21st birthday party venues Singapore: affordable ideas for intimate groups

The year you turn 21 is going to be an eventful one. 21st birthdays are a big deal in Singapore and chances are you'll be invited to a whole bunch of birthday bashes to celebrate your friends finally being old enough to watch R(A) movies in the cinema without having to avoid the ushers. Looking for a cool 21st birthday party venue?

We can't all be original, and the most popular 21st birthday parties tend to get repeated ad nauseum. One of the biggest cliches used to be a chalet birthday party, which probably aren't cool today anymore. Then there's the reserved table at Zouk where everyone's main objective is to get plastered.

But what if you don't want to get all wasted? You can't do it at home since your parents will be lurking around the corner. You'll need a private birthday party venue with a high cool quotient to accommodate your friends, preferably able to cater or bring in food and drinks.

If you're able to select your group of friends to the closest 10 to 20 people, here's a list of affordable 21st birthday party venues that you can consider!

GLAM PICNIC BY THE SEA

Glamping is all the rage recently, but considering that not everyone is comfortable with sleeping by the beach since there is no air-conditioning and no en-suite toilet, you could get a 3-hour glam pinic party package by the beach instead. It costs $209 for 3 hours, and you get a big tentage, a picnic table, seat covers, 2 fans, cooler boxes, ice, utensils, cutleries and wine glasses.

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For a party of 20 people, you can get 2 picnic tables set up at $418. You're free to bring in the food and drinks that you need, so budget an extra $200 or so to cater food for a party of 20. Throw in a nice cake for $50. All in all, your glam picnic party for 20 people will cost you around $668.

You can rent bicycles or bring board games to play over some beer or apple cider - simple, good, clean, fun.

If you want to experience glamping, try the largest Jumbo Tent, which fits 8. Each tent comes with 3 queen beds, two 12-inch fans, fairy lights, dual and a hammock. Depending on the date, it costs between $280 and $480 per night.

Obviously, you and your friends should be people who love the sea and the big outdoors if you choose this venue. Manage your expectations because as glam as the tents look, remember, you are largely exposed to the elements.

Do take note that only Singaporeans, PR residents can apply due to NPark regulations.

BARBECUE AT A FRIEND'S CONDOMINIUM OR BY THE BEACH

Having a barbecue is another budget option. If you or a friend lives at a condo with barbecue pits you can use, you have the perfect excuse to throw a pool party.

Considering the fact that most new condos in Singapore have communal areas that look like Ibiza resorts, your birthday party has the potential to be quite luxurious. Function rooms at these condominiums usually incur a small booking fee of between $10 and $15 for residents. It's really cheap as party venue bookings go, so get ready to pull some strings.

Don't live in a condominium and don't know anyone who does? Head to a public space like Paris Ris Park, where you can pitch a tent, string up a hammock and invite that friend who's always carrying around his ukulele to impress girls. Booking a barbecue pit costs between $16 and $20 depending on the popularity of the area. Select and pay for a barbecue pit through AXS e-station.

For convenience, you can cater pre-marinated barbecue food from places like BBQ Wholesale. A basic package for 20 will cost you only $189 and a large birthday cake will cost you around $50.

For decoration, you can get balloons, streamers, and so on for less than $20 in total. But from experience, what would really add to the atmosphere by the seaside are some stereo speakers to blast upbeat tunes from.

Rounding up the costs, your party will probably set you back around $280, excluding alcohol.

KARAOKE AT TEOHENG

If your first choice was to book a table at Zouk and get everyone drunk but you realised you won't have that kind of money even when you turn 31, turn to KTV instead.

KTV lounges are some of the cheaper ways to get a private room, and alcohol prices also tend to be fairly affordable if you know where to go. Plus, the entire drill of choosing your songs and then doing your best imitation of Jay Chou tends to take care of the entertainment bit. You can even put on the Happy Birthday song!

The Manekineko KTV chain offers food and drinks together with the karaoke room. If you're feeling generous, you can go for Super Combo D, which comes with 3 Tiger Beer Tower, 1 bottle of spirit, 4 large finger food platters (2 Manekineko and 2 Mikeneko), waiver of 10 pax and up to 4 hours of singing. It costs $578 nett on weekends and $568 nett on weekdays.

If you want to save even more, you can book rooms at Teo Heng KTV Karaoke Studio, which charges by room rather than by pax. However, the largest room can only comfortably fit 10 pax, so you might need to shave down your guest list even further. The largest room costs $18 per hour on weekends, and there are 3-hour packages for just between $45 and $50.

A bonus point for Teo Heng is that they're quite relaxed with customers bringing food and drinks in. You can easily get sushi, pizza, drinks and a birthday cake for less than $200, bringing your total to $250 for a party of 10.

Remember that KTV is a lot cheaper on weekday afternoons (perfect if you and your friends are students). Better grab the chance to sing cheaply while you're still young enough, as chances are you won't be able to do the same when you're celebrating the big 3-0.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.