If you’ve never hosted a foam party before, you’re likely going to have a lot of questions. Here are some of the most frequent ones we get.
What happens at a foam party?
In short: your guests arrive to see a foam cannon spewing foam 6+ feet in the air! When they step into the foam, it’s somewhere between their hips and their chest. There’s music blasting, maybe some other activities and snacks, and it’s a giant dance party! (Even if they’re not normally the type to dance.)
How do you plan a foam party?
If you’re not used to planning events, it might seem overwhelming–but planning a foam party is really easy!
First, you need to make sure you have three things for your space: a flat and well-draining area, a 3-prong grounded outlet, and a spout for water. That’s it!
Then, you need to rent a foam cannon and professional foam tech. If you want to rent a foam cannon in CT, MA, or RI you’ve come to the right place! Contact us and we’ll take care of everything you need.
You’ll also need to finalize a guest list. Each foam cannon can accommodate up to 25 people at a time, so you’ll need to work with foam party professionals to either schedule your foam party in waves or hire multiple techs at once.
Finally, you need to prepare anything else you want at your party. Food, drinks, other activities, seating, and tents might be handy for larger events.
What do I need for a foam party?
We have a few technical requirements for foam parties that most buildings (and homes) in CT, MA, and RI meet pretty easily. You need:
- A flat area with grass or pavement for us to spray the foam on. (Some examples include flat lawns, roped-off parking lots, or flat driveways with no cars. Because the foam will obscure the ground, the area should be about 30 x 30 feet with no holes (animal burrows, sewers, pot holes, etc) or protrusions (rocks, sprinklers, tree stumps, plants, curbs, toys, etc). The area must be FAR away from any water as ***spraying foam over pools, ponds, or bodies of water is an extremely serious drowning risk***. We typically don’t recommend astroturf as the plastic “grass” may become slippery once water and foam are added.
- Electricity. That means a 3-prong grounded outlet that is no more than 100ft from the foam site. (Nothing but a foam cannon should be on this circuit. A full foam set up will use about 10 amps, including cannon, pumps, and music. This is about half the power that an oven pulls.) Our techs will have extension cords, but the outlet should be outdoors and grounded (so we can’t run it from inside a residential house).
- Water. Any outdoor faucet that we can hook a hose up to is fine.
Meanwhile, we supply:
- One foam cannon rental
- One professional foam technician to set-up, operate, and clean-up the foam station
- All other materials and foam
- A music station and playlist (or optional aux-cord if you want to plug in your own music device
If you are having two cannons at your event:
- The flat area your guests are dancing on should be about 30′ x 60′, again with no holes or protrusions in the grass or black top.
- We will need two 3-prong grounded outlets, likely on separate circuits. (The 2 foam setups together will use about 20 amps. You can think of this as about the same amount of power an oven uses; “half a hot tub”‘s worth of power; or about as much as the HVAC in your house). These hook ups should be no more than 100’ from either foam cannon set up.
- Your foam technicians will be able to share a hose, but the spigot / hook up should be no more than 100′ from either foam cannon set up.
- The two foam set ups should be no farther than 100′ away from each other (and ideally about 30′ from each other for the best guest experience).
For all events with more than 2 cannons, please discuss the logistical considerations with our office.
Are foam parties wet?
Yup. You can dip into foam without getting too wet (think about putting your hand in some dish foam), but if you stay a while, it’ll be like jumping into a bubble bath!
What do you wear to foam parties?
Guests can wear anything that’s appropriate to the venue, as long as it can get wet.
For kids parties and most events, some mix of sports clothing, bathing suits, or swimwear is the most common.
For events where you might see coworkers, bosses, or even teachers, you can wear athleisure clothing or even jeans and a t-shirt if you don’t think you should wear a bathing suit.
And if you’re going to a more dressed-up foam party, like at a nightclub or bar mitzvah, you can wear just about anything that can get wet and won’t need to be dry cleaned. (And you can also bring a costume-change for before or after you jump in the foam!)
For shoes, the foam will be stacked up to at least your hips and you won’t be able to see your feet. So don’t wear anything that will slip off (like sandals or slides), anything that can twist your ankle (like heels or platforms), expensive sneakers you’d be upset to scuff or get wet, or anything that can injure anyone else (like heavy boots or soccer cleats). We would recommend sneakers used for sports, sandals made for outdoor adventures, water shoes, or going barefoot!
Will foam ruin clothing?
Any clothing that can get wet will be fine in foam. So if it needs to be dry-cleaned, it’s a no-go.
Will foam harm my hair?
No, the main ingredients in foam are the same ingredients in many personal hygiene products including shampoo.
If you’re worried about your hairstyle the day of the event, the main thing to know is that, depending on your hair type, the water in the foam may cause your hair to poof (mostly in type 2 or 3 hair that’s sensitive to humidity) or may cause shrinkage (type 4 hair).
Extensions, wigs, and box braids won’t be damaged by the foam either, but if you wouldn’t get the hair you’re wearing wet, then you might want to wear a different hairstyle for the day of a foam party if you can.
How do I clean up after a foam party? Are foam parties safe for my backyard lawn?
Once the party is over, our technicians will break down their stations while any leftover foam naturally dissolves. Foam liquid won’t harm lawns, although it will be wet for the remainder of the day (as if we had just gotten heavy, heavy rain). There aren’t any particles or materials in the foam remaining either–everything will absorb naturally into lawns and be washed away on blacktop.
Can I have a foam party indoors? Will the floor get wet from foam? Will you slip?
It depends. If your indoor event is in a temporary structure like a barn or walled tent, that’s great. As long as there is a dirt floor and the space is “sort of outside”, we can easily accommodate it.
If your event is indoors, the space should have (1) a cement floor (no hardwood, linoleum, vinyl, or tiles guests can slip on), (2) no built-in features like chairs, sewers, or anything that guests can trip on when it’s obscured by the foam, and (3) built-in drainage that’s flush with the floor, so excess water can easily drain but guests won’t fall or trip.
Good indoor spaces include both textured surfaces and drainage such as: barns or tents with dirt floors; nightclubs with cement floors and drainage.
Unsafe indoor spaces include any area with limited drainage or slick surfaces such as: gyms or spaces with wooden floors; athletic fields with astroturf or no drainage; cafeterias with smooth linoleum or tile floors; and auditoriums with carpets or wood and no drainage.
We typically do not recommend astroturf, especially indoors. The water and foam solution may cause the plastic to get wet and may be slippery. Indoors, astroturf is typically put over a layer of drainage tile and then directly on concrete, which may drain superficially but cause water to pool up in the area under the foam cannon and become very slippery.
What’s in the foam? Is foam safe for kids and pets?
Our foam is made up of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerol and water. These are also the main ingredients used in things like shampoo, dish soap and even toothpaste but without the additional chemicals and perfumes. You can read more from our manufacturer.
The foam is safe for children’s skin and eyes and in our experience does not cause irritation. If children swallow some foam (which we have seen happen), it will upset their stomachs and cause burping (very common) or some vomiting (less common). In our experience, any “upset stomach” goes away quickly, although if irritation persists they should see a doctor.
We would recommend keeping pets who might try to eat the foam away from it, although there is nothing particularly toxic in the foam. Again, if they ingest some it may cause burping or vomiting.
You can also read the full Safety Data sheets on the two ingredients found in our foam mix:
Can I rent a foam cannon and operate it myself?
In our experience, renting a foam cannon without a professional operator leads to an unsafe and unsuccessful event for 4 main reasons.
- The cannons are heavier than most kids, suspended about 6′ in the air, and plugged into tripping hazards. They’re safe when operated correctly but could lead to serious injury if they fall on someone.
- There is live electricity and water running from our machines at all times. Our technicians know how to work safely and wear shock-proof gloves and shoes, but electrocution is still a serious risk to the operator.
- We know how humidity, sun, water hardness, ambient temperature, and the number of kids affect the foam solution. Without the years of experience we have, you’ll likely end up with too much or too little foam (and no fun).
- You should enjoy the party too! Stressing over machines isn’t going to be how you want to spend your day, we promise.
Do foam parties come with a DJ? Or can I control the music you play?
Our foam parties come with a pre-made, family-friendly, and high-energy play list including Kidz Bop, popular sound tracks, and a lot of 80s/90s throw backs. Our foam technicians are not DJs and do not take special requests, but in our experience 99% of the events we do are happy with our play list.
If you’d like to hire your own DJ or use your own playlist, our speakers can be connected to via BlueTooth and our technician can connect your device for you. In that case, you or the DJ would be in charge of the music (so our technicians would not be monitoring or creating a custom play list at your event.)
What about the weather?
A safe foam party should be done in warm weather, without serious rain, with no thunder or lightning, and with winds under 10mph.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we can move your foam to another date as long as we have availability. If we can’t find a date that works, you’ll be refunded your deposit.
What’s your cancelation policy?
We hold all foam parties with a 50% deposit (with the rest of your balance due 24 hours before your party).
If you cancel because of illness, problems with the entertainment space, or planning problems, we’ll do our best to transfer your deposit to another date and time within 365 days. However, if we don’t have the availability for your event that works with your schedule, the 50% deposit is non-refundable.
If you have to cancel because of weather-related problems, we will also look for availability for a new date, but if we can’t come to one that works for everyone then we will refund your deposit. That’s just the nature of foam parties!
We do not hold raindates as backups due to demand.
If you decide to continue with your event despite the forecast, please note that we prioritize the safety of you, our foam technician, and your guests.
If our foam technician is at your party and there are lightning strikes within 5 miles; audible thunder; winds pick up over 10mph; or heavy rain, the technician will immediately turn off all foam and power so they (and your guests) can speak shelter. If they have to pause your party for safety, they are unable to add additional time for free (so if your party is from 2:00p-3:00p and there is a 30min safety pause, your technician will not be able to stay until 3:30p for free).
Can I rent a foam machine for my pool party?
No. When foam covers any body of water, you can’t see anything. Guests can easily fall in without noticing (or being noticed by anyone else) and even strong swimmers may have trouble exiting the water. Foam poses a serious drowning risk when it covers any water.
What if I don’t know how many guests are coming to my event?
Because foam parties are such a hit, and each machine can only entertain up to 25 people at once, it’s important (for both safety and fun) that you work with our office to solidify a guest list and schedule before your event. We’ll work with you if you’re not used to planning events, but foam parties need a little more planning than other activities.
