4 Holiday Craft Events to Host at Your Play Café

The holiday season is the perfect time to sprinkle extra joy (and creativity) into your play café events! Hosting festive craft activities not only keeps families entertained but also gives you a chance to boost revenue through special admissions, bundled craft kits, or event upgrades. 

4 Holiday Craft Events to Host at Your Play Café 

Here are four crowd-pleasing holiday crafts to host this season, and how to make them a profitable part of your calendar. 

1. Ornament Making Workshop

Few activities say “holiday tradition” like creating ornaments! 
Set up a crafting station where families can decorate wood, ceramic, or clear plastic ornaments. Offer different themes: snowmen, reindeer, glitter globes, or personalized name ornaments. 

Pro Tip: Bundle a “Craft & Play” option that includes one ornament kit plus playtime admission. Consider offering extra ornament kits for siblings or parents who want to join in. 

2. Cookie Decorating Day 

Transform your play café into a mini bakery for a day! 
Host a cookie-decorating session where kids can use icing, sprinkles, and toppings to make their own edible masterpieces. 

Pro Tip: 
Offer pre-packaged cookie kits to take home or sell extras at your café counter. Include your logo or brand sticker to keep your business top of mind when families share their creations online. 

3. Handprint Turkeys & Keepsake Crafts 

This one’s a hit with preschoolers and parents alike. Provide paint, construction paper, and wipes (lots of wipes!) for a handprint turkey station or other simple keepsake crafts like footprint reindeer. 

Pro Tip: 
Schedule this before Thanksgiving to capture those early-holiday visitors. Add a “Parent & Me Craft Morning” option to increase weekday attendance. 

4. Letters to Santa ️

Invite children to write and decorate their letters to Santa in a cozy corner of your café. Provide festive paper, markers, stickers, and a “North Pole Mailbox” where they can drop their letters. 

Pro Tip: 
Partner with a local post office, sponsor, or nonprofit for a “Santa’s Mail” delivery partnership, and use the event to drive café loyalty (like a free cookie with each letter drop-off). 

How to Price Your Holiday Craft Events 

You can monetize holiday crafts in several ways: 

• Add a small materials fee (e.g., $5–$10 per child) 

• Bundle craft kits with admission or play passes 

• Include snacks or cocoa for a “Craft & Sip” family experience 

• Sell “take-home” craft bundles for parents to purchase after playtime 

If you use online booking software, make it easy for guests to reserve their craft session in advance, no last-minute supply runs needed! 

Make Every Event Easy to Manage 

Running multiple play café events during the holidays can get hectic. That’s where Party Center Software helps. From online booking to automated email reminders, waivers, and payment processing, everything you need to manage your events runs smoothly in one place.