The Birmingham Zoo’s Halloween run, Hoots & Howls, opens on Saturday, October 10 and plays seven days across the month: October 10 and 11, 17 and 18, 24 and 25, and Halloween itself on the 31st. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, which is the detail worth leading with. This is a daytime event, built for small children who are not going to last until nine at night.
What the ticket actually buys
Admission to the zoo is separate and has to be bought on its own. On top of it, the Candy Trail wristband is $15 and covers all ten candy stations plus unlimited rides on the train and unlimited climbs on the adventure tower. A plain Candy Trail ticket, stations only and no rides, is $5.50. The last Candy Trail tickets of the day are sold at 3 p.m., so arriving at half past two is cutting it closer than most families would like.
Around the candy there is a full day’s programming: magic shows, interactive animal presentations, a costume parade and contest, a Dino Dance party, DJs, lawn games and photo stops. The 501st Legion, the volunteer Star Wars costuming club, appears on October 10, and storytellers from the Birmingham Public Library turn up on selected dates. Dino Safari, the zoo’s animatronic dinosaur trail, stays open through the month and closes on November 1.
The candy has a conservation brief
Every piece of candy handed out at the ten stations is either certified palm-oil-free or made with sustainably harvested palm oil. That is a small decision with a specific target behind it: palm oil cultivation is one of the principal drivers of habitat clearance in Southeast Asia, and a Halloween event hands out ten stations’ worth of a product that can be sourced either way. Making the choice and labeling it is more useful than a sign about rainforests.
“October is always a special time at the Zoo, and these events give families two very different ways to experience wildlife and connect with our mission,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, the Birmingham Zoo’s president and chief executive.
The second of those two ways has already happened. Symphony Goes Wild, an outdoor concert with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, ambassador animals, face painting and an instrument petting zoo, played on October 4 under conductor Daniel Cho, supported by the Linn-Henley Charitable Trust in honor of Don and Sandy Logan and by Jennifer and Kevin Wagoner. Hoots & Howls is the part of the October lineup still in front of you.
If you are going
The zoo is at 2630 Cahaba Road in Birmingham. Buy the wristband if the children are old enough to want the train twice, which most of them are; the $5.50 ticket makes sense for a toddler who is there for the costume parade and a nap. Full details are on the zoo’s Hoots & Howls page. For the after-dark version of the same idea, the Maryland Zoo is running Zoo Boo and Oktobearfest on a similar October calendar.
Quick answers
- When is Hoots and Howls at the Birmingham Zoo?
October 10 and 11, 17 and 18, 24 and 25, and October 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. It is a daytime event.
- How much does it cost?
Zoo admission is separate and bought on its own. The Candy Trail wristband is $15 and covers all ten candy stations plus unlimited train rides and adventure tower climbs. A Candy Trail ticket without rides is $5.50.
- Is there a cutoff time?
Yes. The last Candy Trail tickets of each day are sold at 3 p.m.
- What is included besides candy?
Magic shows, interactive animal presentations, a costume parade and contest, a Dino Dance party, DJs, lawn games and photo stops. The 501st Legion appears on October 10 and Birmingham Public Library storytellers on selected dates.
- Is Dino Safari still open?
Yes. The animatronic dinosaur trail runs through the month and closes on November 1.
- What happened to Symphony Goes Wild?
It played on October 4, an outdoor concert with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra under conductor Daniel Cho, with ambassador animals, face painting and an instrument petting zoo. That half of the October lineup has already happened.
