Zoo Nights at London Zoo have returned for another year and every Friday from 9 June to 28 July adults can book an after-closing visit to London Zoo for some adult-only fun.
With a variety of animals to see, games to try and food to choose from, there’s plenty to do during your visit.
what you need to know
Zoo Nights are held every Friday from June 9th to July 28th and cost £21.50 per ticket.
Doors open at 6pm and close at 10pm. So it’s best to get there as early as possible so you have enough time to see the animals and enjoy the activities.
London Zoo is also offering one-off Zoo Nights, including a BSL-led night tour on June 23 and a Pride Month Takeover hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Cheryl Hole.
Located in Regent’s Park, a 20 minute walk from Camden Town Train Station, this is the perfect event for a date night or an after work outing with your friends.
The animals
There are several impressive animals to see – from big cats like lions and tigers to smaller animals like penguins and meerkats.
I saw a long list of animals on my trip, although I have to admit I wasn’t brave enough to visit the spiders.
The animals have bedtimes, for the giraffes and zebras it starts at 9 p.m. Be sure to plan your route based on which animal enclosures will be closed first.
We were also told that some of the animals tend to be more active at night when the light starts to fade and the weather cools and I can confirm that.
During our visit we had some great views of the zoo’s big cats roaming around in their enclosure very close to our location.
During our visit, free lectures in several enclosures are included in the ticket price. We attended the penguin talk at 7:30pm and a talk about the gorillas at 9:00pm.
My personal highlight was a visit to Penguin Beach, where I got an up-close look at a penguin who seemed to know they were being photographed.
to eat and drink
As well as the animals, there’s also a wide range of food and drink at Zoo Nights, with stalls selling everything from Mexican street food to handcrafted donuts.
Food is mainly served in the main green area, which is close to Penguin Beach and the Main Terraced Cafe.
If you’re a milkshake lover, don’t miss out on a delicious Baileys milkshake served in three different flavors at Penguin Beach Café.
There are also several places that sell beer drinks, as well as canned alcoholic drinks such as spirits and gins, as well as soft drinks.
Other activities
The zoo also has a number of animal-themed games scattered throughout the zoo, from a giant hook to a 100-duck duck which is new for 2023, as well as other mind games, challenges and puzzles.
For the big kids at heart, there’s even animal face painting if you fancy painting a striped tiger or a colorful butterfly.
At 9:30pm guests can also attend the Zooniversity Challenge at the Huxley Lecture Theater where they can test their knowledge and see how much they have learned on their trip to the zoo.
All in all, this is a great way to spend a summer evening for anyone who loves animals or wants to have fun in London.
