How I Threw a Last Minute Party Animals Party

I wanted to do something special for my son’s first New Year’s Eve. So I decided to host a little last minute party at home for a few of our friends. The only problem? I barely had any time to plan and I really have been trying to save money. My solution? A Party Animals Theme! It’s kid and adult friendly (and easy!). And I already had most of the materials. Here’s how I threw a last minute party animals party to ring in 2024.

party animals party decor

One of the main reasons I chose party animals for a theme was because I already had most of the decor. My son’s nursery is safari themed so he has stuffed animals galore, including a jumbo giraffe. My mom has a ton of feather boas she uses for her dogs’ instagram @pawsreports. And my dog, Jack Jack, loves toys and has a bunch of animal ones as well. Plus, we did safari costumes as one of our Halloween outfits. So I have accessories from that as well.

The only thing I bought were napkins, balloons and a New Year’s Eve party kit. I got creative by tying everything together into my everyday home and Christmas decor. I brought down all my son’s stuffed animals and outfitted them in bowties and party hats. I put a green feather boa around a painting and had monkey ears and a tail popping out. I created a selfie station with a green feather boa over a mirror and my dog’s giraffe toy. And I utilized my Samsung Frame TV and downloaded different party animal artwork to play in a slideshow throughout the party.

party animals party dress code

I asked guests to either come dressed in animal prints or a party outfit. I supplied animal ears if they chose the latter. This set of animal ears is only $18 for 12. They’re not amazing but they’re comfy and they work (minus the devil ears. I don’t know why a devil is considered an animal). Then I outfitted my animals, Jack Jack and Chubbs, in sequin bow ties.

A few guests came in animal prints. The rest wore party outfits and put on ears. My son did a combo of both in a party outfit and baby giraffe robe. And his friend did as well with a cheetah print tulle dress. I tried a bunch of outfits with different ears. But I ultimately decided to match my son and wear a gold knit dress with a giraffe headband.

party animals party food

I went a little overboard with the food. I was having so much fun making holiday themed charcuterie boards (a wreath, Christmas tree and Thanksgiving turkey). So I decided to kick it up a notch with a giraffe and lion cheeseboard and a lion hummus platter, which I combined with a regular charcuterie board, shrimp, mac n cheese bites and various chips in this adorable paw charcuterie board my friend sent me. You obviously don’t need to get so crafty with your food. You can serve your normal party food and just put it on a leopard print table cloth (I actually used an old scarf I was going to give away). I also added some of my son’s wooden animals from his safari truck toy around the food platters.

How to make a lion hummus platter:

• Start with a round plate.
• Put a bowl of hummus in the middle of the plate.
• Cut up orange and yellow veggies (or buy pre-cut) and arrange them around the hummus.
• Use pita chips for the ears on top of the veggies.
• For the face, layer two pita chips for the mouth and use olives for the eyes and smile. A tomato works as the nose and parsley makes for great whiskers.

How to make a giraffe cheeseboard:

• Cut round Babybel cheese in half for the faces.
• Use sliced Colby Jack for the body and antlers by slicing into small rectangles.
• Slice olives for the eyes, mouth and tops of antlers.
• Slice cucumbers or celery for the grass. I also used pea crisps.

How to Make a lion cheeseboard:

• Start with sliced cheese as the base of the face.
• Slice Babybel cheese in half to create the nose with three circles.
• Place a tomato in the middle.
• Use olives for the eyes and smile (I put the olive in Swiss cheese for the circular shape).
• For the mane, cut sliced cheese into thin rectangles (I used mixed Cheddar, Colby-Jack and Swiss from a party platter tray).
• Layer the strips around the face. Use another Babybel cut in half for the ears.
• Pretzel sticks make great whiskers.

Happy New Year from me and my little party animals!