October 18, 2007

Theme Fest: Where children’s imaginations come to life

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

There is a magical place where cowboys ride, pirates sail, princesses dance and explorers brave the jungle. This local land of enchantment known as Theme Fest is a new venue for birthday parties and play dates where children’s imaginations soar and play is the rule of the day.

At Theme Fest, a new venue for birthday parties, children’s imaginations soar, and play is the rule of the day. Photos by Lorraine Gabbert

Blending their creativity and love for children, Philip and Candice Schreuders made their dream a reality. In addition to the fresh concept, they handcrafted each aspect of Theme Fest with Candice painting the fanciful murals and Philip constructing the dwellings.

“Parents appreciate having a safe indoor place for their children to play,” says Philip. “And the children have such a good time they never want to leave. One little girl was so excited to see the place, she couldn’t stop saying, ‘Wow!’ That type of reaction means you’re doing something good, something that children want. It’s very rewarding.”

With an 8-year-old son, the Schreuders had found that sites for children’s birthday parties were limited. “We realized there was a need; especially for the younger kids,” says Philip. “We wanted to provide a place where children could interact with each other, rather than getting lost in a big arcade, and where parents can see their kids the whole time.” Another advantage of having a party at Theme Fest is exclusive use of the entire facility, making each event as special as a party in your own home--without the fuss.

Theme Fest’s main area is devoted to medieval, western, pirate and jungle themes. There is also a small dance floor in the center of the room. To enhance their imaginary play, children are encouraged to come in costume, but accessories are also provided, both for free and for sale.

Largely through word of mouth, Theme Fest has been a tremendous success. Excitement fills the air and smiles shine in children’s eyes. In the jungle area, intrepid adventurers adorned in khaki vests and pith helmets peer from the safari shack, cross the tiki bridge and chase gazelle through the savannah in a safari car.

In the medieval area, knights, princes and princesses adorned in finery fight dragons hold court seated on the castle thrones and travel in the royal coach, surveying their domain. Nearby, cowboys dressed in vests, chaps, cowgirl skirts and cowboy hats ride the range atop hobbyhorses and pirates man both their ship and matching rowboat in search of treasure.

Children can channel their inner divas on a dance floor complete with a dance cam and viewing screen. As part of the party package, much to their delight, children are led through the “Hokey Pokey” and the “Chicken Dance.”

Although Theme Fest offers characters, such as a king, cowboy, pirate or Jungle Jim the Explorer, who can make an appearance at the party, Philip maintains that it is essential that the children direct the imaginary play. “Parents should never underestimate the power of their child’s imagination,” he says. “I had an end-of-the-school-year party here from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and they were constantly busy.”

“Parents should never underestimate their child’s imagination,” says Philip Schreuders, owner of Theme Fest.

Theme Fest also provides a karaoke room with 1,400 songs to choose from, an air hockey shark tank, an art studio with chalk board paint and a game room featuring basketball, a foosball ball table and arcade games. There is even an imagination room for those seeking a quiet space with sofas, books and a selection of DVDs to choose from.

In order to spend more time with his family, Philip swapped his job in software system and program design for this venture. “I was working from 4:30 in the morning to 8 p.m. and doing a lot of travel,” he says. “I decided that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to be involved in my son’s life. I wanted to be a soccer coach and go to my son’s tae kwon do tournaments.”

When Philip hosted his son’s Junior Olympic tae kwon do party at Theme Fest, coach (and owner of Almaden United Tae Kwon Do Association) Maria Lamas had such a wonderful time that she joined their staff. Lamas says she loves working at Theme Fest because she gets to play with children all day. One time, she was repeatedly caught by a posse of cowboys and put in jail. “I think I was arrested 25 times that day,” laughs Lamas. “This is such a great place for kids. Their imaginations take off. Even the toddlers enjoy pulling up on wagons and climbing in and out of things. It’s a lot of fun.”

With Candice’s background working with children as the Stratford School regional preschool coordinator and Philip’s experience with acting and party planning, Theme Fest was a good fit for the Schreuders. Philip’s goal is to grow the business to several locations, including a larger site geared toward older kids interested in performing plays and musicals.

Theme Fest is located at 181 Martinvale Lane, Suite A, San Jose, 95119. Call (408) 225-4FUN (4386) or 408-930-FEST (3378), or visit online at info@themefest.com. Party packages are $240 Monday through Thursday and $260 Friday through Sunday for up to 20 children (each additional child is $10, up to a maximum of 30 kids). Two-hour party packages include 90 minutes free play and 30 minutes in the party room, goody bags, paper goods, and bottles of soda. Pop in Play is free through October from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. Halloween and Christmas parties are also available.