Food ideas for birthday party?

[Heavenly]

My daughter is turning 7 in November and is having a birthday party at an art gallery on November 7. They have a 2 hour art session and then you get a room to do all your food and presents. No food is provided so you have to bring everything and I am trying to think of a meal idea that is easy to assemble and is not something like pizza or hot dogs. I was thinking sandwiches but how do you know what each kid will like? Oh, there are 13 kids, including my daughter and they are all girls.

[lilyka]

When we do food at a birthday party we do a veggie tray, a fruit tray, finger sandwhiches (pbandj, meat salad of some sort and something like cream cheese, dill and cucumbers) and crackers and cheese. Everything is whole food type stuff, inexpensive and easy to prepare, travels well etc. For fruit apples (and caramel dip!) and some bananas cut in half and grapes would suffice. for veggies carrot sticks and broccoli and cherry tomatoes are always a hit. kids also seem to dig cucumbers. ranch for dipping.

We are vegan and many of our friends at least fast for religous reasons and we almost always end up with birthdays falling on fasting days (well we fast every friday which is an awesome party day....) but we also try to provide stuff people who eat meat and dairy would like. if we use a vegan cream cheese or sour cream alternative we don't mention it. people tend to freak out. but if you make the bulk of it fruit and veggie in their natrual state it always seems to be a hit. and little sandwhiches seem to work well for any crowd.

[ollyoxenfree]

I've done lots of birthday parties with pizza, hamburgers, etc. I was always dismayed by the amount of waste. The kids are usually too jazzed to eat much. Then one year we held it mid-afternoon at the local gymnasium club without a kitchen. I packed up a cheese tray with different crackers and biscuits and a big fruit platter, along with the cake. It was perfect - most of the food was eaten, but there was enough left that I knew no one went hungry. Since then I almost always just serve finger food, unless the party IS dinner - at a restaurant, for example.

Building sandwiches sounds like fun. Some other ideas - veggies and dip, sushi platters, spring rolls, spanokopita.

[mumkimum]

Long sub sandwiches (using an unsliced loaf of bread) that can get sliced up smaller there go over pretty well - make 3 or 4 different kinds, one cheese and veggie other with different sliced meat or even tunafish (and cheese & veggies too). Pairs well with dip, chips, fruit, etc, also easy to bring places.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

since its at an art gallery I would do "opening night" style food. Like if you went to a gallery opening.
Cheese and crackers
veggies/dip
horsdoeuvrs
tiny sandwiches (maybe pb/j cheese, cucumber cream cheese etc cut out "fun" shaped cookie cutters)
"wine" (sparkling juice, or juice and carbonated water that you mix together)
cupcakes

[AnnieA]

When my older DSD turned 9, we had an "art" party as well. It was mid-afternoon so I served a snack along with the cake. I let her choose her favorites which was pita bread cut into triangles with hummus and cheese slices. I think I also did some fruit but I can't recall. I agree with a PP that said usually kids are to hyped up at parties to eat.