A few months ago my husband took Hannah and Alex for their first go karting experience at Kart-o-Mania. Coming from a family of race car fans, he was waiting until Alex turned 8 (or 50″ tall) so he could take the two of them karting. When they got home from their first experience, I knew the passion had caught on when Alex asked for a go karting birthday party.

Party Packages

Kart-o-Mania offers two Grand Prix party packages for groups of 8 kids or more; 20 or 25 minutes on the track. We went for the longer amount of time and requested that it be broken up into 10 and 15 minute blocks. It can take kids a few laps to get the hang of it so we wanted to give them the first 10 minutes for a practice ride and then another 15 to really start racing.

Add-ons also include renting out the party room and taking advantage of the catering option, including pizza, drinks and chips. If you’re looking to really round out a 2-hour party you can let party guests play in the mini arcade.

Party Precautions

I wasn’t surprised that a few parents lingered until the party started. It was their children’s first experience go karting and they were concerned about safety. Kart-o-Mania’s experts show kids an instructional video and then gear them up in balaclavas, helmets and neck guards. Each child is fitted into a kids’ cart to ensure they can reach the pedals. Drivers aren’t let on to the track until they know how to brake and accelerate. Staff stays on the track to help young drivers who bump into the very-padded walls and to keep them in check.

Party Planning

The staff at Kart-o-Mania (thanks Nadia) was extremely helpful in figuring out the details of our go karting birthday party. Tables are set up with racing inspired decor and you can bring in additional decorations too. For an added touch, we had our favourite donuts from Doughnats decorated in a racing-inspired theme.

Party Podium

To finish off the celebration, each child received a print-out of their race standings and the top 3 fastest drivers received a medal. Everyone made it up on the podium to claim their spot in the limelight!

Alex’s party was a definite hit. Most of his friends had never experienced go karting before and they were beyond pumped after their first round of laps. We just got invited to one of our guest’s very own go karting birthday party at Kart-o-Mania so it’s definitely been confirmed as a success!