San Diego, California - As guests experience the wonders of six diverse habitats at Africa Rocks, the San Diego Zoo’s newest exhibit, they can also enjoy a “rocking” good time throughout the Zoo all summer long when this year’s big Nighttime Zoo celebration begins, June 16. As the days get longer, guests can take advantage of extended Zoo hours to join in all the fun of Nighttime Zoo’s special activities, evening festivities and live entertainment—including African-themed dancers and toe-tapping music from favorite Zoo performers, the Rock and Roar band and the Chameleons brass band. Families will also discover surprising encounters, stilt walkers, exceptional trampoline performances, acrobatic feats and much more.
The zany Dr. Zoolittle and Zoo characters will be back with their hilarious show at Koalafornia Boardwalk, and our amazing animal ambassadors are ready to educate and entertain during the “Wild About Animals” show at Wegeforth Bowl. Guests will also get a chance to meet and greet spectacular handcrafted puppets before being amazed by their electrifying 20-minute procession along Front Street at the end of the night: “Jambo!” And let’s not forget about the the rhythmic moving and grooving magic of the traditional African-themed entertainment. In this nightly extravaganza, the puppets and their skilled puppeteers—led by the Chameleons band—will thrill audiences in a must-see spectacle for the whole family.
And starting June 28, returning for its second year, “Call of the Night” will bring a thrilling 12-minute symphony of live music, lasers, moving lights, rhythmic acrobats, fog and bubbles that will astound spectators and brighten Hua Mei Plaza.
- June 16 through June 27, 2019: Nighttime Zoo is open until 8 p.m.
- June 28 through Sept. 2, 2019: Nighttime Zoo is open until 9 p.m.
- Special activities get started at 4 p.m. daily.
The San Diego Zoo is located just north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.
Nighttime Zoo activities and attractions are free with Zoo admission or membership.
The San Diego Zoo is globally recognized and a San Diego icon, hosting more than 4 million guests each year. At the San Diego Zoo, visitors can watch penguins and sharks swim, observe the behavior of century-old Galápagos tortoises, enjoy the beauty of exotic orchids, marvel at the playful nature of giant pandas, explore walkthrough aviaries filled with the songs and colors of rare birds, and appreciate the power of leopards and jaguars. The San Diego Zoo is also accredited by the American Association of Museums as a Botanical Garden. As visitors discover the rare and endangered species at the San Diego Zoo, they are directly contributing, through admission and on-grounds sales, to the efforts of San Diego Zoo Global, an international nonprofit conservation organization that works to fight extinction through recovery efforts for plants and animals worldwide. To learn more, visit sandiegozoo.org,
