WILD SUMMER NIGHTS
Start your weekend early! Spend Thursday evenings at the Utica Zoo with friends and the entire family!
EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT NIGHT FROM JULY 9TH TO AUGUST 27TH – WHOLE ZOO OPEN UNTIL 7PM.
The Utica Zoo is the perfect place for a family outing, a memorable date, and the perfect location to leave the hustle and bustle of your everyday life behind!
Starting July 9th, 2026, we will be open a little bit longer every THURSDAY through August 27th.
Enjoy live music on the deck every week along with beer, wine, seltzer, and dinner provided by Polly’s Concessions. Kids’ activities along with the existing bounce pillow and playground will be available, so all members of the family can enjoy a night out!
So stop by the zoo, enjoy a light dinner, crack open an ice-cold adult beverage, drift away on the waves of live music, and see our more than 200 exotic and domestic animals in a different light.
Details:
- Open until 7pm every Thursday night from July 9th – August 27th
- Family friendly! There are no age restrictions!
- Our concession stand will be open for dinner or a tasty snack
- Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 years or older
- There will be entertainment in the form of live music each Thursday. SEE BELOW FOR COORDINATING DATES AND PERFORMERS.
- We will have activities for kids.
- We are bringing back our Cinematic Safaris on July 9th, July 23rd, and August 27th. These are outdoor movie showings in the middle of the zoo! See below for more information and to book your movie tickets in advance!
- Our animals will be on exhibit throughout the evening!
**No special tickets or reservations required. This event is simply extended zoo hours with some additional activities in the evening! So the price to attend it is merely admission to the zoo:
Zoo Admission Rates:
$11 for adults 13-61
$8 for kids 3-12
$10 for seniors 62+ and students w/ID
Live Performances Schedule
Thursday July 9th: Shawn Smith – Additional entertainment: Cinematic Safari showing HOPPERS movie.
Thursday July 16th: Tim & Ashley Nitti – Additional entertainment: World Snake Day children’s crafts and snake ambassador animal presentations.
Thursday, July 23rd: Isaac French – Additional entertainment: Shark and coral reef crafts for children AND Cinematic Safari showing Finding Nemo movie.
Thursday July 30th Sydney Irving – Additional entertainment: TBA
Thursday August 6th: Justin Smithson – Additional entertainment: TBA
Thursday August 13th: Remsen Social Club – Additional entertainment: TBA
Thursday August 20th: Max Scialdone – Additional entertainment: TBA
Thursday August 27th: Gary Johnson – Additional entertainment: Cinematic Safari showing ZOOTOPIA 2 movie
CINEMATIC SAFARIS
Enjoy outdoor movie screenings after hours in the middle of the zoo!!
Cinematic Safaris at Utica Zoo are the perfect addition to your Thursday night out. Popular movies you know and love will be projected on screen in our Pangea Plaza, right outside our new BULL REEF habitat. So grab a comfortable chair or blanket, and get ready a movie experience you never thought of!
Cinematic Safari Dates:
- Thursday July 9th: 2026 Disney Pixar’s HOPPERS “A 19-year-old animal lover uses technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal world beyond her imagination.” Rated PG.
- Thursday, July 23rd: 2003 Disney Pixar Finding Nemo “After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.” Rated G.
- Thursday, August 27th: 2025 Disney’s ZOOTOPIA 2 “Brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps and her friend, the fox Nick Wilde, team up again to crack a new case, the most perilous and intricate of their careers.” Rated PG.
Wild Summer Nights at Utica Zoo are just extended zoo hours with a few additional activities in the evening, so the cost to attend it is just normal admission to the zoo! You can even come earlier in the day to enjoy the zoo and simply stay through the evening if you wanted!
Wild Summer Nights will run every Thursday from 5pm to 7pm beginning July 9th until August 27th!
The zoo will remain open right through 7pm without closing down at all in the middle. Effectively, the zoo is open 10am to 7pm on Thursdays from July 9th through August 27th!
The LIVE music will be right in our main Rotary Pavilion during Wild Summer Nights! It is right next to our Polly’s concession stand, so you can easily get a drink or some food and then sit at one of our tables and enjoy the evening’s entertainment!
There is live music scheduled for every Thursday night for the summer of 2026, which you can see a list of below. We will have activities for kids each night that may include educational crafts or games, in addition to our existing bounce pillow and playground right next to the live music. We will also be hosting 3 Cinematic Safaris on July 9th, July 23rd, and August 27th. These will be outdoor movie screenings of Hoppers, Finding Nemo, and Zootopia 2.
In addition to the LIVE music, concessions, and beverages, crafts for children, the bounce pillow, playground, and outdoor movies on select nights, the entirety of the zoo will remain open for guests! So if you are looking to visit the Utica Zoo and want to experience it when the sun is a little lower and the crowds are a little sparser, Wild Summer Nights are the event for you!
Of course! While there is the option to buy some alcoholic beverages at our concession stand during the dates and times of Wild Summer Nights, the extended hours are open to ALL ages! There will be several kids activities on grounds in addition to the already existing bounce pillow and playground. It is a perfect opportunity for a fun family outing in the evening!
