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 2008:

African-American Family Celebration
Easter Monday, March 24, 2008. 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 10, 2008. 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.

FONZ 50th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, April 12, 2008.
FONZ was created in April 1958 by a group of private citizens interested in supporting the National Zoo and its conservation and education mission. FONZ will celebrate its rich history as a community-based organization and its distinction as one of the first conservation organizations in the nation’s capitol with a family-friendly party and special animal programs. The festivities will include free cupcakes and ice cream for the first 1,000 visitors, party games such as Flamingo Ring Toss, Bowling Armadillos, and Frog Fling, fun party hats to wear, and a giant birthday card on which guests can write birthday wishes. Games and activities will take place from 10 a.m. to noon and staff and volunteers will host special animal demonstrations, feedings, trainings, and keeper talks from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 19, 2008, 9 to 11 a.m.
The Zoo and FONZ will commemorate Earth Day 2008 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, April 26 – 27, 2008. 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.

Guppy Gala
Friday, May 9, 2008. 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.

National ZooFari
Thursday, May 15, 2008. 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.

Sunset Serenades
Thursdays, June 26 - August 6, 2008. 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 21, 2008 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 21, 2008. 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 4–5, 2008. 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
Friday-Sunday, October 24-26, 2008. 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.

ZooLights
2008 Dates to be Announced. 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, visit the FONZ website or call (202) 633-3040.