Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute runs two ticketed Halloween events this October, and they are built for different crowds on different nights: Boo at the Zoo for families on October 16, 17 and 18, and Night of the Living Zoo for adults 21 and over on October 23.
Boo at the Zoo, October 16 to 18
Doors at 6 p.m., last entry at 8 p.m., and the evening ends at 8:30. Members get early entry from 5 to 6 p.m. each night. Guests come in costume, work their way around treat stations filling a free souvenir goodie bag, and pass skeleton scenes and Halloween decor set up along the route. There is a kids’ dance party and a new pumpkin patch for photographs, and the Conservation Carousel and the National Zoo Choo Choo run for an extra fee.
The part that separates this from a trick-or-treat trail in a parking lot is the after-hours access. A Boo at the Zoo ticket opens the Small Mammal House, the Elephant Community Center and the Reptile Discovery Center in the evening, when a good share of the animals inside are more active than they were at two in the afternoon.
One logistical note that will save someone a wasted trip: the zoo closes at 2 p.m. on October 16, 17 and 18 to set up.
Night of the Living Zoo, October 23
Adults only, 7 to 11 p.m., last entry at 10:30. The bill includes eight open bars, aerialists and fire breathers, live bands and DJ sets from Les the DJ and Cinema Hearts, tarot readings and what the zoo is calling Zoostrology, spooky face painting and silhouette portraits. Great Cats and the Reptile Discovery Center stay open until 9 p.m. Food vendors, the carousel, and permanent flash tattoos and piercings are available for additional purchase.
What do tickets cost?
Boo at the Zoo went on sale at $29.75 for members and $35 general admission. Night of the Living Zoo is $63.75 for members and $75 for non-members. Everyone attending needs a ticket, including children over the age of two, and ID is required for the adult night. Event parking passes are $30 in advance or $40 same day, and member parking passes are not valid for either event.
Capacity is limited and Boo at the Zoo is one of the more reliably sold-out evenings on the Washington family calendar, so advance booking is the whole game. Full-face masks and anything resembling a weapon are not permitted. Metro’s Woodley Park-Zoo and Cleveland Park stations and the D70 bus all sit within walking distance of the Connecticut Avenue entrance, and rideshare pickup is in the vehicle check-in lot near Asia Trail. Details and tickets are on the zoo’s event page. Boo at the Zoo is sponsored by Mars, Incorporated.
For more from this institution, see our reporting on the scimitar-horned oryx research herd at its Front Royal campus and on the naming of Asian elephant calf Linh Mai.
