We know it’s only August, but it’s time to start thinking about planning your Holiday Parties! Riverbanks annual holiday celebration, Lights Before Christmas, provides the perfect and unique backdrop for your holiday celebrations. We’ve created a package to make planning your Holiday Party easy. We even made it a step by step process; it’s so simple!
Step 1: Choose an Event Space
We have 4 different venues for you to choose from with all different capacities ensuring you’ll find the perfect space for your group.
- The rustic Ndoki Lodge boasts a high beam ceiling, panoramic views of forest foliage and has an outdoor fire pit that is perfect for s’mores! The Ndoki Lodge is great for groups of 100-300 people.
- The A.R.C. (The Aquarium-Reptile Complex) is divided into geographically themes galleries that provide guests with a variety of interesting exhibits among which to socialize. The A.R.C. holds 50 -150 people.
- In The Birdhouse mingling has never been more fun because you are in the company of penguins, hornbills, and other exotic birds. This venue is perfect for groups of 25-75.
Those three spaces are all located in the Zoo and include access to Lights Before Christmas. Tickets are at a discounted price of $6.25 just for private event guests, so you’re getting a steal with your guests being able to enjoy the lights while on site for your event.
If you’re not interested in Lights Before Christmas, then our Magnolia Room in the Botanical Garden is perfect for you. The Garden features twinkle lit trees and cascading fountains. And the Magnolia Room is more of a blank canvas in comparison to our other venues, which is awesome because you have the freedom to theme it as you would like! This venue is great for groups 75-150.
All spaces include furniture, standard linens and staffing.
Step 2: Choose a Catering Menu
We have 3 different tiers of menu options for you to choose from.
- Tier 1 gives you a nice selection of some of our most popular hors d’eouvres, such as Pot Stickers and BLT Bruschetta. This menu is great for a cocktail party.
- Tier 2 provides a little heavier menu by including a Roasted Pork Carving Station and a Stir Fry Action Station.
- Tier 3 is set up just like Tier 2 but features some of our gourmet items, like Mini Crab Cakes, Top Round of Beef Carving Station and a Shrimp & Grits Action Station.
All 3 Tiers do have two things in common. They all include an iced tea beverage service and a s’mores station! We provide you with Milk Chocolate, Marshmallows, Graham Crackers, and Skewers for you to create your s’mores just to your liking.
Step 3: Choose a Bar Option
We take care of the bar as well! We have several different options to ensure you find the right one for your group – from packages to consumption or cash bars. We also offer standard and premium selections of both beer and wine or a full bar with liquor.
Step 4: Enhancements
Make this year’s Holiday Party even more memorable with some fun add-ons! If the S’mores Station is not enough dessert for your group, we have assorted dessert bars, flavored pound cakes, assorted pies and mini mason jar desserts. Besides the food, you can also provide some Zoo-per fun entertainment! You can book an Animal Encounter, where your guests can get up-close and personal with some of our furry or scaly friends. If you’d really like to make the event truly unforgettable, we also have a photo booth where your guests can enjoy getting together to take a photo that they can take home where they can treasure it forever.
Now that you know the basics, give us a call at 803.602.0900 and one of our Sales Managers will work with you to come up with a crowd-pleasing holiday party just for your group!
