Birthday Parties

All parties will be held at the Affinity Learning Centre. Please come to the East Door (the one located closest to the Zoo entrance with an asphalt pathway leading up to the door). There will be a party sign out front. If for any reason you do not see the sign, please walk up the pathway and knock on the door.

This is located inside the Forestry Farm Park & Zoo – come to the Zoo parking lot. The ALC is right next to the Zoo entrance and the Administration building.  The Affinity Learning Centre is clearly labeled.

Zoo Admission is included for the exact number limit on the party packages. We can not go over the child limit. However, if you are bringing additional adults, they will have to pay their own Zoo fees at the Admissions window upon Zoo entry. Zoo admission rates in effect from April 1st to October 31st of each year (subject to change). 

The door is always locked to the Affinity Learning Centre. A Saskatoon Zoo Society staff member will be waiting for your group 15 minutes prior to your program to allow you access to the room and set-up your presents, etc.

We are not able to provide earlier access to the room due to our busy schedule. This will not give much time for an elaborate set-up, so we don’t recommend bringing additional decorations. Remember – the room is already decorated with a birthday banner and personalized for your child.

If there are additional decorations, they should be very minimal (remember – no balloons, glitter, or confetti and nothing can be put up on the walls or hung up anywhere).

The Saskatoon Zoo Society will have a Happy Birthday banner in the cake room. 

We do not recommend bringing any additional decorations – there is very little time for set-up, you cannot hang things on the wall, and for the safety of our animals, balloons, glitter and confetti are not allowed.

You will have approximately 45 minutes of private room rental to have cake, food &/or beverages, play a game and/or open presents (as applicable).

Yes! You are welcome to bring in outside food (nut-free please). This may change at a later date, but for now, we are allowing outside food for your party. Please remember to bring your own plates, napkins, cutlery and cups.

You are welcome to bring outside drinks (non-alcoholic) or you can choose to add our beverage service (coffee & iced-tea).

Other food options:

• Order from the Buckeye Café and eat at the concession before or after your program (alternatively, you can have an adult from your group pick it up and bring it back to classroom). Buckeye is open seasonally (April 1st to October 31st each year)- you can pre-order food by calling 306-649-8001. Buckeye Cafe serves hot food (burgers, hot-dogs, etc.), snacks (popcorn, chips), hot and cold drinks, and frozen treats (ice-cream, slushies).
• Hold a barbecue or a picnic in the park. There are campfire pits and picnic areas in the Forestry Farm Park. These spots are on a first-come, first-served basis.

For safety of both the children and our animals, we do not offer programs for children younger than 3. 

This is a possibility. The regular birthday program is designed to be engaging for younger children.

Please call us (306-975-3395) during office hours to inquire what we could arrange for older children, teens, or even adult birthday parties.  

We ask that you assist with putting items into recycling receptacles and garbage in the garbage bins. Also, please wipe up any spills that may occur while you are in the room. Our staff will wipe down the tables and do a more thorough clean when you leave. 

The birthday child will receive a plush animal (note: the snake toy is not a plush) of your choice and a birthday card.

We request that a minimum of two adults stay for the program to supervise the children (especially when working with the animals). Remember your party includes either 4 or 6 adults. Additional adults are subject to Zoo admission fees.

No, our numbers are the maximum that you can have for the safety of our animals and to ensure we have adequate supplies for the party.

If the additional parents are not part of your total party package adult/kid count, then they will not be able to take part in the birthday party program with the animals. They are welcome to stay in the private room area while the participants and the allowed adult numbers move to the animal room.

We ask that you strictly adhere to our child numbers (exception: if a parent has a child under 3 with them, they are welcome to stay in the private room)

Additional parents and children are welcome to tour the zoo or park on their own while you do the Birthday Party program.  They can pay facility admission if visiting the zoo (during regular operating hours) and then rejoin your group.

Certainly! Please inform our staff of your intention or make a note when you book your party. We can issue you a charitable receipt for donations (over $20) after your program. 

Yes, the Affinity Learning Centre is wheelchair accessible and all on one level. Please enter any information you think we should know at the time of booking to ensure we are aware of any special needs that you believe will require extra consideration from our staff. 

No, parking is not included. There is a $4.50 charge (2023 rate, subject to change) per vehicle charged when entering the park from May to the September long weekend.

For parties in the months of May to the September Labour Day long weekend:
For anyone dropping off their children and then exiting the facility, they can provide the birthday party child’s first and last name and they will be able to enter and then leave the premises without a charge. They must say the child’s name again upon return to pick up their child . 

There is not a discount for season pass holders.  The season’s pass is operated by the City of Saskatoon and not the Saskatoon Zoo Society.

The Birthday Party program is completely indoors, so weather will not affect our ability to host your birthday.  

Please travel safely – if you are running late due to weather/road conditions, please contact us at 306-975-3395 and leave a message in case our party host is busy. We’ll do our best to adjust.

There is a non-refundable charge of $75 for each cancelled or re-scheduled Birthday Party.

Birthday Parties cancelled with less than 48 hours notice are NON-REFUNDABLE, but re-scheduling options may be available. If cancelled with more than 48 hours notice, your fee will be refunded less $75. 

In the event the Saskatoon Zoo Society has to cancel your BIrthday Party (only under extreme circumstances), your fee will be fully refunded. 

If you need to cancel your Birthday Party:

If you are cancelling or re-scheduling during office hours (Monday-Friday between 9am and 4pm), please call us at 306-975-3395 or email us at info@saskatoonzoosociety.ca

If you are cancelling or re-scheduling during the weekend hours please leave a message at 306-975-3395 so our birthday party host will be able to receive the message upon arrival.

No, but you can purchase a scavenger hunt sticker book for each child as an add-on if you wish.

FOOD:

The Saskatoon Zoo Society has a standard fridge on-site that can be used for cake, cupcakes or other food. The freezer space is small. Please inform your guide that you wish to use the fridge as you enter for the party. Please remember to bring your own plates, napkins, cutlery and cups.

DRINKS:

You are welcome to use our coffee maker (has filters) to make coffee for your adults. You must supply the coffee grounds, sugar and creamer for your guests. No Alcohol is allowed at the zoo.

You are welcome to bring beverages (e.g. juice boxes, cans of pop) or to use our juice jug (bring your own powdered drink crystals). There are recycling bins in the room. There is also a sink for tap water in the room if participants bring water bottles.

If you add beverage service to your Birthday Party package, coffee and cream/sugar will be prepared and provided, as will juice and cups.

You can make special requests but we cannot guarantee which animal will be present. Our animals are selected each day based on their overall health and the amount of time they have already been out in any given week. For these reasons, we reserve the right to choose which animals come out for the party.

Masks are required if we bring out the ferrets during the animal ambassador portion of your program. The Saskatoon Zoo Society will provide masks for all participants IF the ferrets are on the schedule to come out with your program. Masks are not required while touring the zoo.

We use an online booking platform called Active. You can click “Book my Party Now” to be taken to the site and see if your dates are available.

Birthdays are available year-round.

We post birthday dates on Active about three months before.

If your date is more than three months away, please come back at a later time to book.

If your date is within three months and shown as “Wait List Only” this means someone has already booked that date. You can sign up for the wait list if you would like AND or choose another date close to your preferred date. You can sign up for as many waitlists as you want.

If your date is within three months but not available on the calendar, this means birthday bookings aren’t available that day (other programs are using our classroom/party spaces, or staff holidays). Please choose another date close to your preferred date.

Please call if you have any issues 306-975-3395. We are available Monday to Friday from 9-4

The activity is a “Zoo-Venture” Sticker and Activity booklet.

It is designed to have some fun while exploring the zoo. It should take about 30-40 minutes and will take you to many areas of the zoo. You can do this activity either BEFORE or AFTER your Birthday Party program with the Saskatoon Zoo Society. NOTE: The Zoo closes at 4:00 p.m. from the day after Labour Day until April 30th. During these months you only have the choice of BEFORE your program IF you select the 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. birthday party time slot.

You will receive detailed instructions and all of the supplies. Basically, each child receives a sticker booklet and the adult gets the corresponding stickers and instructions. The booklet has eight mystery animals – there are riddles that will lead you to their different animal enclosures (e.g. We’re on the prowl, this animal likes to howl). Have the children guess and then go to that enclosure. If they’re correct, the adult gives each child the corresponding animal sticker (e.g. wolf) and helps them apply it to their booklets.

There are other fun facts, games and puzzles in the booklet and it will provide a keepsake for each child from the party if you wish to purchase this add-on. 

Your Birthday at the Zoo Program

• Your birthday party program is booked for 1.5 hours. (either: (A) 12:00 – 1:30 pm, (B) 2:30 – 4:00 pm, or (C) 9:30 – 11:00 am-this time slot is by request ONLY via PHONE).
• The party host will be ready for you at the ALC 15 minutes before your program.
• In your 1.5 hours, you’ll:
  • be greeted and welcomed to the ALC by the Party Host and shown to your party room where everyone can leave their jackets, presents, etc. 
  • be brought to the animal classroom. There you’ll have an approx. 45 minute program hosted by our SZS interpreter and get to meet and learn about several of our live, animal ambassadors.
  • then, you’ll go back to your private party room and have approximately 45 minutes for your own party program (games, opening gifts, eating cake, etc).
  • at the end of your time, your party host will help you tidy up the room, then you can gather your things and either head home or head into the zoo. 
• You will receive a birthday gift package for the animal you’ve chosen for the birthday child. 

Animal Ambassadors are our socialized animals that participate in classroom and public interpretation programming. They are used to being handled and can be brought in to the classroom from their enclosures. These are the animals that you can meet in your programs.

Examples of our animal ambassadors include a ferret, salamander, corn snake, royal/ball python, Schneider’s skink, Blue-tongued skink, Hognose snake, garter snake, and a sand boa. New animals are added as they become socialized.

You can see and visit the larger animals while touring the zoo before or after the program. The exhibit animals (wolf, bears, dingoes, snow leopard), are not animal ambassadors involved directly in classroom programming.

Any parties over 15 children (to a maximum of 30) may be allowed IF the Saskatoon Zoo Society has another interpreter available. There will be an additional fee for this request. You need to contact the Saskatoon Zoo Society directly in this case. Please email us at info@saskatoonzoosociety.ca or call us at 306-975-3395 to see if this is possible.