Brookfield Zoo Chicago is trading strollers for cocktail glasses on Saturday, August 22, when its 21-and-over Zoo Uncorked event takes over the grounds from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. General daytime visitors will share The Pavilions and East Mall with ticket holders from 4 to 6 p.m., before the entire zoo shifts to exclusive adults-only access for the final two hours of the night.
Tickets for the evening run $40 for general admission, with optional add-ons for specialty cocktail and mocktail access and a food ticket covering four elevated bites, according to Choose Chicago. Details and tickets are available at brookfieldzoo.org/events, as reported by Shaw Local. The event also includes unlimited free carousel rides, free parking in the North Lot, zoo chats with animal care experts, and photo opportunities and giveaways scattered throughout the night, per the same outlet's reporting.
A One-Night Menu and a Farewell Spin on the Big Wheel
The evening's specialty drink lineup includes a Cotton Candy Daiquiri and a Rosemary Smoked Gin & Tonic, alongside food items like PamBazo Sopes, according to a menu preview shared by Brookfield Zoo Chicago on its official channel. Shaw Local reports the one-night-only menu also features a Gin in the Wild cocktail, a Pink Palomingo drink, panzanella, flatbreads, doughnuts, and slow-roasted leg of lamb served on pita, on top of an assortment of beer, cocktails and mocktails available throughout the night.
Perhaps the biggest draw for many attendees: unlimited free rides on the 110-foot Anniversary Ferris Wheel, which Zoo Uncorked marks as the final chance to ride before its seasonal closure. Built in the Netherlands by Lamberink B.V. and installed in March 2024 for the zoo's 90th anniversary, the ride features 24 open-air gondolas and 350,000 LED lights, according to the Southwest Regional Publishing. Hoodline first covered the zoo's new anniversary wheel when it debuted in February 2024.
Live Music and a Dance Party on the East Mall
Live entertainment for the evening includes a performance from tribute group The Boy Band Night at the East Mall, followed by a dance party hosted by DJ Nurotic, according to Clearwater. Shaw Local also notes the night includes live music more broadly as part of the after-hours programming, alongside the zoo chats and photo stations mentioned earlier.
Zoo Uncorked is part of a recurring seasonal 21-and-over series at the zoo, which has previously hosted installments including Flocktails & Feathers in May, Tequila & Tails in June, and Wines & Vines in August, according to a Brookfield Zoo Chicago social media post. The series reflects a broader push toward adult-oriented evening programming at the 235-acre Cook County institution, which is managed by the non-profit Chicago Zoological Society and draws roughly 2.1 million visitors annually to see its more than 3,400 animals, per the MacArthur Foundation.
A Zoo in the Middle of a Major Transformation
The August event arrives as Brookfield Zoo Chicago continues executing a $500 million master plan launched alongside its 2024 rebrand from Brookfield Zoo, aimed at building modern ecoregions ahead of its 2034 centennial, as Hoodline detailed in its zoo's $500 million expansion plan. That transformation has been fueled in part by a $40 million anonymous donation received in late 2023 — the largest single private gift in the zoo's history — which is supporting construction of its new Tropical Forests complex and other habitat modernizations, as Hoodline reported at the time.
The zoo also recently moved past a labor dispute that could have complicated its summer calendar. In May, more than 100 Brookfield Zoo Chicago workers ended a brief walkout after union negotiators and management agreed on a four-year contract resolving wage and healthcare disputes, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Hoodline had previously reported on the strike vote leading up to it that April.
