Calendar & Events

Calendar & Events

Featured Event

Adults Night Out: Block Party

Thursday, August 21

Adults Night Out: Block Party means a 21+ party with carnival games, live music, drag bingo, mini golf, and exclusive after-hours access to the zoo.
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Events

Malott Family Penguin Encounters

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During this immersive program, you will get a personal introduction to Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove and find out what the daily lives of penguins are like both at the zoo and on the southern African coast.

World Lion Day

Sunday, August 10

Learn about African lions and what Lincoln Park Zoo is doing to help their populations in the wild. The zoo will feature free activities for the entire family to enjoy.

Early Bird Member Morning

Second Saturday Each Month: March–October

Join us for a series of members-only hours at the zoo! Members can enjoy an exclusive morning of early access to the zoo, free rides, and more!

Sound Meditation With Jay Taylor

Select Saturdays, May 17–October 4

Lie back, relax, and sink into an immersive sonic landscape with sound meditation facilitator Jay Taylor.

Adults Night Out: Block Party

Thursday, August 21

It’s the last hurrah of summer! Enjoy a night out at the zoo for the 21+ crowd, complete with carnival games, mini golf, drag bingo with Veronica Pop, and more!

Second Saturday Garden Tours

Second Saturday Each Month: April–November

Join fellow nature lovers for a free guided tour of Lincoln Park Zoo’s diverse plant life and ecosystems.

Memory Enrichment

Third Friday of Each Month

Memory Enrichment at Lincoln Park Zoo is a free, welcoming program for people living with dementia and their loved ones and care partners.

Sunset Garden Tours

Select Thursdays, May–September

Join a zoo horticulturist for a relaxed evening in the garden at Lincoln Park Zoo—after hours!

Saturday, August 9

Grab your peeps, and join in on an evening of fun at 2000s Night at the Zoo Hosted by River North Fests!

Friday, September 12

DreamNight is a VIP event that gives families with children impacted by severe illness the opportunity to enjoy the zoo.

Adults Night Out: The Rewilding

Saturday, September 6

Adults Night Out: The Rewilding is a night out in nature to restore, reconnect, and revel after-hours at the zoo.

Friday, September 19

At this after-hours event at Lincoln Park Zoo, adults 21+ can sip drinks while strolling through the zoo, sing at karaoke, dance to a live DJ, and more!

Fall Fest

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Chicago’s free and family-friendly fall celebration returns to Lincoln Park Zoo with a full slate of harvest-time fun!

Haunted History Tours

Tuesdays and Wednesdays in October

Join Adam Selzer—author, podcaster, and host of Mysterious Chicago Tours—for spine-tingling walkabouts that dig into the zoo’s cemetery roots and locations from throughout its allegedly haunted history.

Zoo Fiesta

Saturday, October 11

Delight in the animals, cultures, and conservation efforts of Latin America at Zoo Fiesta!

Spooky Zoo

Saturday, October 18

Hosted by the zoo’s Auxiliary Board, Spooky Zoo offers a free, festive, and accessible experience for more than 15,000 Chicago families and children.

Adults Night Out: Howl-o-ween

Friday, October 24

This 21+ Halloween party at the zoo includes a haunted trail, Halloween-themed animal chats, and more. Costumes are encouraged!

Adults Night Out: Holidaze

Thursday, December 11

Don we now our ugly sweaters for the holly-est, jolly-est night of the year at Lincoln Park Zoo—Adults Night Out: Holidaze!

åüÃÄÖ±²¥ Presented by ComEd and Invesco QQQ

November 2025–January 2026

åüÃÄÖ±²¥ will feature more than 3 million lights, including hundreds of luminous LED displays and festive seasonal experiences.

Programs

Reading to the Animals

Mondays in July

Young readers and their families can drop by Farm-in-the-Zoo on Monday mornings in July to practice reading to each other and the animals—a friendly and nonjudgmental audience! Picnic blankets and books will be available.

LEAP: Learn, Explore, and Play

Select Dates

Join us for a morning of investigating and exploring the natural world through play. Children guide the way as they choose whether to dig in the dirt, manipulate loose parts, create a collaborative work of art, or settle in with a story underneath a canopy of colorful fabric.

Family Workshops

SELECT DATE

Join Lincoln Park Zoo’s Child and Family Learning team for a morning of nature play! We’ll discover the benefits of playing in and with nature, explore some of our favorite materials and activities, and send you home with resources and inspiration.

Conservation Camp

Summer 2025;
9 a.m.–3 p.m. weekdays

Campers, rising grades PreK-5, will explore the zoo and learn about animals and how we care for them. They’ll also make new friends and spend time outdoors.

Children laughing and playing

Summer Zoo Crew

July 7–August 16; 9 a.m.–3 p.m. each day

Through team-building and immersive learning, campers entering grades 6–8 in the fall will explore the relationships between animals, humans, and ecosystems.

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