Check our Desert Tent Calendar and look for an available time slot!

Yes!  We have a cart that you can use to bring it up to the tent. No alcohol permitted.

Yes! Decorate the Desert Tent however you want. Guests often bring banners, streamers, balloons, themed place settings, etc. We just ask that you take decorations down before you when you leave.

Guests can stay two hours, give or take, or longer if you add additional time to your tent rental. The fee you pay for the birthday party (which is free for adults) is primarily for rental of the space and giving kids some activities which are bounded by time. If guests want to stay significantly longer, they can come back another day, pay for general admission, or better yet, become Dunes passholders! If you decide to stay for an extra hour because everyone is having so much fun, just let us know so we can add it to the final invoice.

If you choose to reschedule your party due to inclement weather (within 24 hours of the party), we will help you rebook your party on any available time slot that works for you. If you choose to cancel your party altogether, there is no refund unfortunately.

Just let us know your best estimate for planning purposes. We will ask you about the final tally of youths (under 18) after the party so we can adjust the final invoice if necessary--either by sending a supplemental invoice for extra guests or by refunding you for guests that didn't ultimately show.

You can fit a lot of people in there but we have chairs and tables for 60 people.

If you order the hot dog combo or ice cream, just make sure to stop by the Oasis before your party begins and let them know how many people you paid for and what time you want the order to be ready. You will pick up the food from the Oasis pick-up window. If you end up having more or fewer guests who want food than originally planned, we can always adjust the invoice after the fact.

The electric train goes on a loop around the dunes from 10am-3pm (approximately). If you want to ride the train to Gemstone Village / Fossil Dig, just go to the train stop nearest the Desert Tent and wait for the train. We recommend you take a full loop around the track before stopping at Gemstone Village / Fossil Dig. This is a very fun experience for the kids!  NOTE: on some occasions, the train may not be operating due to staffing issues, rain, or vehicle maintenance. We can not absolutely guarantee this will be a part of the birthday party experience but it operates the vast majority of the time.

Absolutely! If the additional child is a +1 (i.e. not included in the totals on the invoice), your guests can just pay for that child at the door. It is $15/child (18 and under). They just have to let the person at the Welcome Center know!

No. Believe us, we want as many chaperones as possible!

No. We provide the space and things like place settings, tables, chairs, etc. The kids don't really need our help to have fun here, but it's also why adults are free.

Not all all. You have exclusive use of the Desert Tent for your entire time slot (plus 30 minutes to set up), and free and unlimited access to the dunes (general admission) for your guests. Sometimes kids spend most of the time in the playground. Other times they run around the dunes or get really enchanted with Gemstone Village. We don't exert any influence over how you structure your activities.

Mini golf is not part of our birthday party package, but if you book a birthday party at the Desert of Maine you get 10% off mini golf tickets. This is a perfect thing to do after the party! Older kids often just want to play mini golf. In that case, you do not need to rent the Desert Tent! You can just show up and buy your tickets to play mini golf without coordinating with us! If you want a place to open presents or have cake, we have a group of wooden picnic tables that is set apart from the others where you can enjoy some privacy. We just ask that you clean up after yourselves!

Yes. Individual Dunes passes can be purchased for as little as $70 (10% off for Freeport residents). You can also select a different pass level if you think you might take advantage of the many benefits.