A “cocktails with animals” series kicks off Friday night at the San Francisco Zoo, as Sunset Friday lets you mingle with animals whilst enjoying a drink to the live music of SFJazz, every Friday night through the end of August.
San Francisco museums and cultural institutions have long been on the bandwagon (or off the wagon?) of holding happy hour-style nighttime events with cocktails served. The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park has been slinging drinks at those NightLife events for years. Same goes for the Exploratorium’s After Dark series. And now the San Francisco Zoo will be on the rocks, in a good way, as the Chronicle reports the zoo is throwing happy hour-style events called Sunset Fridays, starting this Friday July 7, and running 5-7 p.m. every Friday night through August 25.
“Sunset Fridays, a new after-hours event for the whole family, will debut at San Francisco Zoo & Gardens on Friday, July 7 and will run consecutive Fridays thru August 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Playfield Lawn,” the zoo said in an announcement. “Guests will enjoy live music by SFJazz and other special performances, outdoor bar, kid-friendly activities, ambassador animals and more.”
The events are free for SF Zoo members. (If you’re not familiar, SF Zoo memberships start at $99 a year for seniors and otherwise $129, and run all the way up to $2,500.) Otherwise, Sunset Fridays admission is $12 for non-members, though kids 11 and under get in free.
The whole zoo will not be open during these Sunset Fridays events, though the zoo says “guests can meander to the Giraffe Lodge to see reticulated giraffe inside their indoor night quarters.” That said, they are promising “ambassador animals,” so you will surely get to see, play with, or pet a critter.
Reservations are not necessary, and they do take walk-up admissions. Tickets to the SF Zoo’s Sunset Fridays are available here.
Related: San Francisco Zoo Welcomes Litter of Nine Prairie Dog Pups, Who Have Just Come Above Ground [SFist]
Image: San Francisco Zoo via Facebook
