All-inclusive

Ah, the New York social scene. Even the tweens are jaded party-planners. If your family is tired of searching for the Next Big Birthday Thing, try a fresh take on party pleasures of yore: karaoke, bowling, disco, roller skating or scavenger hunts.

Courtesy Spotlight Live

Top choice

Spotlight Live

Far from the dimly lit, sadly decorated karaoke bars parents might remember from their youth, this year-old enterprise is a full-on pleasure dome for those raised on a steady diet of YouTube, American Idol and High School Musical. And if it was good enough for Harvey Weinstein’s kid…

details Kick back and watch other groups warble while your gang peruses the hundreds of available songs. When your kids are ready, they make a selection on the tableside computer and the MC will summon them onstage. Professional dancers and backup singers will enhance their performance, which is simultaneously broadcast online and live in Times Square on the Spotlight Live JumboTron on Broadway between 48th and 49th Streets. Think your reveler will have stage fright? Book a private recording booth for your crew for an additional fee.

decor You’ll step into a Saturday Night Fever–style nightclub with chrome railings, clubby white furniture and disco balls suspended overhead, plus a stage where the action takes place.

eats The two-hour package includes apps like pigs-in-a-blanket, a main course of mini burgers or pizza, “mocktails,” and a vanilla or chocolate cake.

loot Spotlight sells a variety of items (from $1 to $18) that can work as favors, like magnets, necklaces, key chains and T-shirts; DVDs of the entire group’s performances are available for $20 each. For an easy DIY favor, create a mixed CD of your kid’s favorite tunes.

damage $35 per kid (minimum ten kids) plus tax and a 20 percent service charge.
1604 Broadway at 49th St, Times Square (212-262-1111, ext 127; spotlightlive.com)

Alternatives

Bowlmor Lanes
110 University Pl between 12th and 13th Sts (212-255-8188, bowlmor.com); $360 for ten kids

Deb’s Family Disco
511 Lexington Ave between 47th and 48th Sts (212-586-7425, familydisco.com); $950 for 12 kids

Roller Jam USA
236 Richmond Valley Rd near Page Ave, Staten Island (718-605-6600, rollerjamusa.com); $375 for ten kids

Watson Adventures scavenger hunts
Indoor and outdoor sites throughout the city (877-946-4868, ext 11; watsonadventures.com); $600 for 15 kids