Kids' Party — Kohtla-Järve

A child's birthday in a Kohtla-Järve apartment block means thin walls, neighbours one floor down, and a stairwell that amplifies every shout. The same gathering in a rented hall gives you concrete that eats sound, a PA that feeds back if the mic gets near the speaker, and a room too large or too dim unless the rig is correct.

We arrive early, test the system against the room, and run the music at the level it will actually be played. What breaks the afternoon is usually power — an extension lead daisy-chained too far, a breaker that trips when the lights and the bouncy castle both draw — so we map the circuits first and split the load. After that it is arrangement: where the cake goes, where the games do not trip over the buffet, and how many parents can watch without standing in the fire lane.