Bouncy House Rentals

Parent Q&A

  • Jumpy House for Toddler B-day Party

    (3 replies)

    Our son is turning 3 the first week in May and I'm pretty sure I want to do a jumpy house.

    Does anyone know if you need a permit?  Or can you just set up shop the day of your party, assuming you're not taking a reserved picnic space?

    Any pro tips going into this that you wish you had known about before you rented a jumpy house?  Do you recommend any particular vendor?

    Any and all help is greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

    Yes, most parks charge an additional fee for this and require a permit.  It is usually not much more than the regular picnic reservation/permit fee.  If you are looking to secure a permit without a corresponding picnic reservation then it may cost more but I would contact whichever parks department manages the park and ask.  

    We just rented a jumpy house this past weekend for my daughter’s birthday. We used Bay Area Jump and they were great. Setup and pickup were handled by them and they were on time and everything went smoothly. I don’t know about permits (we did it at our house) but I would imagine that would depend on the park you’re planning to use. If it’s a city park, check the website for the city parks department. If it’s an East Bay Regional Park, check their website or call them. 

    If it’s at a public park check with Parks & Rec. They’re not allow at all parks.

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Archived Q&A and Reviews

May 2010

Does anyone have more recommendations for bouncy house rentals that service the Berkeley area? Thanks in advance! Jean

I have used Jump 4 Joy over the last several years. We just used them last weekend. They are a family run operation, very friendly, accommodating and reasonably priced. Their web site is: julie nye
We have used Appian Party Jumps twice. The service was very courteous and professional, and their pricing was reasonable. It's really fun for the kids. Have fun
April 2010

my son wants a bounce house for his birthday party this summer. While they seem pretty straightforward, I've never rented one and am curious if there are pitfalls I should be careful of or any rental place with a particularly good reputation. thanks

Larry ''The Jumpy'' Guy (as my kids have renamed him) has been providing my family with bounce houses for years (since 2002). He is absolutely dependable - he shows up exactly when he says he will, and he has a great selection of bounce houses to choose from. When I ask others how much they paid for their bounce houses rentals, it seems that Larry's prices always come in lower. Larry can be reached at: (510)253-7349.
March 2009

I want to rent a jumper/bouncer for my son's birthday. Has anyone used a jumper/bouncer company that they would recommend? Thanks anon

I have used Astrojumps of Alameda a few times for our school carnival in Oakland and have been pleased with their service.
I would recommend a local company called Jumping Jamboree. We ordered a 13X13 ''train'' bounce house for our sons birthdays last June and it was a hit. They delivered on time, set up the bounce house in our carport area and arrived promptly in the late afternoon/early evening to take down and take away the bounce house. It was the same person doing the drop off and pickup, and he was very nice and non-intrusive. All this for about $115. Their website is very helpful, they offer free delivery and pick up in certain areas and the outside area charges are really minimal. Good luck and have fun. would rent again
We've used Bay Area Jumps for three parties and have been very satisfied. They've shown up on time 2 out of the 3 times (the driver got lost once, but still arrived before the party started). I tend to have them drop off a couple hours before the party just to have some padding in case there's a problem. The houses are always clean and well maintained. Here's the website: Jenny
Feb 2008

I'm thinking about holding a birthday party for my 5yo at a park (or some other outdoor location) where I can also rent a jumper house (you know one of those inflated plastic ''houses'' where kids can jump and jump and jump). Ideally it would be in Oakland, Berkeley, or Albany. Any ideas? birthday mommy

I've seen birthday parties at Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley that had a bouncy house.
i know you want a park but if jumping is your goal, you can't beat pump it up in oakland. anon
Nov 2005

Just a note -- I ordered a bounce house from the company ''Bounce World (925) 363-JUMP'' based on a recommendation from this website. They ended up not showing up the day of the party even though they promised to be there, and when I called to check in the number was disconnected.

Bruce Owen, owner of Astro Jump, saved the day and brought a bounce house within an hour of my phone call.

Moral of the story: don't necessarily go with the cheapest company you can find. I have learned that it is better to reserve with one of the big companies you can find in the yellow pages under party rentals because they have paid to advertise and, I assume, are more likely to be a legitimate business that will be around for a long time.

Bruce was a really nice guy and is listed in the yellow pages. Astro Jump: 510-351-1090, alameda[AT]

Nov 2005

This message is independent of any recent comment or inquiry. I hope you will include this in the archive for children's parties, under bouncey house rentals.

I am writing to give advice after our recent rental of a bouncey house from Happy Jump, which is based in Fremont. They have a colored ad in the yellow pages. I would not recommend them because of my experience. Our party was scheduled for 11:00 am and we reserved for the bouncey house to arrive then, or earlier if possible. They were over 1 hour late, arriving at 12:15. Every parent's party nightmare. Apparently the driver had been overbooked and made some excuse about set-up problems at the last delivery.

My advice is 3-prong for anyone out there planning a child's party w/ bouncer.

1) reserve to have the bouncer delivered at least 2 hours before the party begins, to be sure it's there on time.

2) If they are late, have another company ready to back up the possible no-show or late delivery.

3) Avoid Happy Jump when making reservations, and ask friends for reputable recommendations. Mary

March 2005

I'm moving my daughter's birthday party to the playground this year and would like to rent a bouncy castle, but I don't know where to start. From where does one rent one? And about how much do they cost? Do you need a truck to pick it up? Thanks Bouncy Castle Novice

I found the bouncy castles ranged from about $89 to $225, with the highest cost being for the super-duper multiple-use kinds (climber, slide, etc.). It was hard to find information in any one place, but the companies are out there. The one I ended up using was under $100 for an eight-hour day at our house, which was by far the best rate I'd found. They drop off and pick up. If you're not near a power source, it's usually about $40-50 more for the generator, with any company. Someone has to be there for drop-off and pickup, so if you're at a park, someone has to be able to wait around for it. They also had a minimum rental - I think it was four hours - so this may be an issue at a park. I used Jump for Fun, which has a website at, They had a great rate for a long day, and were totally reliable. The party was a lot of fun. I'm a big fan of a jumpy party now! Nancy
I know someone who rents them & for a reasonable price. They will travel to where you are. ''Jammin Jumpers'' 209-808-2480 Shelly
Try AstroJump of Contra Costa! They're great!! No truck needed. They will set up and take it down for you. They charge $100/4hrs.and $125/8hours. Hope this helps! Jane
Dear Bouncy, I've rented a jumper for my daughter's birthday for the past 2 years. I used 1-800-Jump-4-fun. I think they run an ad in one of the free parents ad-rags. It cost me $89.00 cash for the day. They dropped it off around 7-8am, set it up, and came back to pick it up around 6pm. It was very easy. I think it's more expensive if you get a particular theme - like HelloKitty or Shrek and depending on the day. Saturday is more expensive than Sunday. Happy Jumping!
We rented a ''bouncy house'' last year for our daughters birthday party. You can go to their website and pick out what character you want on the house. It was $100 for 4 hours, but they delivered ours at 11:30 and picked it up at 7pm, so we had a lot of jumping time. They have a smaller size house that fit into our backyard, or you can get their larger ones. They do all of the set up and take down. You can also check with parks and if you get an ok with park, they will set it up there. Ali
There are a number of companies listed in the phone book under party rentals. But I do recommend getting a personal referal for one IN YOUR CITY if possible. I recently ordered a Bounce Castle from Comic Jumps located on the Penninsula beacuse they had the Princess one my daughter wanted. Well, the party was at 11:00 am and they were to be there by 9:00 am. Guess when they showed up -- 1:00 pm!!! This is after me calling them at 9:45 am and being told they would arrive within 30 minutes. After that call they no longer would answer the phone. I hear that this is common for these companies to no-show but at least you only pay when they arrive. Jennifer
March 2004

I want to rent a bouncer/jumper for my daughter's birthday. Does anyone have any recommendations of companies to use or not use in and around Berkeley? I've seen a bouncer with a slide built into it that looked like fun, so I'd like to find a company that carries that type. Anna

I have two recommendations for the Party Bouncer: Bounce World (925) 363-JUMP Bay Area Jump 1-800-514-5867 I have used Bounce World twice and they're great. They come and set up at the time they say. Set up only takes about 10 minutes and they come at the time you specified. Bay Area Jump has a wider selection of themes to chose from. Party Jumper
Jan 2004

hi - I'm planning a February birthday party and wanted to get recommendations for jump house rental companies. thanks El Sobrante mom who's hoping for a sunny day!

We used Jump for Fun last year for our 6 yr. old party. He wanted the ''Rock Climber'' and I'll tell you it was worth the extra money. We had 15 kids here and they played over and over on that (with my husband supervising). They came down for snacks / cake and then had to be pried off for the pinata!! The company is great. They deliver that morning and pick up in the evening and set the whole thing up. All you have to do is pay and have fun. DiAnn