Minnesota Zoo Zoo After Hours – Winter 2026

Zoo After Hours: Equinox Edition
March 21, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Equinox Edition offers you daylight and nightlife – equally! This event is exclusively for adults 18+ so you can unwind with the wildlife. Whether you’re a winter hibernator or a spring chicken, Zoo After Hours bridges the best of both seasons! Winter-types can relax with a sound bath session or cozy up fireside. Or put some spring in your step and head outside for nocturnal trail talks and enjoying a whiskey cocktail for purchase on Treetop Trail, thanks to Keepers Heart. Bring your buds or a date for an evening in the company of animals. You won’t want to miss Royal Credit Union Sea Lion Discovery shows, up-close animal encounters, and fresh chef’s specials and Keepers Heart signature drinks. Study up on the seasons because Trivia Mafia will be here!

Costume Contest with prizes provided by the Minnesota Lottery. The Spring Equinox is equal hours of daylight and night skies – and should inspire your outfit for the evening!
- Creature of the Night: Go batty! We welcome all interpretations of the theme. Perhaps a prince of darkness, twilight princess, or nocturnal animal?
- Day Glow Duo: Give us a double dose of color — the brighter, the better!
- Zoo Zodiac: March 21 marks the start of the astrological calendar. Aries may be the GOAT sign – but don’t let them have all the fun. Dress as your zodiac symbol.

Keepers Heart will be sampling Irish + American Rye, Irish + Bourbon, and our Ready-to-Drink Old Fashioned.
Irish whiskeys blended with American Rye whiskey. We combine the unique qualities of Irish grain and single pot still whiskeys with American Rye whiskey for a remarkable drinking experience. The characteristic sweet taste of bourbon intertwined with notes of freshly charred virgin oak pair beautifully with the earthy spices of the single Irish pot still whiskey and the delicate butterscotch sweetness from the Irish grain whiskey to deliver a unique tasting experience. Ready-to-serve Old Fashioned cocktail crafted using our award-winning Keeper’s Heart Irish + American whiskey, demerara syrup, and angostura bitters.

Zoo After Hours: Cowchella
April 25, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

E-i-e-i-oh so much fun awaits you when Zoo After Hours heads to the Farm on Saturday, April 25. This event is exclusively for adults 18+ so you can unwind with the wildlife – and a farmful of friends. We’re tacking on the treats to this Zoo After Hours. Your ticket includes a spin on the Conservation Carousel (where the horses are the wild variety).

As the sun sets over the Farm, enjoy dining, drinks, live music, lawn games, and Barnyard BINGO. Plus: heritage livestock breeds in the barns and pastures, Farmkeeper Chats, and photo ops with the Clydesdale draft horses. Yeehaw! You can meet miniature donkeys and miniature cows – they’re brand-new to the Farm in 2026.