Edinburgh Zoo invites animal lovers to hang out with pandas and penguins as ‘After Hours’ events return

Ever wondered how penguins and pandas spend their evenings? Well, you can find out when Edinburgh Zoo’s popular After Hours events return this summer.

Staff at the wildlife conservation charity are inviting visitors to take a wander through the zoo at night, while also supporting critical fundraising efforts to feed and care for the animals and protect threatened species around the world.

As well as the chance to see what the popular penguins and pandas do in their downtime, the events will include outdoor catering and bars, a digital trail around the zoo and live music sets on the park’s main lawn.

Jonathan Brown, events and experiences manager at Edinburgh Zoo said: “After Hours is a great opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of Edinburgh Zoo in the summer evenings.

“As we come out of lockdown and look to create new exciting memories with the ones we love, these events provide a unique night-out in the city.

“Lots of our animals, including our lions and new otter pups, are more active in the evening and guests can take part in a brand-new digital trail to learn more about them while enjoying our outdoor catering and live music on the main lawn.

“All of our daytime health and safety measures will still be in place, including extra toilets, social distancing and extra hand-washing stations.

“All visitors need to do is pre-book a ticket and enjoy the evening, while helping to care for our animals and support wildlife conservation all over the world.”

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has announced the return of Edinburgh Zoo’s popular After Hours events for summer 2021.

Ongoing restrictions have heavily impacted the charity, with limits on visitor numbers thought to remain during the vital summer months. RZSS still faces repaying millions of pounds in loans due to the closure of its parks over the past year.

Jonathan added: “We would like to thank everyone for their continued support and we are excited to welcome more people back for our special evening events this summer.”

Edinburgh Zoo After Hours will run on select Friday and Saturday nights from 4 June – 14 August. Tickets cost £18 for adults and £11 for children.

RZSS members get an exclusive discount as well as two additional members nights where they can book free entry. To find out more visit edinburghzoo.org.uk/afterhours

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