Having an outdoor bouncy castle can add fun, laughter, and energy to a birthday party. Other events can also benefit from inflatables, including christenings and weddings.

Bouncy castles are great value for money, especially in the summer months. Having a group of children entertained for a whole day for under £100 is hard to achieve these days!

You’re unlikely to be trained in the safety of bouncy castles, which is why you need to find a reputable company to rely on. Unfortunately, many operators don't know the rules themselves or choose to ignore them.

So, we’ve created a helpful guide so you’re aware of the rules on inflatables and the weather.

On grass
If an inflatable is being used on the grass, it’s important that it’s anchored down securely. We use 380mm by 16mm thick u-bend steel pegs, making sure that all anchor points are pegged on each inflatable.

On a normal bouncy castle there are a minimum of six anchor points; two on the left-hand side, two on the right-hand side, and two at the back. Obviously the larger the equipment, the more anchor points it has.

On tarmac or concrete
Only use a bouncy castle on tarmac if it’s secured. If an inflatable is being used on a hard standing surface such as tarmac, the inflatable will need to be bolted down.

This will either require holes to be drilled in order to correctly anchor the castle, or, you can use 7 x 25kg sandbags at each of the anchor points.

The most common reason for your hire to not go ahead is due to high winds. If the wind speed including gusts hits up to or 24 mph and above, then no inflatable can be erected outside for obvious safety reasons.

Strong winds have a chance of getting under the inflatable and lifting it from its anchor points, even when it’s secured correctly.

If you’re concerned about the general weather or the wind speed, it’s best to take a look at the MET Office website a few days before your event. You’re looking for gusts at or over the 24mph limit, not just the wind speed - but your hirer should be already be looking at this information and can liaise with you.

All PIPA tested castles and inflatables should be safe when you source them from a reputable company. But they should not be used during periods of bad weather.

Don't panic if it rains on the day of your event. We’re in the UK, after all – so we should expect it to be a possibility! The majority of bouncy castles can still be used during light showers. All of our bouncy castles and some of our other inflatables have shower covers on.

The children won't mind and will continue to have fun - but bear in mind they may get a little muddy! Advise your guests to bring a change of clothes and definitely a spare pair of socks.

During heavy rainfalls children do need to come off the equipment, as the bed of the inflatable and the mats will become slippery. No one wants any children to fall over and hurt themselves. But the inflatable should stay inflated to allow the rain to run off more quickly.

You may also need a few towels to help it dry after any rain.

If it does rain on the castle you may see the bed area bubbling. This is not anything to worry about – it’s air escaping the castle as part of its design.

Every year the tabloid press report that we’re going to have heavy snowfall and the deepest winter in 50 years. And every year we roll our eyes!

We don't tend to get much snow as we are more protected in the Midlands, but it does happen so we need to prepare ourselves if your event is in the colder months.

If the snow has completely covered the ground, it may be too hard to add pegs safely, the anchor points being too far from the grass to put the pegs in correctly.

Another thing to consider is that if there is a lot of snow, your guests might struggle to attend in the first place, depending on the road conditions and how far they’re coming. The best thing to do is to communicate with your hirer and guests.

If a thunderstorm begins, switch your inflatable off straight away. It’s not safe to use them because lightning could strike anywhere - particularly higher points or the metal fan at the rear.

With thunderstorms come high winds anyway, so in the interest of safety ask the children to come off the inflatable straight away and get inside. Then switch the bouncy castle off.

We would always recommend having a plan B - especially if the weather forecasts says the weather may turn bad.

Here a couple of options which you may want to consider:

You could hire a hall with a good-sized outside grass area. Then you can have the best of both worlds. The children can play inside if the weather is bad and outside if it turns out to be more sunny and warm. If it’s cold they’ll almost certainly warm up anyway with all the jumping – so don’t worry too much about that!

Perhaps your house or a family member’s house is large enough to have the soft play inside. If not, you could organise a few party games, such as Duck Duck Duck Goose, Pass the Parcel, and Connect Four.

These games make a great back-up plan, as they don’t take up much space. Pass the Parcel and Connect 4 are classics games that children always enjoy.

It’s always worth having a word with your operator. If your hire can’t go ahead, they may be able to offer something else more suitable.

Having your party indoors at a venue means that you don’t have to worry too much about the weather.

In the Warwickshire area we’re lucky to have plenty of halls to choose from, and we can help you to choose the right one for you.

Take a look at our YouTube videos of our village halls and join Luke as he shows you around the venue. Or read our blog on our Top 10 local recommended village halls.

As always, if you need any further advice or guidance please contact us. We’d be delighted to help.