Editor’s note: This post was written by HMNS Birthday Party Assistant Manager. 

We have had the proud honor of hosting 460 birthday parties at the Houston Museum of Natural Science this past year!

We have enjoyed the new faces of guests having their party with us for the first time, as well as welcoming back many of our wonderful families to celebrate another year together. With our team of amazing birthday coordinators, we have marched over 6,000 children through our halls, explored a living rain forest, discovered new depths to our solar system, taken a trip back in time to when Pharaohs roamed the earth, and even held roaring contests between 100 million year old dinosaurs! What’s even more exciting is that we live in a city that is an international smorgasbord, which means that we have held parties with people from all over the world. In fact, we now have a wall of flags from every country that we have hosted, and we are currently up to 25! And yes, our flags are hand created out of fuse beads…we are the birthday party department after all. With each country comes new customs that are both fascinating and intriguing for us to experience with the family. From the formal cake cutting ceremonies of India, extravagant dessert tables of Brazil, spitting on the birthday child to ward off the evil eye of Greece, to ear-pulling, smash cakes, and even celebrating a child’s 8th and final birthday party (not morbid I promise!, but because their culture does not celebrate birthdays after 8), we love it all! And if you have never heard anyone sing happy birthday in Poland, it’s an experience I would highly recommend.

But no matter where you are from or what language you say happy birthday in, the important thing is that every child gets to feel special on their birthday, which is what we strive to do each and every time.

So thank you for another great year, and we look forward to helping you celebrate future birthdays here at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Perhaps you will even help us add more flags and experiences to our story. And remember to check back with us for new and exciting party options coming in the new year.
 
Until then, we will keep the party going just  for you.