For one afternoon, the Denver Zoo traded its everyday atmosphere for a sea of pink, live music, cocktails, and some very wild party guests.
On Saturday, August 22, Flock Party returned for its seventh year, bringing people together for an all-inclusive celebration centered around the animals that call the Zoo home. But behind all the feathers, food, and fun is a much bigger purpose: raising money to provide world-class care for more than 3,500 animals while supporting wildlife conservation in Colorado and around the world.
And for some guests, the party was already getting started before the rest of the flock arrived.
For Flock Star VIP guests, the party started at 2 p.m., an hour and a half before general admission. After checking in, guests were greeted by a welcoming committee waving pink ribbons and cheering them into a Zoo already transformed for the occasion.
Pink decorations stretched across the pathways, staff dressed for the flamingo-inspired celebration, and a massive “Our Wildest Lineup Yet” board offered an early look at the animals and experiences scheduled throughout the afternoon.
And for VIP ticket holders, there was another advantage: time.
Early entry gave guests a chance to explore before general admission began, giving them time to get their bearings, grab a drink, check out the day’s lineup, and start making their way toward experiences they didn’t want to miss.
One of the first stops waiting for Flock Stars was the VIP lounge, where the all-inclusive part of Flock Party quickly came into focus. Throughout the event, guests could enjoy drinks along with curated culinary bites, with servers circulating through the crowd carrying trays of small gourmet creations.
The lounge also offered an early introduction to one of the afternoon’s most colorful personalities: Denver Drag Queen Laura Menorah. Dressed head-to-toe in flamingo pink, with her signature hot-pink bubblegum hair fitting almost too perfectly into the occasion, Menorah posed for photos and mingled with guests before taking on her role as Flock Party’s emcee and making a little event history in the process. According to both Menorah and Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, 2026 marked the first year a drag queen had been incorporated into Flock Party.
For Menorah, the opportunity carried an added significance. During a phone interview after Flock Party, she described emceeing the event as a huge honor, especially as a fifth-generation Denverite who has visited the Zoo since childhood. Returning years later as part of an event supporting the Zoo and its animals made the experience especially meaningful.
Known around Denver for mixing old-school drag, comedy, and community activism, Menorah has also used drag to help raise money for charitable causes, making her a fitting addition to a party built around having a good time for a good cause.
Between the bubbles floating through the air, cocktails in hand, bites making their way through the crowd, and plenty of pink, the first VIP lounge offered a taste of what was still to come.
And it didn’t take long to find the real party animals.
Throughout the Zoo, Animal Ambassadors seemed to be waiting around nearly every turn. Guests could find themselves only a few feet away from a colorful macaw one moment and watching an anteater stroll alongside its care team the next. Nearby, animal care staff were ready to answer questions and turn each encounter into an opportunity to learn more about the animals.
Those up-close moments were more than entertainment. Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s Animal Ambassadors helped guests connect with wildlife while sharing a larger conservation message, making the encounters a fitting reminder of what Flock Party ultimately supported.
By 3:30 p.m., the rest of the flock was ready to join the party. Birds of a Feather general admission guests may not have had access to the VIP lounges or the extra hour and a half of early entry, but there was still plenty waiting for them throughout the Zoo.
The all-inclusive experience continued with specialty food and drinks available around the grounds. Meanwhile, animal demonstrations and encounters gave guests a closer look at how the Zoo cares for its residents. During the sea lion demonstration, for example, animal care staff guided a sea lion through behaviors that are not just entertaining to watch. Still, they also help prepare the animals to participate in their own health care, including movements that can make veterinary care and treatments easier when needed.
Even the animals got in on the pink theme. Throughout the Zoo, splashes of Flock Party pink appeared inside habitats and enrichment areas, including a bright pink flamingo painted on a prop in the sea lion habitat. Over at African Penguin Point, pink enrichment balls were scattered both on land and in the water.
Of course, the animals weren’t the only ones embracing the theme. Guests turned the Zoo into a sea of pink, showing up in everything from flamingo-covered shirts and feather boas to bright pink suits, glittery accessories, and plenty of outfits that deserved a photo of their own.
Flock Party calls itself a “Pink Tie” affair, but there was no single way to dress for the occasion. Some guests went elegant, others went playful, and some simply went all in, making people-watching almost as entertaining as watching the animals.
As the afternoon went on, Colorado weather made sure it got a moment in the spotlight, too. A small rainstorm pushed some of the scheduled activities back, but it didn’t last long, and the cooler air it left behind made for a welcome break from the late-summer heat.
One experience was worth waiting for!
As the rescheduled flamingo walk drew closer, guests began lining the pathway leading toward the flamingo habitat. Dressed in pink dresses, feathered hats, flamingo-inspired accessories, and just about every shade of pink imaginable, the growing crowd almost looked like a parade of its own.
They were all waiting for the same thing: the arrival of Flock Party’s feathered stars.
While much of the crowd held their spots along the walkway, a lucky few happened to be in the right place at the right time for another special animal experience.
With the rain shuffling the schedule, some experiences became more about stumbling onto something special. Near the raccoon habitat, guests caught a live painting session as one of the Zoo’s raccoons added colorful paw prints to a canvas with help from the animal care team.
Afterward, guests gathered to admire the finished artwork and snap a few photos before heading back toward the excitement a little down the way.
And the raccoon wasn’t the only artist at work. Live animal painting demonstrations were among the experiences scheduled throughout Flock Party, creating one-of-a-kind works connected to the event’s silent auction and its larger fundraising mission. 
And then, finally, the wait was over!
The flamingos were out!
Phones immediately went up as awe-struck guests snapped photos, recorded videos, and tried to squeeze in a flamingo selfie as the flock made its way down the path. Surrounded by an entourage of animal care staff, the birds wandered toward the main lawn near the giraffes, sometimes passing just feet away from the crowd.
No barriers separated guests from the stars of the party, which made the moment feel even more extraordinary. A flamingo could decide to wander right up to someone at any moment; guests just had to resist the temptation to reach out and touch. For a few minutes, everyone simply got to stand back and let the flamingos run the show.
Once the flock reached the lawn near the giraffes, the walk turned into a proper introduction. Laura Menorah joined the animal care team as guests learned more about Denver Zoo’s flamingos, including how many call the Zoo home and how many had joined the party that afternoon.
Menorah even helped introduce some of the birds individually, reading the numbers on their identification bands as keepers shared the names that went with them. Suddenly, the flock wasn’t just a sea of pink feathers; some of Flock Party’s stars had names to go with their faces/ number.
As bubbles filled the walkway and the party carried on, guests gathered nearby with drinks in hand, unaware another surprise was headed their way. Animal care staff and team members suddenly began clearing the path again, but for what?
Surprise round two was on its way. Guests already standing nearby and others simply passing through suddenly found themselves with front-row spots as Denver Zoo’s famous flamingo flock came strolling back through.
With the path clear, Flock Party’s feathered stars made their way back toward their habitat, giving another group of guests an unexpected front-row view as they passed just feet away.
The flamingos may have been the stars of the party, but they certainly weren’t the only ones showing off their feathers.
Everywhere you looked, guests had embraced Flock Party’s “Pink Tie” spirit in their own way. Giant feather-covered hats, flamingo headpieces, towering pink mohawks, and plenty of outfits that were impossible to walk past without stopping for a photo turned the Zoo into a fashion show of its own.
From there, Flock Stars could make their way to another VIP lounge for a chance to sit down, grab a drink, and sample another round of small bites before heading back into the party. And this lounge came with some particularly wild neighbors just around the corner.
As another round of rain began to fall, even that wasn’t enough to pull these die-hard animal lovers away. With the tiger habitat tucked beside the VIP lounge, guests gathered with drinks and cameras in hand as one of the Zoo’s tigers watched from above. Rain or shine, nobody seemed to mind getting a little wet for the view.
Just as quickly as the rain arrived, it moved on. With the brief shower behind them, guests barely had time to dry off before Laura Menorah was back on the move, megaphone in hand and calling everyone toward the stage. This time, the MC was getting ready to take the spotlight herself.
As guests gathered around the stage, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s new President and CEO, Cristal Torres DeHerrera, stepped up to welcome the crowd. Dressed for the occasion in a flowing pale-pink gown, Torres DeHerrera thanked guests for their support and brought the celebration back to the reason behind Flock Party: helping provide world-class care for more than 3,500 animals while supporting wildlife conservation efforts in Colorado and around the world.
With the crowd gathered and ready, it was finally time for Laura Menorah to take over, but her performance didn’t begin on the stage.
As the opening notes of The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” rang out, Menorah appeared from behind the crowd in full flamingo regalia, joined by Zoo team members carrying oversized flamingo signs with QR codes guests could scan along the way. Then came the drama: perfectly timed bursts of pink spray filled the air as Menorah made her grand procession toward the stage.
By the time the song’s vocals kicked in, Menorah and her flamingo entourage had made it to the stage, turning what could have been a simple walk to the stage into a theatrical entrance of its own.
By the time the procession reached the stage, Torres DeHerrera found herself sharing the spotlight as Menorah remained completely committed to her flamingo-inspired role. With the opening of “Circle of Life” still building, the two made for quite the pair: the Zoo’s new CEO in her flowing pale-pink gown and Menorah decked out in feathers, rhinestones, and enough flamingo flair to rival the real flock.
Once the music kicked in, there was no holding Laura Menorah back. With her flamingo staff in hand and a stage full of feathered QR-code signs behind her, Menorah threw herself into “Circle of Life,” lip-syncing, strutting, and playing to the crowd with every dramatic beat. Between the rhinestones, layers of pink feathers, and larger-than-life expressions, the performance turned Flock Party’s flamingo theme into full-blown theater.
But as the song continued to build, so did the performance. Another burst of pink filled the stage as Menorah raised a canister high above her head, building toward the song’s biggest moment, and a surprise the crowd hadn’t seen coming.
Then came the surprise.
As “Circle of Life” reached its biggest moment, Menorah pulled out a bubble gatling blaster and unleashed far more bubbles than even she was expecting. During a phone interview after Flock Party, Menorah laughed about the moment, explaining that it was her first time using the bubble Gatling blaster and she had no idea just how many bubbles it would produce.
Judging by her reaction, the surprise worked both ways.
The initial surprise didn’t last long. Once Menorah realized exactly what she had in her hands, she leaned into it, sending wave after wave of bubbles across the stage and into the crowd as the performance reached its finale. The bubble gatling blaster may have been a first for Menorah, but apparently not a last; in the phone call, she joked that she might have to start bringing it to all of her shows.
With bubbles still floating through the air, Menorah brought her performance to a close with one final pose as the crowd cheered from below. The bubble Gatling blaster had certainly made its Flock Party debut, and if Menorah has anything to say about it, it’s probably not its last.
Menorah may be hoping her Flock Party debut isn’t her last, either. During the phone interview, she said she would gladly return if the Zoo invited her back. She also pointed to Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s dedication to supporting the LGBTQ+ community as part of what made the experience so meaningful, adding that she would be willing to help with anything the Zoo needed in the future.
The stage wasn’t going to stay quiet for long. Waiting just behind her was the 6 Million Dollar Band, ready to take over for Flock Party’s Featherfest finale and bring the celebration into its final stretch.
As 6 Million Dollar Band took over the stage and carried Flock Party into its final stretch, the party continued throughout the crowd.
At any given moment, there seemed to be another photo opportunity waiting nearby. Guests had spent the afternoon turning the Zoo into their own pink runway, and even as the evening began winding down, there were still new details to discover, from feather boas and flamingo hats to one particularly committed partygoer whose bright pink suit came complete with a pair of giant bird feet.
Sometimes, the best details were the ones you didn’t notice at first glance.
Whether guests stayed for the music or continued exploring the Zoo, there was no telling what might be waiting up ahead, like a hot-pink dessert station filled with bite-sized raspberry treats.
Even in its final stretch, Flock Party still had a few surprises left.
Even without a Flock Star VIP pass, the surprises seemed endless. Birds of a Feather guests could stumble across everything from a roaming cannoli station, where shells were filled and dipped to order, to a random ring toss game waiting along the way.
At Flock Party, sometimes simply wandering around was part of the fun.
And for some guests, there was one last stop before calling it a night: a final spin around the carousel.
But even as the party came to an end, the reason behind it all was never far away. From a zebra investigating a pink-covered enrichment toy appropriately marked “Flock Yeah!” to a hippo enjoying a late-afternoon snack and the flamingos settling back into their habitat, the animals remained at the heart of the celebration.
Behind every cocktail, performance, animal encounter, and unexpected surprise, Flock Party is ultimately a fundraiser. The money raised helps Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance provide world-class care for more than 2,500 animals while supporting wildlife conservation efforts in Colorado and around the world.
For Laura Menorah, that mission also reflected something she felt throughout her time at Flock Party: the Zoo’s commitment to making everyone feel welcome. She spoke passionately about it during the event and afterward, summing it up with a comparison that brought the two worlds together: “We all know animals come in different shapes, sizes, stripes, spots, furs, feathers, and so do we in the LGBTQ+ community.”
It was that celebration of differences, both inside the habitats and throughout the community, that Menorah found so inspiring. And perhaps that is what Flock Party ultimately celebrates best: a Zoo full of different species, a crowd full of different people and an afternoon that made room for all of them.
It made for one truly wild afternoon, leaving only one thing left to say: Flock yeah! 
Missed Flock Party? There’s always next year. Until then, follow Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance for upcoming events like Boo at the Zoo and Monster Masquerade.
Want to support the animals now? Donations can be made year-round through the Zoo’s website, helping care for its animals and support conservation efforts in Colorado and around the world.
Photos by Alissha R, or courtesy of social media/Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance
