Photo by Lindsey Mogel.
Utica Zoo Birthday Parties
Come celebrate your birthday at the wildest place in town!
We offer multiple Birthday Party packages and extras to fit your budget.
Since space is limited, we recommend you reserve your party at least 3 months in advance, especially for spring and summer birthdays.
See contact information below to schedule your party today!
Zoo-rific Birthday Party Packages
Prices are based on a 30 guest maximum (any amount of children or adults). The birthday child plus parents and siblings are free, and not included in the guest count. Extra guests over the allotted 30 will be a fee of $4.50/adult and $3.00/child.
Basic Party
Cost: $170
Available most Saturdays and Sundays (year-round);
10:00am – 12:00pm or 2:30pm-4:30pm
$10 discount for any parties held November – February
Includes:
- 2 hours use of indoor Auditorium space
- Dedicated party assistant
- White table covers for the main eating tables
- Gift for the birthday child
- Choice of: a guided exploration to the animal exhibit of the birthday child’s choosing; OR a presentation with two ambassador animals of the birthday child’s choosing
- Free clean up/recyclable and garbage removal
- Other add-on’s may be available (see ‘Wild Party Extras’ list)
Note: Auditorium has a private family restroom, refrigerator/freezer, and central air.
Zebra View Pavilion Party
Cost: $170
Available most Saturdays and Sundays (May – September);
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Includes:
- 2 hours use of outdoor Zebra View pavilion
- Dedicated party assistant
- Gift for the birthday child
- Choice of: a guided exploration to the animal exhibit of the birthday child’s choosing; OR a presentation with two ambassador animals of the birthday child’s choosing
- Free clean up/recyclable and garbage removal
- Other add-on’s may be available (See ‘Wild Party Extras’ list)
Note: Zebra View Pavilion is located across from the Ostrich/Zebra exhibit. Picnic table seating. Table covers are not provided for pavilion parties. Rain or shine; we do not accept ‘rain dates’.
Nocturnal Expedition Party
Cost: $275
Available most Fridays and Saturdays (April – September);
5:30pm-7:30pm
Includes:
- 2 hours use of either our indoor Auditorium space or outdoor Zebra View Pavilion
- Access to the zoo after hours (not all animals will be out and view-able)
- Dedicated party assistant
- White table covers for main eating tables (Auditorium only)
- Gift for the birthday child
- Utica Zoo souvenir for each attending child
- Choice of: a guided exploration to the animal exhibit of the birthday child’s choosing; OR a presentation with two ambassador animals of the birthday child’s choosing
- Free clean up/recyclable and garbage removal
- Other add-on’s may be available (see ‘Wild Party Extras’ list)
Note: Please be advised that there are several animals that may not be on exhibit during a Nocturnal Expedition party (these include but are not limited to: African lions, Canada lynx, serval, zebras, lemurs); others may not be view-able depending on weather conditions.
Wild Party Extras
- Additional 30 minutes of party time (upon availability) – $25
- Available to add to Basic or Pavilion parties only
- Additional ambassador animal for presentation – $15/animal
- Maximum of one additional animal
- Available to add to Basic or Nocturnal parties only
- Guided Exploration – $15
- Available to add to Basic or Nocturnal parties only
- Goodie ‘Boxes’ – $4/box
- Available to add to any party package
- Utica Zoo Souvenir – $2.75 each
- Available to add to any party package
- Utica Zoo Cups with goat feed – $1.50 each
- Available to add to any party package
- Rainforest Bingo Game – $1.25/child
- Available to add to any party package
For information or to book your Utica Zoo birthday party, contact Nicolette Hajdasz:
email: birthdayparties@uticazoo.org
phone: 315-738-0472 ext. 34
* Pricing structure is subject to change without notice. Please check with a staff member before booking your birthday party to confirm that there have not been any price changes.
*Unfortunately, none of the above party packages can be held in our large pavilion located by the concession. For more information on booking an event in our Rotary pavilion, please visit our pavilion rentals page – www.uticazoo.org/rentals or contact our events coordinator by email at events@uticazoo.org or by phone at 315-738-0472 ext. 22
Cancellation Policy
We require a $50 deposit at least 3 weeks after booking your birthday party. If you need to cancel your party for any reason, we must be contacted at least 30 days prior to your party date in order to receive a full refund of your $50 deposit. If you cancel less than 30 days in advance, your deposit is non-refundable, unless the zoo happens to be closed due to inclement weather.
Utica Zoo Gift Suggestions
Animal Adoption Gift Box – $50
Sponsor an animal at the zoo on behalf of the birthday child, who will receive a 5 x 7 photo of the animal, adoption certificate, and a 8″ plush toy. If you purchase your adoption box at least two days prior to your party date, our staff can have your box ready the day of your party to be presented to the birthday child.
Animal Encounter Certificate – See encounters page – www.uticazoo.org/encounters
Have you or your child ever wanted to get up close and personal with some of the animals at the Utica Zoo? With our animal encounters packages, you can make this year’s birthday extraordinary! Goats, African Porcupine, African Tortoises, Camels, Sea Lions, Red Pandas and even African Lions are part of our encounters program. Please email encounters@uticazoo.org to check availability.
*We recommend that you schedule your animal encounter on a different day than your Utica Zoo birthday party. Other restrictions may apply – please see encounters page.
Gift-less Birthday Party
Want to help out the zoo!? We off a ‘giftless’ option for those that request their family and friends presence, not presents. Look for our “Go Giftless” free party invitation below to use for your party. We also include a small list of items that the animals and staff at the zoo can always use. Any contribution to the zoo is greatly appreciated, but is by no means required – thank you for your generosity!
Free Utica Zoo Party Invitations
Be sure to check out our free custom birthday party invitations below by clicking on the downloadable PDF files. Our invitations are printable from any home computer, and include all of the important information that your guests should know when attending a Utica Zoo birthday party.
Want to help out the zoo!? We also offer a ‘giftless’ option, for those that would like to have their guests bring a donation rather than gifts. Below is a small list of items that the Utica Zoo staff and animals could always use. Be sure to print both the invitation and the list when choosing to ‘Go Giftless’. Thank you very much for your generosity!
PDF Giftless Party Invitation + Donation List
Directions for invitation use: Fold paper in half horizontally keeping the words facing out. Then fold once more vertically, again keeping the words facing out. Be sure to fill out all of the blank spaces on the invitation, especially the space for the location of your party within the zoo (which would either be the Auditorium or Zebra View Pavilion).
FAQ
Click on the link below for our Frequently Asked Questions. If your questions are not answered here, please feel free give us a call or email (contact information above).
