Zoo Year’s Eve Celebrations

Get an early start to 2025. Two Zoo Year’s Eve celebrations featuring red pandas are planned for Tuesday, December 31. These are family friendly events for those who may have trouble staying up until midnight. A giant 2025 lantern featuring red pandas has been specifically created for the celebrations by the artisans behind Glow Wild, Hanart.

DAYTIME CELEBRATION:   1:00 to 3:00 p.m. – PURCHASE DAYTIME TICKETS

1:15 p.m. –Red Panda Zookeeper Chat in the Predator Building

2:00 –p.m. –NYE Countdown Drop in the Plaza. Photo opportunities.

2:30 p.m. – Red Panda Zookeeper Chat in the Predator Building

1:00 to 3:00 p.m. – Educational activities in the Plaza related to red pandas and a scavenger hunt throughout the Birmingham Zoo.

A daytime celebration will be held at your Birmingham Zoo from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., with the giant sign with red panda lanterns being lowered at 2:00 p.m. in a countdown for the New Year. Special keeper chats featuring the red pandas will be held in the Predator Building at 1:15 and 2:30 p.m. Fun educational activities related to red pandas and New Year’s Eve will be available from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the main plaza. To highlight the red pandas, guests are encouraged to wear red to the celebration.

NIGHTTIME CELEBRATION:  5:00 to 7:00 p.m. – PURCHASE NIGHTTIME/GLOW WILD TICKETS

5:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Educational activities in the Zoo’s Plaza

6:00 p.m. –Red Panda Countdown Drop in the Zoo’s Plaza. Photo opportunities.

5:00 to 9:00 p.m. – Predator Lantern Scavenger Hunt throughout Glow Wild.

When the sun goes down, a second Zoo Year’s Eve celebration will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear red to honor the red pandas and come help countdown the new year with a special NYE drop at 6:00 p.m. Participate in fun photo opportunities and enjoy the educational activities from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Stroll among the 300+ animal lanterns at Glow Wild and watch the acrobatic shows at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. Since the Predator Building will be closed at night for the animals to sleep, a special scavenger hunt will feature predator lanterns.

These Zoo Year’s Eve celebrations are included in the cost of regular Zoo admission or Glow Wild admission. The Red Diamond Express train and Virtual Reality experience should be available during both celebrations for an additional fee. The Full Moon Bar-B-Que Adventure Tower will be available during the day. Glow Wild is sponsored by UAB Callahan Eye.

ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO RED PANDAS:

Gizmo (left photo) and Kodo (middle photo), the Birmingham Zoo’s red pandas, were recommended to breed as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP). As an AZA-accredited member, the Birmingham Zoo joins other AZA facilities in participating in SSP Programs to support cooperative breeding and species management. Kodo had twins, Cosmo and Meeko, in May of 2023. Cosmo and Meeko have gone on to the Lehigh Valley Zoo to help continue expanding the global population of these endangered animals.

The male red panda, Gizmo, joined the Birmingham Zoo in 2020 from the Sacramento Zoo, and the female red panda, Kodo, arrived in the spring of 2022 from the Buttonwood Park Zoo. Both zoos are AZA-accredited members. Red pandas’ breeding season runs from January to March each year, so this was the first breeding season the pair was together. Both Kodo and Gizmo were first time parents.

“Birmingham Zoo is passionate about educating our guests on the importance of conserving red pandas and other endangered species found around the world,” explains Chris Pfefferkorn, Birmingham Zoo President and CEO. “We are proud to continue our strong commitment to the AZA SSP, for the sustainability of red pandas. We are also proud of the work we do for red panda conservation, including our partnership with the Red Panda Network, which works to protect the remaining 2,500 red pandas currently in the wild.”