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Birthday parties, playdates & things to do

For busy parents who want to give their kids their very best.

Upward brings intelligence to the planning around your kids. Send one private link for a birthday party or a playdate, and the replies, the headcount, gift ideas and photos all come back to one place. Upward keeps count and follows up. So there’s more time, and more of you, for them.

Create an invitation Plan a playdate

Free for families today. Nothing to install, for you or your guests.

We’ve all been here.

11:48 PM The kids are asleep. Your phone isn’t.

  • MessagesGrace · Theo’s mumSorry it’s late! Could Theo’s little sister come too? I don’t have anyone to look after her.
  • WhatsAppRavi SinghBy the way, what does Mila like? I was going to buy her something, but I wasn’t sure she’d like it.

8:52 AM First thing at work, it’s all still there.

  • MailLittle Cedars Play ClubFinal numbers for SaturdayHi! Could you confirm your headcount by 5 PM today, so we can set up the room?
  • RemindersText the 4 families who haven’t repliedMila’s party

3:10 PM Pickup. She has something to show you.

  • WhatsAppSchool parentsEmma: Rain all weekend 🌧️ Anyone know somewhere indoors for the kids on Sunday?

Each one is small. Together, they’re a lot.

Off your mindHandled by Upward
  • Theo’s sisterCounted in Grace’s reply
  • Gift ideasOn the invitation, no doubles
  • Little CedarsSees who’s coming, live
  • 4 familiesReminded on your schedule
  • SundayIndoor ideas nearby, ready to share

Upward thinks ahead, so you can be right here.

You still make every call. Upward remembers, follows up and keeps count.

Birthday partieswith Upward

The invitation is the first present.

Your child picks the world, from a dragon’s lair to a moon base, and their invitation plays like a short film made just for them. Guests open a private link and reply in seconds, with no app and no account.

Kindergarten friends crowd around a dad’s phone at school pickup, delighted by the invitation
Everyone wanted to watch it again.
Unicorn Sky Race
Dino Expedition
Rocket to the Moon Base
Mermaid Lagoon
Ice Palace
Superhero Skyline
Pirate Treasure Cove
Animal Castle
Neon Arcade Legend
Construction Crew

Starring Mila.

Her name, her day, her world. The invitation feels like it was made for her, because it was. And it’s ready to send whenever you are.

Mila kneels on the sofa beside her dad, pointing at his phone as they choose her birthday invitation

A dragon egg is hatching

Mila

is turning 6

Sat, Nov 8 · 2 PM

Little Cedars Play Club

I’ll be thereCan’t

Remember Grace’s late text? Her reply already counts Theo’s sister.

Who’s coming? Already counted.

Every reply in one place, adults and kids counted separately, so you know how many pizzas to order. You choose the reminder schedule, and Upward sends the reminders for you.

14kids
10adults
2maybe
  • OKThe Okafors“He’s talked about nothing else.”2 kids
  • SIThe Singhs1 kid
  • GAThe Garcias2 kids

Reminder to 2 families goes out Friday.

No more “final numbers?” email from Little Cedars. They see the count as replies arrive.

Booking a venue? Do it in the same place.

When the venue is on Upward, you can book the party room right from your party, and the venue sees who’s coming as replies arrive. Venues are joining one by one. Having it at home or in the park? Everything else works the same.

A busy indoor playground with slides, nets and a ball pit, and a glass-walled party room with green and gold balloons where a host welcomes a family
Up to 16 kidsHost included
10:00 AM2:00 PM4:30 PM

The venue sees who’s coming: 14 kids, 10 adults

Sat, Nov 8$395
Book party

Gift ideas

Ravi asked what Mila likes. Now the answer is on the invitation.

Gifts for what she can’t wait to do.

Tell guests what Mila’s into and what’s coming up. Add ideas from any store, or a wish they can make their own. Each guest claims one, sees what’s already taken and buys it from the store, so nobody has to bring the third copy of the same dragon book.

Gift ideas for Mila

Turning 6 · Sat, Nov 8

Linked to the invitation
JL

A note from Mila’s mumMila starts skating lessons in January, so anything for the rink will get used every Saturday. She draws every day, mostly dragons, and has plenty of dragon books. No present needed, honestly.

  • OpenOKThe OkaforsFigure skatesSize 12. Lessons start in January.
  • OpenSIThe SinghsSkating helmetThe rink asks for one.
  • OpenGRGrandma RoseSomething cosy for the rinkMittens, a hat, anything warm. Your choice.She’s choosing it herself
  • OpenGAThe GarciasAccordion sketchbook and crayonsFor very long dragons.
  • OpenStill openDragon kiteDragons, but not a book.
Mila at her first skating lesson in January, arms out on the ice in her new skates, helmet and knitted mittens, with other children learning around herSIHelmet · the SinghsThe SinghsGRMittens · Grandma RoseGrandma RoseOKSkates · the OkaforsThe Okafors
January. First lesson.
That evening, Mila concentrates on drawing herself skating in her accordion sketchbookGAThe Garcias
That evening

After the party

See the moments you missed.

A laugh by the slide. A hug after the cake. Families who came can share their photos in the party’s private album. No more sending pictures to each family, one by one.

0photos added to Mila’s album

Mila’s 6th birthday

0 photos from 0 families

Private
+44

Private to the families who came

PRPriya

DADan

EMEmma

LULucia

GRGrandma Rose

Playdatesthe usual way

Everyone’s in for a playdate. Just never on the same day.

Six families, one group chat, and 47 messages later you’re still scrolling up to see who said Sunday.

3
PREMDALU

School parents

Priya

We should get the kids together soon!

Emma

Yes! This Saturday?

Dan

We have swim till 11

Lucia

Sunday?

Emma

Sunday’s nap day for the little one

Maya

Park or library?

I can host if it rains

Priya

Wait, which Saturday?

Dan

Who’s bringing snacks?

Maya

Sorry, just catching up. What did we decide?

Lucia

Your group chat, today

Playdateswith Upward

Find a time. Pick a place. Make it happen.

Keep your group chat. Drop in one Upward link, and the deciding happens there instead.

Playdateswith Upward

Find a time. Pick a place. Make it happen.

Keep your group chat. Drop in one Upward link, and the deciding happens there instead.

  1. 1
    Drop one link in the chat

    Start a playdate on Upward with a time or two, then paste its link in your group chat. No app needed.

  2. 2
    See what works

    Each family marks the times they prefer, can make or can’t make. Upward puts the time that works for the most families at the top.

  3. 3
    Choose a place together

    Suggest a place, ask a question and vote for the ideas you like.

  4. 4
    Confirm the plan

    Choose the time and place. Everyone can see the details and add the playdate to their calendar.

Things to dowith UpwardEARLY

Emma’s rainy Sunday? This is where you’d look.

Need an idea? Ask the way you’d ask a friend.

Say what you’re after in plain words. Upward looks at what’s on nearby and shows what fits. Found something? Suggest it to the group.

And the next playdate is already half-planned.

Upward keeps your group of families together and suggests the next date, with a few ideas to vote on. Photos from the day go into the group’s private album, just like after a party.

Kids playing all over a wooden lakeside playground on an autumn morning, one jumping into a pile of leaves and one stomping in a puddle, while parents chat with coffee behind them

SIThe Singhs

OKThe Okafors

WOThe Wongs

Trout Lake, Saturday morning

Trout Lake · Oct 25

0 photos from 6 families

Just this group
+31
Nov15

Next up: Saturday, Nov 15

A date that works for all 6 families. Now the group is picking what to do.

4 of 6 voted
Popular so farKids painting mugs and plates at a pottery studio
Pottery paintingCommercial Drive · 10 AM4
A boy climbing a colourful bouldering wall while his mum spots him
Kids’ climbingBouldering gym drop-in · 9:30 AM3
Mila holding her mum’s hand at a family skate, in her new lilac helmet and knitted mittens
Family skateKitsilano rink · 11 AM2

Privacy and trust

Your plans. Your choices.

Privacy matters when children are in the picture. Your plans stay with the people you invite, and you decide what Upward sends.

Mila and her mother walking hand in hand along Spanish Banks at low tide, the North Shore mountains across the water

Private by default

Your party is never a public page. Invitations and plans live at private links, and photos have a private album for the families who came.

Just your people.

Read our privacy policy

Free for families today

Invitations, replies, playdates, gift lists and photo albums, all in one place.

No card. No trial.

Venue bookings are paid to the venue

Made in Vancouver

Designed and built here, and growing one city and one venue at a time.

Growing with you.

Starting with parties and playdates

Questions

Questions parents ask.

Is Upward free?

Yes, for families today. Invitations, replies, playdates, gift lists and private photo albums are free, with no card and no trial. If you book a venue through Upward, you pay the venue.

Is there an app to download?

No. Upward works in the browser on any phone or computer, so there’s nothing to install, for you or your guests.

We haven’t picked a venue yet. Can we still start?

Yes, that’s the idea. A party’s date and place can come later; for a playdate, choose at least one possible time and decide the place together.

Do my guests need to download an app or create an account?

No. Guests can reply and claim or undo a gift choice from the private link without an account. Things that last over time, like saving the event or opening the private photo album after attending, use a personal account.

Can grandparents use Upward without hosting anything?

Yes. From the link you send them, they can reply and claim something from the gift list. If they come, they’ll need a personal account to see the private photos afterward.

Who can see the photos from a playdate?

The families who were part of it. Each playdate has its own private album. Everyone who came can add their photos, and the album stays within the group.

What do confirmed venues see about guests?

If your celebration is linked to a confirmed venue, the venue can see only accepted responses: the names of people marked as attending, the responsible adult’s invitation contact details, headcount, adult and child counts, and any service or waiver status needed to run the day. Guests who reply maybe, decline, or have not answered are not identified, and your gift list is not shared.

Does Upward only work in Vancouver?

No. Invitations, replies and gift lists work anywhere: a park, your backyard, any venue in any city. Booking a venue through Upward is available in Metro Vancouver today, and growing.

A venue sent me an Upward link after I booked a party. What now?

Follow it and create your free account. Your party is set up with the venue already attached, so you can add your guest list and send the invitations.

Where do Things to do results come from?

From public program schedules that organizers already publish, starting with community centres and libraries. Every result shows where it came from and when it was last checked, and you sign up with the organizer directly. Things to do is still early, and growing.

How does the gift list work? Is there a markup?

Add ideas from any online store. Guests buy directly from the store, and Upward adds nothing to the price. Claimed gifts are marked, which helps avoid doubles. You can also add a wish without a link, like “something cosy for the rink”, and let the guest choose the gift. With surprise mode on, who’s giving what stays hidden from you until the reveal time you choose.

How is this different from Evite or Punchbowl?

Your child’s party is a private celebration, not a searchable public event page. Replies capture exactly who’s coming, adults and kids, instead of scattering across group texts. And the invitation connects to the rest of the day: the gift list, the venue and the photos.

Ready when you are

Start with the invitation.

A birthday on the way? You can add the date and place when you’ve decided. Planning a playdate? Start with a time or two.

Create an invitation Plan a playdate

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