The Very Best Face-painters in Chelsea

Summer in Chelsea is our peak season for face painting — garden parties near King’s Road, birthday celebrations around Sloane Square and outdoor gatherings in the quieter streets off the Embankment keep our painters busy every weekend. For Saturday and Sunday slots between May and September, we recommend booking 3–4 weeks ahead. Come winter, most Chelsea families host at home across the SW3 and SW10 postcodes, which opens up plenty of short-notice availability. Midweek slots are regularly free throughout the year — just WhatsApp us and we’ll check live availability across the London team.

Our Chelsea face painters typically complete 10–12 children per hour with full face designs. For simpler cheek art or smaller designs on hands and arms, this can go up to 15–18 per hour. Our minimum booking is 1 hour at £145 — whether you’ve got 5 kids or 12, that’s our standard call-out rate. For parties with more than 12 kids, we recommend booking 1.5 hours, or adding 30 minutes for every additional 6 children beyond 12. Not sure? Send us a quick message with your guest count and we’ll figure out the right booking duration with you.

No problem at all. Some kids, especially younger ones, are a bit nervous about having their face painted — so our face painters are happy to paint small designs on the back of a hand, on an arm, or even “jewellery” designs around the wrist instead. Every child gets their moment one way or another. Just let the face painter know on the day, or mention it at booking if there’s a specific child you’d like us to go gentle with.

Yes. We use professional, water-based, hypoallergenic face paints from trusted brands including Snazaroo, Wolfe FX and FX — all dermatologically tested and certified safe for use on children’s skin. Paints come off easily with a wet wipe, or warm water and soap. If a child has particularly sensitive skin or known allergies, just let us know at booking and we’ll take extra care or do a small patch test before the session.

Yes, and we can go more detailed with face painting than with most services. Whether it’s Frozen, Spider-Man, princess, unicorn, dinosaur, jungle safari, pirates or something more specific, tell us your theme at booking and we’ll brief the face painter in advance. For complex or custom themes, a bit more notice is helpful so the artist can prep reference designs and the right colour palette. The more you tell us, the more they can tailor their design menu to the vibe of your party.

Easily. Our face paints are water-based (not oil-based), so they come off with a wet wipe, or warm water and a bit of soap — no scrubbing needed. Most parents do it at bath time and it rinses right off. If any colour lingers on sensitive skin, a second wipe with a little soap does the trick. The paint won’t stain pillows or clothes as long as it’s been properly dried during the party.

Absolutely — and it's one of the most popular choices. Our Active Party package (£225) combines face painting with balloon art or party games, delivered by the same entertainer in a 90-minute session. The Complete Party (£395) includes three services over 90 minutes. Having one entertainer run everything is much smoother than coordinating multiple people — and works out cheaper than booking separately.

Just a small table and two chairs — that’s all. Your face painter brings everything else: paints, brushes, a design menu, and a cheerful attitude. If you’re hosting outdoors, a shaded or sheltered area works best so the paint doesn’t dry too fast in direct sun and the kids aren’t squinting. We handle the rest.

Chelsea weather being what it is — if an outdoor party gets rained out on the day, we’ll happily reschedule your booking at no extra charge. We know how much planning goes into a kids’ birthday, and we’d rather move the date than have your little guests huddled under a soggy gazebo. Just let us know as soon as you can, and we’ll work with you to find a new date that suits.

Face painting is a hit with kids aged 3 and up. For younger toddlers (1–2 years), children can sometimes be shy or fidgety which makes a full face painting tricky, but our painters are experienced with nervous little ones and will always work at the child’s pace. For very young parties, hand or arm painting is usually the better call — and balloon art tends to work brilliantly for any age group.