A letter from the founder

I've been the DJ at a lot of family events. Weddings, school dances, community celebrations, birthday parties, anniversaries. The ones I remember most are the ones where the grandparents and the toddlers both ended up on the dance floor.

Back in 2011, I was at my eldest daughter's first elementary school dance, watching the kids run around to the music like every other parent in the room, when I noticed the DJ making choices in the second hour that I wouldn't have made at a middle school dance — let alone an elementary one. I mentioned to a PTA officer, almost offhandedly, that I had DJ experience and would help out if they ever needed it. He practically begged me to do the next one.

That stuck with me. If it was that hard for a PTA to find a DJ they could trust with a room full of kids, it was hard for everyone. Family DJ came out of that conversation, and it's been running ever since.

Over those years I kept hearing the same thing from families: "I wish there were more vendors like you." There are. Plenty of photographers, caterers, venues, entertainers and DJs genuinely welcome kids, grandparents and guests of every age — and are good at it. The problem is that you can't tell from a website. "Family-friendly" is a checkbox on a form. It doesn't tell you whether the photographer knows how to work a crowd that includes toddlers, or whether the venue has somewhere quiet for a nursing parent, or what the DJ actually does when a request isn't appropriate for the room.

What this site is

Family-Friendly Events is a directory built on one idea: say what you are, show it, and let families make an informed choice.

Every vendor on the site answers a set of specific questions about how they welcome kids and families — in their own words, on their own profile. Not a certification. Not a badge we hand out. A real explanation you can read before you ever reach out. Families search by the things that actually matter to them: the ages they're planning for, the kind of event, the amenities they need. Reviews, quote requests and a calendar of local family events sit alongside.

It's small, and it's founder-led. I'm building it carefully, one category, one market, one vendor, and one family at a time. The directory is filling in, and you're seeing it as it grows.

Where we are: Early Access

We're brand new. Early Access is our founding chapter, and I want to be plain about what that means.

For families, everything is free to use — search, read, compare, request a quote — and it'll stay that way.

For vendors, listing your business is free, and there will always be a free listing on this site. That's a commitment, not a launch promotion. Paid plans with promotional placement and extra features are coming later, and every vendor who joins during Early Access keeps a founding rate when they do. No credit card, no catch.

The part I need help with

Here's the honest problem with building a directory: families come for the vendors, and vendors come for the families. On day one there are few of either, and neither group can see the value until the other shows up. Every marketplace starts this way. The ones that make it are the ones where a community decides it's worth having and helps fill it in.

So I'm asking directly.

If you're a vendor who's genuinely good with families — a DJ, photographer, caterer, venue, entertainer, or anything else — list your business. It takes a few minutes, and the family-friendly questions are the part worth your time; they're what families read first. Being here early means your profile is one of the first families see when they arrive.

If you're not a vendor, you probably know one. The photographer who was patient with your three-year-old. The venue that had somewhere quiet for a nursing mom. The magician who read the room at a birthday party. Tell them about this site — or tell me who they are, and I'll reach out myself. A recommendation from a family who has seen someone work is worth more than any ad I could buy, and it's how a directory like this earns trust: one good vendor at a time, vouched for by the people who hired them.

And whoever you are, tell me what would make this more useful to you. A category that's missing. A search that didn't find what you needed. Something that confused you. Something you wish it did. I'm shaping this around the people using it, and your suggestions carry real weight right now — I read every message, and the early ones shape the most.

You're not doing me a favor by helping; you're helping build something you'll get to use. Either way, I'm grateful.

Thanks for being here at the start.

Carl Bohman
Founder, Family-Friendly Events