and Savoury Party Food. And of course, no Aussie birthday party would be complete without fairy bread! Check out these awesome Fairy Bread Recipes.