4 mobile party rentals that bring the experience to you

The Long Island party scene is an ever-changing one, but one thing has remained consistent since the start of the pandemic: People are seeking out experiences via trucks, trailers and carts that pull up to their homes for celebratory fetes, whether it be birthday parties, bridal or baby showers, weddings and so on.

The Mobile Man Cave, for instance, is one of many newish traveling experiences. The lounge-style party trailer, owned by Benjamin Filippi, is lined with four TVs for gaming or sports tailgating. 

Katey O’Connell, 35, booked the man cave for her boyfriend’s home birthday party in the fall, where 20 or so people had five-hour access to the trailer. “There were tons of awesome games. People were watching them, playing them. It was highly entertaining,” she says of the encounter.

For those with limited space, a cart might be a more manageable addition. Amanda Lesebvre booked Tipsy Scoop's boozy ice cream  cart for a work-related gathering during spring break — the plan was to set up in her Long Beach backyard, but due to the weather, she hosted indoors instead, where the cart fit "perfectly," she says, adding that her guests "loved it." 

Here are four mobile experiences to check out now:

Mobile Man Cave

Filippi, 33, has worked in the party industry since he was a teenager, but it wasn’t until 2019 that he launched his own entertainment business — the Mobile Man Cave, a 25-foot trailer that books for a gaming-slash-lounge experience.
The brick-lined mobile party room features televisions dedicated to a gaming system — Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. One is connected to satellite TV for local viewings of games, shows and Pay-Per-View events.
About 15 guests can fit comfortably inside the trailer with double that being able to utilize the outdoor area, meant for tailgating games like horseshoe, Kan Jam and cornhole.

While the Man Cave does not offer food or drink, clients can order-in their own catering. Each experience comes with at least two attendees. 

An at-home package costs $600 for three-hours use of the trailer. Each additional hour is $125. The Mobile Man Cave can coordinate rentals of inflatables, tents and so on at an additional cost. It’s available for hire for tailgating and for business-to-business events, too. It travels to both counties and beyond.

CONTACT: 516-260-6195; mobilemancaveparty.com

COST: Starting at $600

RENTING THROUGH: Year-round

Tipsy Scoop

Owner Melissa Tavss, 34, says ice cream making runs in the family, stemming from the 1800s when her great-great-great grandfather sold gelato in Scotland.

She’s always been into making her own ice cream, but “it was very difficult to get a good consistency of homemade ice cream in a small tabletop machine," she says, adding that she then began to experiment with adding alcohol to her creations to soften them. 
In 2013, she launched her own boozy ice cream pushcart in Manhattan where all of its ice cream featured up to 5% ABV (alcohol by volume); last year, it landed in the Long Island market via a small Long Beach storefront and as of this season, Tavss started offering her goods via pushcarts for private events. 

A 50-person minimum is required to book the pushcart, which comes with four ice cream flavors (Tavss recommends ordering at least one non-boozy flavor); five toppings (sprinkles, Oreos, gummy bears, peach rings, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauces) and your choice of cups — plastic martini glasses or Champagne coupes or paper cups. An attendee will be on-site for the festivities, which book for no less than one hour.

Take in flavors like dark chocolate whiskey salted caramel, churro dulce de lech infused with tequila, boozy bananas foster with spiced rum, spiked hazelnut coffee with Cafe Patron and hazelnut liqueur and coconut margarita ice cream with tequila.

CONTACT: catering@tipsyscoop.com; 516-608-0578; tipsyscoop.com.

COST: Starting at $399 for pushcart only; add $14.50 per person for single-serve boozy ice cream

RENTING THROUGH: Year-round

Long Island Airstream Gaming Experience

What started as a favor for a friend on his wedding night — handing out cigars and bourbon from behind a table — back in 2017, has turned into a career for Thomas Francis. He went on to launch his first airstream experience, in 2018, out of a vintage 1972 trailer which he called the Long Island Cuban Cigar and Bourbon Experience.

Four years later, Francis, 39, has a fleet of more than a dozen airstreams, with each providing their own unique experience. The last to debut? A “fully next-generation” 34-foot trailer that hit the road in April equipped with gaming systems and an arcade.

“We have Xboxs, PlayStations, Nintendo switches” inside the airstream, Francis says, so at any given time, up to 16 people can use the systems. There’s also an arcade machine that’s programed with thousands of games. For the kids, refrigerators are stocked with unlimited water, soda and Gatorade. Twenty people can fit comfortably inside.

There’s a party in itself outside, too, with tailgate games like cornhole, Jenga and Connect Four. The 21-and-over crowd can grab a beer, some cider or wine from one of the taps attached to the outside of the airstream, where there’s an additional two TVs set up, as well as Nintendo Switches and some high-tops.

The experience comes to your own backyard for $1,400 (without alcohol) or $1,500 (with alcohol) for up to 25 people; for more than 25 people, it’s $10 a person (no alcohol) or $30 a person (with alcohol). Parties book for three hours and come with two “game masters.”

The retro-style airstream is available in both counties.

CONTACT: 844-542-4427; tliae.com

COST: Starting at $1,400

RENTING THROUGH: Year-round

Forget Me Knots 

Floral designer Jennifer Murphy, 35, and baker Amanda Sims, 33, owners of Wild Flour Studio in Stewart Manor, expanded their offerings this season to include a fun, boho-chic cart that’s available for special occasions. Wild Flour offers a handful of activities through the use of its cart, ranging from fresh- or dry-flower projects that include making your own bouquet, centerpiece, crown or eucalyptus bundles. 

It’s $500 to rent the cart, plus an additional $12 to $15 per person for floral arrangements, and Sims’ home-baked goods can be added to any package at an additional cost. Customers typically rent the cart for two to four hours, with a 15-person minimum requirement. 

Murphy also has a more classic looking black-and-white cart available through Forget Me Knots.

CONTACT: wildflourstudiony@gmail.com, 516-563-5759; wildflourstudiony.com

COST: Starting at $500 for cart only; $12 per person for florals

RENTING THROUGH: Year-round