Special Events are FREE with Zoo Admission, unless otherwise noted.

Saturday, June 8, 11:00am – 3:00pm

Learn about what YOU can do to help the oceans, starting right here in Delaware. Activity and learning stations throughout the zoo will help you become a better ocean steward. World Ocean’s Day activities are free with paid admission to the zoo.  The Chesapeake Mermaid will be at the Brandywine Zoo for World Ocean’s Day to tell her tales from the bay and introduce you to her wildlife friends. Come for story time and stay for meet and greets with photo opportunities. Learn more about the Chesapeake Mermaid at chesapeakemermaid.com.

Additionally, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary will join us, as we focus on oyster conservation! Partners of PDE’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program will be on hand for oyster tasting and beer stations will also be open during the event.   Tap into your wild side and purchase beer from Bellefonte Brewing which will have our very own Zoo Brew!

Saturday, June 15, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Is your stuffed animal under the weather? Teddy feeling a bit blue? Bring your favorite stuffed animal, or adopt one from the gift shop, to get a checkup with our Zoo Veterinarian. Stuffed animals might get their vitals checked, bandaged or given ‘medicine’ to make sure they have a clean bill of health before heading home!

Sunday, June 16, 10:00am- 1:00pm

Celebrate Father’s Day AND kick off National Pollinator Week with this event celebrating ectotherms! Come face to face with heroic cold-blooded animals and discover their extraordinary abilities. Meet one of our favorite snakes, watch our Madagascar Cockroaches paint, get up close with a giant spider, cheer for your favorite turtle or tortoise in a nail-biting reptile race, and chow down on invertebrates at our Bug Buffet!

Tuesday, June 18, 10:00am – 3:00pm

Come watch some of our animals receive special enrichment and training sessions today!

Tuesday, June 18, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Special evening hours hosted by 93.7 FM WSTW. Meet radio personalities and enjoy special games, activities, and of course, live animals!

Fee: $1 admission for everyone. $1 hot dogs and soft drinks, too! Free parking.

Friday, June 28, 10:00am – 3:00pm

Come watch some of our animals receive special enrichment and training sessions today!

Thursday, July 4, 10:00am – 3:00pm

Could you fit a whole watermelon in your belly? Some animals in the zoo can! Who will be the fastest? Enjoy seeing your favorite animals as they chomp on, or smash, watermelons in the summer sun.

Wednesday, July 10, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Special evening hours hosted by 93.7 FM WSTW. Meet radio personalities and enjoy special games, activities, and of course, live animals!

Fee: $1 admission for everyone. $1 hot dogs and soft drinks, too! Free parking.

Thursday, July 11, 5:30pm – 8:00pm

Spread your wings and enjoy a tropical evening with the animals. Watch free-flight macaws from Animal Behavior & Conservation Connections, sip tropical drinks and savor tasty treats from Bellefonte Brewing Company and Big Fish Events, while strolling through the zoo, at this annual summer-time fundraiser for the Zoo.  Live music by Panama Rex.

Members: $30* | Non-members: $40* | Designated Driver: $20

*Receive 2 drink tickets with each purchase. Additional drinks may be purchased

Saturday, July 13, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Muggles and wizards, welcome! Learn from our magical game keepers about caring for fantastic beasts here at the Zoo! Fans young and old are encouraged to dress in their favorite wizarding garb and experience a little slice of Hogwarts here at home. Pick out a wand (first 200 people), visit the hat sorting and herbology stations, meet some of Hagrid’s favorite creatures, see our keepers demonstrate their skills using potions and enrichment, and attend a class on Magical Creatures!

Tuesday, July 16, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Keeper’s Choice! Come watch our zoo keepers give out with special enrichment for this special Zoo Keeper Appreciation Week Play Day!

Friday, July 19, 10:00am – 3:00pm

Keeper’s Choice! Come watch our zoo keepers give out with special enrichment for this special Zoo Keeper Appreciation Week Play Day!

Saturday, July 20, 9:00am – 10:00am

Help us celebrate National Zoo Keeper Week by having a pancake breakfast in the zoo with the keepers. Meet our keepers, get a special peek at what it is like to be a zoo keeper as they work, and get behind the scenes in our commissary. Breakfast served in the zoo (weather permitting). Pre-registration required, as space is extremely limited.

Members: $12 | Non-members: $15

Saturday, July 27, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Let’s get wild about being outside! Calling all “zoorific” kids, moms, and dads, too! There’s no better place than the zoo to explore the many exciting ways there are to enjoy fitness and the great outdoors. It’s a special day for youngsters of all ages to enjoy cool hands-on experiences, fun demonstrations, compare their skills to some of our animals’, and fascinating encounters designed to get them pumped up about fitness, outdoor activity and healthy habits!

Saturday, August 3, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Poo does more than attract flies! Join us for this fun event celebrating Number 2! Play the “Who Dung It?” game where you can guess who supplied the sample from some of our very own animals, do a Poop Scavenger Hunt to learn fun facts about our favorite gross subject, visit our Tracks and Scat station to learn how biologists use poo to study animals, observe images from fecal slides and learn how they help make diagnoses, and more fun activities!

Saturday, August 6, 10:00am – 3:00pm

Come watch some of our animals receive special enrichment and training sessions today!

Thursday, August 8, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Special evening hours hosted by 93.7 FM WSTW. Meet radio personalities and enjoy special games, activities, and of course, live animals!

Fee: $1 admission for everyone. $1 hot dogs and soft drinks, too! Free parking.

Saturday, August 17, 10:00am – 1:00pm

It’s National Honeybeey Day! Celebrate bees and all their hard work during this special event. Meet a bee keeper, sample honey, see and touch a real honeybee frame, learn how to make your own beeswax food wrap, and more!

Wednesday, August 21, 10:00am – 3:00pm

Come watch some of our animals receive special enrichment and training sessions today!

Saturday, August 24, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Party like it’s the end of summer! Join us for one last hoorah before going back to school. We’ll have fun activities, games, and more!

Saturday, September 7, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Vultures are the most threatened group of birds, with over 2/3 facing extinction. During this event, dress up like a vulture to learn how they’re adapted for eating carrion, complete a “Scavenger” hunt throughout the zoo, learn about the world’s Vulture Crisis, and celebrate all things “vulture!”

Saturday, September 7, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday September 8, 10:00am – 3:30pm

During Arts Festival. Enjoy a special weekend of arts at the Zoo during the Brandywine Festival of Arts! Enjoy special activities and artwork created by our animal artists.

Fee: Special admission rate during Arts Festival of $1/person

Saturday, September 21, 9:00am – 10:00am

Join us in celebrating International Red Panda Day by having a pancake breakfast in the zoo with the Pandas! Enjoy your breakfast as the pandas get theirs, as well as a special panda keeper talk. Attendees will also be able to purchase a Red Panda Experience for a later date at a reduced price during this event! Breakfast served in the zoo (weather permitting)

Saturday, September 21, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Become a Red Panda Ranger, a special title given to a child who has learned about red pandas and is ready to spread the word about the importance of conservation. Visit various Red Panda learning stations throughout the zoo to earn your ‘Red Panda Ranger’ badge!

Friday, September 27, 5:30pm – 9:00pm

Ages 21+

Join the Delaware Zoological Society, which supports the Brandywine Zoo, in its annual fundraiser, Brew at the Zoo! Visit the zoo after hours in this fun, outdoor event which includes beer tastings in a keepsake souvenir cup. Light fare provided by local restaurants. Plus, a variety of unique items are available under our Silent Auction tent with proceeds benefiting the Zoo. Advanced tickets are available online or in the Zoo Gift Shop. Brew t-shirts are available for purchase and the gift shop will be open for shopping! Must be 21 or older to attend, no children at the event. Rain or shine. Pre-registration recommended, as tickets will sell out quickly. Please note the Zoo will close at 1pm for setup.

Members: $40 | Non-members: $50 | Designated Driver: $25

Breakfast with the Empire

Saturday, October 5, 9:00am – 10:00am
Join us for an exclusive breakfast at the zoo before our zoo-wide public photo event! Have breakfast with some of your favorite characters and take photos with them in the zoo before it opens to the public. Reservations required, as limited spaces will be sold.

Fee: $20 per person (no member discount for this event).  Early registration for Delaware Zoological Society Members.

Star Wars Day

Saturday, October 5, 12:00pm – 3:00pm

May the Force be with you! Bring your camera, as the Empire invades the Brandywine Zoo today! Meet some of your favorite Star Wars characters and even take photos with them! It’s free to take photos with the characters, but donations are encouraged. All donations will benefit the Delaware Zoological Society. Toy donations will be collected during the event by Garrison Carida® of the 501 st Legion.

Members: Free | Non-members: Pre-sale tickets, $8/person (ages 3+), will be available online until they sell out.

Saturday, October 12, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Celebrate all things bird! Fall Migration is happening and you don’t want to miss it! Learn about observing birds at our bird blind and how to attract birds to your home, kids can craft their own “binoculars” during craft time, join us for a special bird Story Time and more!

Thursday, October 17, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Friday, October 18, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Saturday, October 19, 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Trick-or-Treat at the Brandywine Zoo! Celebrate Halloween Brandywine Zoo-style with this merry, not scary, event. Kids can trick-or-treat through the zoo as it gets dark in their Halloween costumes!

Saturday, December 14, 9:00am – 10:00am
Sunday, December 15, 9:00am – 10:00am

Celebrate the holidays by enjoying a pancake, egg, & sausage breakfast with Santa! Share your holiday wishes with Santa, bring your camera to take photos with him and some animal friends, and enjoy a few up-close animal encounters all before the zoo opens. Plus, watch a few animals get their breakfast! Space is very limited for this event, so please register early. Breakfast is provided by Janssen’s Market.

Members: $19 | Non-members: $22

Tuesday, December 31,  11:00am – 12:15pm

Celebrate the New Year Zoo-style by ringing in the New Year at NOON! We’ll have games, crafts, and a celebratory atmosphere and of course a sparkling cider toast as the clock strikes 12 (Noon that is!) Program takes place in the zoo so dress for the weather!

Members: Free | Non-members: $5 per person advanced registration