how do you price birthday parties?

I'll be honest. Birthdays are my bread and butter and I charge by the hour. I paint fast. I've had parties where I've done up to 20 kids in 1 hour, but I tell the client that 1 hour = 10-12 kids.

I charge a certain rate for 1 hour and I knock off $15/hour for a 2+ hour booking. I'm in a big city and I frequently have to leave significantly early for events (so as not to be stuck in major traffic congestion). I have the following policy in my contract:
If I arrive at a 2 hour event and there are 25 kids there, I don't charge extra as long as everyone is finished within the 2 hours (and since typically 1-2 kids decline to be painted or only want a swirl on their arm, it ends up being fine). That being said, I tell mom before picking up my first brush that at two hours I stop painting. If there is still one child not painted, I offer the client the option of booking additional time in 10 minute increments.

If I arrive and their are 26-27 kids there (or my personal fave 30 kids!) then I remind the client that either 24 kids are being painted and 6 will be vastly disappointed, or that I charge a $50 fee to switch to super fast faces (my stress gets compensated!). Alternatively, if I'm available the client can book an additional hour at the regular rate.

oh man.....I charge $50 in my currency which is approximately $30 USD an hour, and even that people think it's too expensive - I need to charge more cause i'm only just scraping by but i'm scared .......maybe next year i'll put my prices up.

Has anyone had any experiences, good or bad, with putting their prices on their website?

I have my prices posted everywhere and still get asked EVERY TIME for my rates. You'd think posting them would save those types of calls but they don't.

When I was doing real estate a lot of agents had the philosophy of not posting prices so they could "convert" a client when they called for info about the house. I knew, because I had bought several properties, that I wouldn't call on a property if the price wasn't posted. So I figure, I've got everything there, the designs, the prices and info about me...if they call they probably want me on some level if they call. It weeds out people that had no idea how much face painting costs and were expecting $10 per hour or something.

D.

I always post my prices on my website. I do not haggle my pricing and when it is already set out in writing, I can point to it and don't have everyone thinking that it's one price for someone and another price for someone else... this is what it is, period. It also reduces the amount of "sticker shock" phone calls. Yes, there are still a few, but less of them.

I hadn't thought through the weeding out of people who aren't willing to pay the rates. Mostly so far, my wife and I have been trying to work on getting response from people and converting them to actual gigs. But, of course, sometimes that results in being willing to take a job for less than our normal prices.

Hi Angela I am really new on this too but for me work, flat rate per party, up to 12 faces in general in the birthday parties that I have done there are no more than 12 in fact in average I will say 10 max. and since I am a newby works for me, that way I can take my time and do my best job. I never stay more than 2 hours, so works great for me!
Good luck!