[Updated 26/11/2023] Dust off that dodgy straw hat you bought on holiday (you know, the one you thought was a really good idea at the time and haven’t worn since), pull on your animal-adorned socks and get ready to enjoy a roaring good time with the Anges De Sucre guide to planning a Safari themed kid’s birthday party.

You’ll have a house full of growling toddlers, roaring five-year-olds and animal face paint smeared on your front room curtains but everyone will love some good old Safari fun! (Disclaimer: Our Safari theme might seem really similar to a Jungle theme – lighten up it’s a party! We bake cakes, we don’t study geography)

Here are our top tips for pulling together an elephant-tastic do!

Wild Décor Delights

Tiger-patterned table covers, cute giraffe paper plates, monkey-shaped balloons and lots and lots of hanging green crepe paper – these are your go to jungle/safari style decorations. Luckily for you, this is one of the easiest party themes to plan and decorate without breaking the bank!

If you’re feeling uninspired and need some decoration-buying motivation, jump on to Pintrest and search 'Safari Party Decorations'. It is mind blowing what you can do with some green balloons, crepe paper and leaf shapes! Blue Peter eat your heart out!

TOP TIP: Cut some leaf shapes out of coloured paper or lightweight card, then cut different lengths of green or brown crepe paper. Stick a leaf shape to one end of the crepe paper and stick the other end to the party room’s ceiling. Voila! You have yourself a themed room!

Dress to Impress: Jungle Edition

Here’s where we get you oohing at the thought of your cute little bubs dressed up in animal gear. For babies and toddlers there are a huge array of onesies with tales and ears already attached – making your job a lot easier!

For slightly older kids think of elaborate butterfly wings, whiskers painted on tiny noses and animal headbands. Elephant trunks and ears are widely available and very cute too!

TOP TIP: If you’re going to offer face-painting at the party, make sure you only use child-friendly products and check with parents for any allergies beforehand.

Safari Feast: Animal-Inspired Extravaganza

First thing’s first, if your little one is having a Safari themed birthday party you really need to get your teeth into our awesome Safari Animal Cake. It’s three layers of yummy carrot cake, frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream and adorned with hand-modelled fondant animals. We love making the little animal beauties to top the sunset-orange colouring of the frosting. Order this cake in a single tier or four. It’s packed with flavour and fun.

For the main meal (or party snacks), use lots of colour and imagination. You can stick with party favourites like finger sandwiches, mini sausages, and pastries – but be sure to give your table some animal magic! Turn a cucumber into a hissing snake, bake some yummy animal-shaped biscuits and decorate the table with some leaf shapes.

TOP TIP: A simple Safari themed dish is a hummus lion with heaps of healthy veg. Plonk a big blob of hummus in the middle of a large plate, surround it with bright orange carrot slices and red peppers to create a crazy lion mane. Pop a few olives on the hummus to make the face.

Games That Roar with Excitement

So, here’s where you take your traditional kids’ party games and give them a Safari twist. Pass the parcel with animal themed presents, animal charades and (for five minutes of blissful silence) there’s always that age-old classic Sleeping Lions!

Swap your ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’, for ‘Monkey, Monkey, Bear’. Or turn ‘Pin the Tale on the Donkey’ into ‘Pin the Tale on the Tiger’ – the possibilities are endless! Children love an organised party game, especially when there are prizes on offer.

For some sit-down activities, print out some animals for the kids to colour in or get them working as a group to create a brightly coloured Safari-scape.

TOP TIP: Set up an arts and crafts table. Before the mini guests arrive, draw some simple animal faces onto plain white paper plates and cut out the eyes and mouth. Buy some sequins, coloured tissue paper and other decorative items (as well as some child-friendly glue). Get small groups around the table so they can make their own take-home Safari masks!

We hope your Safari-themed party is a huge, snake-tastic, tiger-mendous success!