Foam party

Last updated
Dancing at a foam party; the blue object on the ceiling is a foam generator. HLR-FOAM-PARTY-02.JPG
Dancing at a foam party; the blue object on the ceiling is a foam generator.

A foam party is a social event at which participants dance to music on a dance floor covered in several feet of suds or bubbles, dispensed from a foam machine. In the past, foam parties have been associated with nightclubs, large events, and college parties. [1]

Contents

Today, mobile foam party services and foam machine rental companies are available to bring foam party equipment to residential properties and backyards for birthday parties, graduation parties, and family reunions. Mobile foam parties are also a popular form of enrichment and physical activity for children at schools, daycare centers, and summer camps.

History

Foam parties can be dated back to A Rhapsody in Black and Blue , a 1932 short film directed by Aubrey Scotto, [2] wherein Louis Armstrong dances, sings, and plays his trumpet in a large area of soap suds. Songs performed in the foam are "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You" and "Shine". [3] Another film featuring foam parties is The Party , [4] featuring Peter Sellers.

Modern foam parties were developed in the early 1990s by club promoters in Ibiza.[ citation needed ] Generally, machines were large, ceiling-mounted foam generators, created by Weird Dream Productions, that created a large volume of foam that fell from the ceiling onto clubbers. The large water usage and subsequent cleanup required made this impractical for many venues.[ citation needed ], resulting in a demand upon Weird Dream Productions to modify their foam to be of low water content. Weird Dreams achieved this in model Mk III which produced 200,000 litres per minute with just 50l of water. UK style leaders Big Fun and Roy Barlow Leisure purchased machines from Weird Dream Productions and later began manufacturing their own versions, creating a global market for the product, and these three companies remained global market leaders throughout the craze. All market leaders were UK-based until around 2004. In recent years, there has been a large growth in at-home parties, and even more grand foam experiences. [5] In the kids birthday and party market, there are many companies offering parties for front or back yards, using the water and electricity of the homeowner. [6] Sometimes one can rent inflatables to contain the foam. While they can contain the foam, these can take up a lot of space. In warmer climates, kids often wear bathing suits. [7] Today, there are a few companies that make foam cannons from industrial fans and pipes. [8] [9]

As Ibiza foam parties became more popular, the craze spread, and the foam cannon was developed by Roy Barlow from The Entertainment Biz and Robin Wincup from Galaxy.

In the 1990s, foam parties were performed weekly at Amnesia in Ibiza.[ citation needed ]

Safety

There are numerous hazards associated with foam parties. Common hazards include slipping on floors made slick by the foam, with risks being intensified when combined with alcohol. [10]

In 2008, three people were electrocuted and two others injured at a foam party at the Venezia Palace Hotel in Antalya, Turkey. [11]

Today, the foam used by most mobile foam party companies for birthday parties and other outdoor events is generated by mixing a powdered or gel foam concentrate with water and pumping it through a foam machine or cannon. These products are bio-degradable, allergy-free, and safe for children, pets, and residential lawns when used as directed. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubble tea</span> Tea-based drink with chewy bubbles

Bubble tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially in California through regions including Los Angeles County, but the drink has also spread to other countries where there is a large East Asian diaspora population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibiza</span> Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea

Ibiza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands in area, but the second-largest by population. Its largest settlements are Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària des Riu, and Sant Antoni de Portmany. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa, is 475 metres above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetsuit</span> Garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet

A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on the water. Its purpose is to provide thermal insulation and protection from abrasion, ultraviolet exposure, and stings from marine organisms. It also contributes extra buoyancy. The insulation properties of neoprene foam depend mainly on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material, which reduce its ability to conduct heat. The bubbles also give the wetsuit a low density, providing buoyancy in water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foam</span> Form of matter

Foams are two-phase material systems where a gas is dispersed in a second, non-gaseous material, specifically, in which gas cells are enclosed by a distinct liquid or solid material. The foam "may contain more or less liquid [or solid] according to circumstances", although in the case of gas-liquid foams, the gas occupies most of the volume. The word derives from the medieval German and otherwise obsolete veim, in reference to the "frothy head forming in the glass once the beer has been freshly poured".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beanie Babies</span> American brand of stuffed toys

Beanie Babies are a line of stuffed toys created by American businessman Ty Warner, who founded Ty Inc. in 1986. The toys are stuffed with plastic pellets ("beans") rather than conventional soft stuffing. They come in many different forms, mostly animals.

VStar Entertainment Group is a family entertainment production company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It produced Sesame Street Live, a live touring stage show based on the television series. It has also produced stage shows based on The Muppet Show and Muppet Babies, PAW Patrol, Barney & Friends, Trolls, Bear in the Big Blue House, Dragon Tales, Baby Shark's Big Show!, and Curious George.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial work platform</span> Truck with mechanical device for lifting people up to high places

An aerial work platform (AWP), also known as an aerial device, elevating work platform (EWP), aerial lift, cherry picker, bucket truck or mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment to inaccessible areas, usually at height. There are distinct types of mechanized access platforms and the individual types may also be known as a "cherry picker", "boom lift" or "scissor lift".

Frigidaire Appliance Company is the American consumer and commercial home appliances brand subsidiary of multinational company Electrolux, a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drano</span> Drain cleaner

Drano is an American brand of chemical drain cleaner that is manufactured by S. C. Johnson & Son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefighting foam</span> Foam used for fire suppression

Firefighting foam is a foam used for fire suppression. Its role is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, thus achieving suppression of the combustion. Firefighting foam was invented by the Moldovan engineer and chemist Aleksandr Loran in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubble (physics)</span> Globule of one substance in another, typically gas in a liquid

A bubble is a globule of a gas substance in a liquid. In the opposite case, a globule of a liquid in a gas, is called a drop. Due to the Marangoni effect, bubbles may remain intact when they reach the surface of the immersive substance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Book Off</span> Japanese chain of used bookstores

Book Off, stylized as BOOKOFF, is Japan's largest chain of used bookstores. Founded in August 1991, the company has had explosive success, expanding to over 850 stores throughout Japan and several overseas locations. In addition to books, its chains also sell manga, CDs, DVDs, video games, and used video game consoles, mobile phones, portable media players, and sports equipment. Stores are distinguished by their large surface area, cleanliness, and bright illumination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids Place Live</span> American radio channel

Kids Place Live is a Sirius XM Radio station on channel 134, that is the result of a merger between XM Kids and Kids Stuff. This was a result of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approving the acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holding, Inc. by Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. on July 29, 2008, 17 months after the companies first proposed the merger. Until February 9, 2010, DirecTV carried this on channel 868, but dropped Sirius XM programming in favor of going to SonicTap. The channel name was changed on 2008-11-12.

Global Special Effects, formally known as Snowmasters Inc., is a special effects company headquartered in Lexington, Alabama. The firm, founded in 1992 by a former magician, specializes in artificial snow, cryo, smoke, bubble and fog machines. The company's products have been used in music videos such as "Back to December" by Taylor Swift and "Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber, film productions such as Harry Potter and Lucky, television shows such as Fear Factor, and at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frappé coffee</span> Greek iced coffee drink

A frappé coffee, cold coffee, Greek frappé, or just frappé is a Greek iced coffee drink generally made from spray-dried instant coffee, water, sugar, and milk. The word is often written frappe. The frappé was invented in 1957 in Thessaloniki through experimentation by Dimitris Vakondios, a Nescafe representative. Greek Christos Lenzos (1930-2023), a coffeehouse (1964-2013) owner in Pangrati, has been recognized for his self-made version of Greek frappé coffee. Frappés are among the most popular forms of coffee in Greece and Cyprus and have become a hallmark of postwar outdoor Greek coffee culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elephant's toothpaste</span> Foamy substance created by quickly decomposing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

Elephant's toothpaste is a foamy substance caused by the quick decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using potassium iodide (KI) or yeast and warm water as a catalyst. How rapidly the reaction proceeds will depend on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea foam</span> Foam created by the agitation of seawater

Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the surfactants under these turbulent conditions trap air, forming persistent bubbles that stick to each other through surface tension.

Aerated chocolate, also known as air chocolate, is a type of chocolate that intentionally contains gas, forming bubbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pop it</span> Аnti-stress toy

A Pop-It is a fidget toy consisting of a usually-brightly colored silicone tray with poppable bubbles, similar to bubble wrap, that can be flipped and re-used. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and even come in wearable formats. It is marketed as a stress-reliever and rose in popularity in the spring of 2021 due to TikTok influencers as well as boredom and stress attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. "Columbus Foam Parties - What is a Foam Party?". 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  2. A Rhapsody in Black and Blue at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. "Plot Summary". A Rhapsody in Blue. IMDb. 1932.
  4. "Foam Party - How to organise a foam party and information on running foam parties". www.foam-party.co.uk.
  5. "Foam Party Experience | That Foam Party Guy: Foam and Bubble Experiences". 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  6. "Kids Foam Party | SoCal's Interactive Foam Parties". 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  7. "Foam Party 101: The Complete Guide To Foam Parties | Kidtastic Bubbles". www.kidtasticbubbles.com. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  8. "Foam Machines Rental for Foam Parties and Snow Machines". Foamdaddy. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  9. "Foam Machines Rental for Foam Parties" . Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  10. Flam, Lisa (June 6, 2012). "HEALTH: 'Foam parties' bubble over with hidden hazards". TODAY.
  11. Yael Levi (July 23, 2008). "2 Israeli brothers die after being electrocuted at hotel". Ynetnews. Israel. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  12. "FAQs". Columbus Foam Parties. 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-23.