Hey you party animal! Whether you’re planning baby’s first birthday party or an elegant safari-themed wedding, nothing is more fun than animals in party hats and a healthy dose of leopard print. From tiger-striped cupcakes to fancy three-tiered cakes topped with golden lions, we can’t get enough. If you’re feeling the call of the wild, check out these gorgeous and whimsical safari parties to get inspired. Then, go bananas.
1. Wild Animal Party: Line the party table with an animal parade! Just because it’s a safari party doesn’t mean the color palette has to be brown! (via 6th Street Design)
2. Zebra Notes: Technically these are Valentines, but we love the idea of giving out these little cards as invitations. Just tie a little animal onto each card for a fun pre-party favor. (via Sarah M Style)
3. Animal Print Photo Booth: Our very own Creative Director Anj has a particular obsession with animal print, and created a totally wild photo booth for her 30th. (via Anjelika Temple on Flickr)
4. Leopard Print Cake: For a more refined safari theme, paint a white cake with yellow leopard spots and decorate the table with lots of greenery and natural fibers. (via Wedding Chicks)
5. Animal Party: Not only are we loving the animals on the table, the colorful stools are adorable! With a red and white color palette, the safari animals take on an almost circus theme. (via Ikea)
6. Tiger Cupcakes: Meow! These tiger striped cupcakes are actually super easy to make but the effect is amazing! Top them with white frosting and a mini toy tiger for extra wow. (via Amy Atlas)
7. Palm Tree Table Settings: For an adult safari, stick with golds, rich browns and amber. Just the simple touch of a mini palm leaf on each plate adds just the right amount of color. (via The Wedding Chicks)
8. Red and Blue Safari: Even though this is a kids’ party, the simple color palette feels very grown up. (via Ikea)
9. Wild Cake Pop: How cute are these animal print cake pops?! Get the affect by dripping chocolate horizontally for the zebra stripes or by painting little half circles for the leopard print. (via Popsugar)
10. Zebra Stationery ($18): Send out invitations to your chic safari party using these very glam zebra stripe stationery. Never ones to settle for black and white, we love the pink and blue options.
11. Interactive Wall Decal: Even without the zebra, taping balloons to the wall with zebra washi tape is really cool party decor. (via Catch My Party)
12. Wild Animal Drink Stirrers ($17): If you’re going to be cocktailing, you absolutely must have these golden zoo animal stirrers.
13. Leopard Balloons: This is what your party needs — gold and orange animal print balloons. (via Project Nursery)
14. Wrapped Drinks: Wrap mason jars in burlap and zebra-print ribbon for a classy touch of safari fun. Bonus points for putting them all in a bamboo tray. (via Kara’s Party Ideas)
15. Put a Mask on It: What a cute idea to put an animal mask on each guest’s chair! Not only does it make awesome decor, they can take them home as party favors. (via Celebration At Home)
16. Printed Sunglass Favors ($7): Kids and adults alike will have fun with these neon print sunglasses! Give them out as party favors or use them as a prop in a photo booth!
17. Safari Dessert Table: Cover the dessert bar with a burlap tablecloth and then put all the desserts on trays with cute little handwritten labels. We especially love those animal print cupcakes. (via Kara’s Party Ideas)
18. Girly Safari Party: Holy girly overload! Take a whole new direction and make a pink party with pretty frosted animal sugar cookies and pastel decorations. (via Hostess With the Mostess)
19. Animal Print Mask ($1): Get your party animal on with these adorable masks! We’re pretty sure not just the kids would have fun wearing these.
20. Pink Safari: How cute is this layered cake with the animal and banner topper! We appreciate the more subtle take on a safari themed party. (via Kara’s Party Ideas)
21. Birthday Animal Gift Wrap ($7): Wrap your presents in this whimsical paper to make your gift table the wildest one ever.
22. DIY Wild Cat Stand: Wish you had these incredibly gorgeous cake stands? Well you’re in luck, because these are actually really easy to make. If gold isn’t your jam (say what?!), reach for a paint bottle of neon green or pink. (via Make)
23. Animal Print Candles ($8): Make a wish on these party candles and your wildest dream just might true.
24. Gum Ball Jars: Another easy DIY alert! Depending on your color preference, you could fill the jars with all kinds of colored candy although we think the gum balls add a fun circus element. (via Pink Pistachio)
25. Baby’s First Safari: This safari party is all glam with a gold and white color scheme. The animal silhouetted banner would be super easy to DIY with a stencil and some spray paint. (via Hostess With the Mostess)
26. Animal Hearted Invites: Inside each of these loving invites is a little toy animal with a heart painted on it! We are most definitely RSVPing yes! (via Design Love Fest)
27. Party Hats: How adorable are those tiny party hats! Sometimes it’s the smallest detail that just takes a party to a whole ‘nother level of charming. (via Pink Pistachio)
28. Giraffe Stencil Glasses: Whether you’re serving milk or cocktails, stenciled zoo animals on the glasses are always a good idea. Mix up the colors or animals so guests remember which drank is there drank. (via Hostess With the Mostess)
29. Zoo Candles ($11): Pick up a pack of these animal candles for a cake topper that does it all.
30. Ruffle Animal Cake: Who would’ve though a ruffled cake would look so good with zoo animals on it! The simplicity of the all white cake makes it the perfect backdrop for all the animal patterns. (via Lil Sugar)
31. Painted Animals: Zoo animals in pajamas? Have you ever seen anything so cute! Just paint cheap toy animals in bright colors and decorate them with mini pom poms. (via Pretty Providence)
32. Face Masks: For the very mature safari party, try a black and gold color palette. These paper mache masks would be incredible in a photo booth! (via The Sweetest Occasion)
33. Neon Jungle: Naturally, we love anything neon, and these animals are pretty much our favorite. Paint them your favorite colors and then use them to top the cake, tie them to gifts or just set them around for extra colorful decor. (via Fellow Fellow)
34. Golden Safari Centerpieces: This is definitely the most glitzy safari we’ve ever seen and we love it. Running a strip of burlap down the middle of the table is the perfect way to show off the delicate gold animals and white flowers. (via Hostess with the Mostess)
35. Glitter Boxes: Why settle for paint when you can add glitter! Just coat toy animals in glue and dip them in colored glitter for some adorable decor. (via Hostess with the Mostess)
36. DIY Party Animal Pendants: Give these necklaces out as party favors, but don’t be surprised if you see your friends wearing them long after the party is over. (via Flamingo Toes)
37. DIY Golden Animal Placeholders: These would be the perfect way to number the tables or to tell guests where to sit. (via Brit + Co)
38. Party Animal Pumpkins: We’re not used to seeing pumpkins outside of Halloween, but it turns out they make really cool zoo animals. Especially that flamingo. (via Studio DIY)
39. Tiny Party Hats: Roll tiny hats out of colored paper and tape them to plastic animals. We can see putting one of these on each cupcake. (via Oh Happy Day)
40. Minimalist Safari Cake: Sometimes the simple look is the most effective and this white cake is charming with just a couple animals on top. Although we feel like they secretly want a party hat. (via Bleubird)
Are you ready to go on the prowl for some cool safari party decor? Would you go with bright colors or paint all your lions gold? Talk to us in the comments below!