Special Event Calendar for the National Zoo

Special events are hosted throughout the year by the National Zoo and Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ), the Zoo’s nonprofit partner. Here's the calendar of events for 2009:

African-American Family Celebration
Easter Monday, April 13, 2009. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more than 100 years, families from Washington's African-American community have visited the National Zoo on Easter Monday to socialize and celebrate the holiday with a variety of activities and entertainment. The event is free and all are welcome. (202) 633-3040.

Grapes with the Apes
Thursday, April 16, 2009. 6 to 9 p.m.
Sample wines from Virginia and Maryland wineries and hors d’oeuvres from area restaurants, and enjoy live music, wine seminars with a local expert, and exclusive access to the Zoo’s Great Ape House. Ticket price includes all wine samples, food, entertainment, and a commemorative glass. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Zoo’s Asian Elephant Conservation Fund. You must be 21 to attend this event. Tickets are $40 for FONZ YP members and $55 for nonmembers.

Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 18, 2009, 9 to 11 a.m.
The Zoo and FONZ will commemorate Earth Day 2009 with a clean up of Rock Creek. Volunteers will assist staff of the Zoo, FONZ, and Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment as they collect trash along the banks of Rock Creek near Amazonia and the spectacled bear exhibit at the lower end of the Zoo. Help beautify this important waterway and provide a cleaner habitat for local wildlife. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Bird Fest – An International Migratory Bird Day Celebration
Saturday-Sunday, May 2 – 3, 2009. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Celebrate the return of millions of birds that winter in Latin America and the Caribbean at this special event with interactive displays by bird conservation and research organizations, hands‑on crafts and educational activities, live birds of prey, and theatrical performances by Evergreen Theatre of Alberta, Canada. Admission to the festival is free.

National ZooFari
Thursday, May 14, 2009. 6:30 to 10 p.m.
FONZ's annual fundraising event, a casual, exciting evening of gourmet foods, fine wines, and fabulous entertainment. Live music, animal encounters, a sweepstakes, and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit a variety of programs at the National Zoo, including conservation and science projects, exhibit development and construction, and the Zoo's revitalization project. (202) 633-4470.

Guppy Gala
Friday, June 12, 2009. 6 to 8:30 p.m.
The benefit for public education programs at the zoo features family-oriented activities, educational and informational booths, and a variety of foods. Enjoy strolling musicians, jugglers, dancers, costumed characters, a mock construction site, rock-climbing wall, moonbounces, and an obstacle course. (202) 633-4470.

Sunset Serenades
Thursdays, July 9 - 23, 2009. 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Free summer concert series featuring a wide variety of artists, including jazz, blues, rock/pop, reggae, rock-and-roll revival, and patriotic music and marches. (202) 633-4480.

Brew at the Zoo - Young Professionals Beer-Tasting Event
Thursday, August 20, 2009 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Join more than 2,000 young professionals from the D.C. area and enjoy handcrafted beers brewed by more than 20 local and European breweries, as well as live music and hors d'oeuvres. 202) 633-3026.

Fiesta Musical
Sunday, September 20, 2009. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A celebration of the diversity and richness of Latin American culture and wildlife. Enjoy a variety of family-oriented cultural activities, live music and dance performances, special keeper talks about animals native to Latin American countries, and a Latin American food court. (202)633-3040.

Autumn Conservation Festival
Saturday-Sunday, October 3–4, 2009. Bring the whole family for a day of fun, tours, and activities at the Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia. Scientists at CRC study and breed endangered species from around the world, including clouded leopards, Eld’s deer, black-footed ferrets, and Przewalski’s horses, on 3,200 acres nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This two-day event offers members of the public a rare opportunity to visit this normally closed campus. The event is open to the public, and parking passes are required. Parking passes gain admittance for one vehicle with an unlimited number of passengers.

Boo at the Zoo
Thursday-Sunday, October 22-25, 2009. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This popular event regularly sells out weeks in advance, and is a fun and safe way for kids and families to celebrate Halloween by trick-or-treating throughout the Zoo. Children also enjoy hands-on activities and interpretive talks about some of the Zoo's creepiest creatures and watch as the Zoo's elephants, lions, and tigers smash and stomp some pumpkins at the Elephant House and Great Cats exhibit. (202) 633-4470.

Night of the Living Zoo
Friday, October 30. 2009, 8 p.m. to midnight. Attendees must be over 21! This Halloween, enjoy a new adults-only Halloween party with bone-chilling performances, live music and a costume contest. Entertainment will including palm readers, fire eaters, talking bats, and illusionists.

ZooLights
December 4, 2009 – January 2, 2010. 6-8:30 p.m. Celebrate the holiday season at the National Zoo and see larger-than-life displays featuring many of the Zoo’s most popular animals, plus fun activities and live entertainment.

For more information and to purchase event tickets, visit the FONZ website or call (202) 633-3040.