Birthday Parties at the Burke

The guest count for each party package aligns with the capacity limits of the designated party rooms and cannot be exceeded. However, if siblings or additional adults wish to join the celebration, they're more than welcome to purchase admission at the front desk and explore the museum at their leisure.

While we'd love to accommodate everyone within the party rooms, space is limited to ensure an enjoyable experience for your party guests. 

You’re welcome to bring table decorations, streamers, and any hats/costumes you would like! However, to protect the collections, we do not allow candles, sparklers, any open flames, helium balloons, glitter, confetti, bubbles, feathers, live animals, or flowers that have not been treated for pests.

Taping or tacking decorations to painted walls, pillars, woodwork, or exhibits is not permitted. 

Our base party packages do not include any staff facilitation, but self-guided activities will be provided for your use while in the party room. For a more hands-on experience, check out our Fossil Dig Activity add-on option! Great for young dinosaur enthusiasts, our staff will introduce fossils and paleontology and then lead children through a fossil dig activity to help identify a mystery creature. 

Guests are welcome to park in the N1 parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis, and pay via the pay station or by phone.

Please note, that all university parking lots — including the Burke Museum parking lot — are centrally managed by UW Parking & Transportation. Please direct any questions to University Parking Operations at ucommute@uw.edu or (206) 685-1553. 

Please tell your guests to check in at the Burke Museum admission desk just inside the main entrance. Staff will direct them to the party room.

Yes, outside food is allowed for birthday parties. Please let us know what you have in mind, and we will provide instructions on how to bring food into the museum while keeping the collections safe. 

For convenient onsite catering, we recommend contacting the museum’s Off the Rez Café at catering@offthereztruckcom. 

Alcohol is not permitted at youth programs.  

Parties canceled 14 or more days before the reserved date will be refunded 50% of the total cost.

We do not refund cancellations that are made less than two (2) weeks from the reserved date, but we can work with you to move your booking to another date.  

Yes! Burke Museum members save 10% on birthday reservations and receive unlimited admission to the museum for one year. Join today!