Children's Birthday Parties

The Story Museum is located in the centre of Oxford, between St Aldate's and St Ebbe's Street. Our address is 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP. For more information about getting here, click here. Please note that parking in central Oxford is very limited.

Each birthday party is led by two experienced Party Hosts and lasts two hours. Guests enjoy a selection of stories and games based on your chosen theme, followed by a themed craft. They then explore the Enchanted Library before returning to the party room for a party tea and final game.

The party tea includes a choice of sandwiches, a choice of two snacks, a sweet treat and a fruit drink. The choices are chosen via an online form for final details which will be sent to you during the booking process. The sandwiches are served on separate plates to encourage the children to choose their own sandwiches on the day.

Each child receives an age-appropriate book and a Story Museum bookmark. Additional items can be pre-ordered through our shop. Please see the options available here.

Minimum: 10 children including birthday child.
Maximum: 18 children including birthday child.
The birthday child's ticket includes admission for two accompanying adults. Each child guest receives admission for one accompanying adult.
Siblings aged 1+ must be included in the final numbers.
Under 1's are free and do not count towards the final number unless they are joining in the party (including the party tea) in which case, they will be included in the final number.

We ask that a minimum of three adults remains in the party room, with a maximum of 19 adults overall so as not to distract from the party celebrations. While the Party Hosts lead the party games and activities, parents are responsible for supervision and behaviour.

Yes! We think joint parties are a great idea provided that the children are of a similar age and choose the same theme for the party.

• Step 1 – Enquiry: Complete our Birthday Party Enquiry Form. On receipt of your enquiry, we will email you and let you know whether we can accommodate your proposed party date/time. Subject to availability, we will reserve the proposed date/time for you for a period of one week to give you time to discuss arrangements with your family and party guests.
• Step 2 – Booking Form and deposit: Once you decide you wish to go ahead with the party, we will send you a booking form to complete. Upon return of the completed booking form, we will contact you to arrange payment for the non-refundable deposit. This will be for minimum number of 10 children and payment will be taken via phone through our Box Office.
• Step 3 – Final details: A fortnight before the party we require your final details. This includes the number of children and adults, information about dietary requirements, and any requests for adult refreshments or party bag add-ons. Payment for this will be taken the same way as the initial deposit payment. We cannot guarantee any changes requested after this date and we reserve the right to charge a £15 administration fee if changes are requested. Please note, once we have received the final details form, we are unable to offer refunds for no-shows. For more information, please see our terms and conditions in your booking form.
• Step 4 – Party week! We will be in touch during the week of your party with some final information about arrangements for the party.

The perfect time to enquire and book a party is 4-6 weeks before your intended date. We recommend enquiring earlier around key dates/holidays to avoid disappointment. Party enquiries within the 2–3-week period can be explored, and we will do everything we can to make it work! However, we cannot always guarantee rooms and staff availability at such short notice. Contact us and we’ll see what we can do!

A non-refundable deposit for the minimum number of children (10) will be required on return of the booking form and confirmation of the party booking. More information can be found in our Terms and Conditions.

We can cater for a range of dietary requirements and have designed our party tea to be easily adaptable so children with dietary requirements do not have too many substitutes.

Please read our allergy statement and share with your guests before the party:

If you suffer with an allergy or intolerance, please make us aware as our menu may not list every ingredient. All dishes are prepared in a kitchen where allergens are handled, this means we may not be able to guarantee our food will not contain traces of a specific allergen. Upon request, we will be able to supply further information regarding the ingredients of our food and cooking methods so you can make your own informed decision as to whether a specific product is suitable for you.
Customising your food by adding or swapping items may change the allergens contained.
Fish and meat may contain small bones.
Please always check with us each time you visit us as due to ongoing supply chain issues, things may have changed since your last hire.

As a registered charity, all proceeds from our tickets, café, shop and venue hire business support our work to enrich lives through stories. We therefore require all catering orders to be made through our café. Exceptions can occasionally be made in the case of stringent dietary requirements and babies - please discuss this with us in advance.

Yes, you can! You can bring this with you on the day and display it in the party room or leave it as a surprise for later during the party tea. Our Party Hosts will present this to the birthday child/children to sing the happy birthday song. They will then take it away to be cut in our kitchenette, where they can slice it up for consumption during the party or wrap it in napkins to be given out at the end with party bags.

Candles are not permitted on site. Due to the risk to our buildings, we can’t allow naked flames, smoke or haze machines, dry ice, internal fireworks, party poppers, crackers, or similar items. This list is not exhaustive, and our Duty Manager has the right to refuse anything that they believe may pose an unacceptable risk to our building, visitors and staff. If you have any concerns about this, please contact us in advance.

Yes, please see the options available here.

There is no parking available on site. We are located in central Oxford and are easily accessible by public transport. City centre parking is limited, and we strongly recommend using Oxford’s Park and Ride system where possible. The nearest public car park is located at the Westgate Shopping Centre. More information about Blue Badge parking for disabled visitors can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council’s website here: Blue Badge guidance | Oxfordshire County Council. A list of local car parks can be found here: Parking - Google Maps.