Oklahoma City families can catch an early look at a new Sesame Street elephant special next month, and walk away with a free trip to the zoo. OETA and the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden are teaming up to host a free family event on October 3, 2026, at the zoo's Education Center Auditorium, running from 9 a.m. to noon.
The event centers on preview screenings of Sesame Street and the Great Elephant Adventure, a new primetime crossover special produced by PBS's Nature and Sesame Workshop, according to The Journal Record. Screenings are scheduled for 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and advance registration is required. Families can also take part in hands-on activities and talks led by zoo animal caretakers.
What the Special Follows
The special follows Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Nina as they visit Kenya's Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to meet an orphaned elephant they adopted online and the elephant's keepers, as reported by KPBS Public Media. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is in Kenya. Per the Journal Record, the special also features lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos and other wildlife while exploring nature, wildlife conservation and animals thriving in natural environments.
PBS announced the special on August 26, 2026, describing it as a crossover collaboration between Sesame Workshop and Nature, opening Nature’s 45th season, according to a statement from PBS. It's set to broadcast on October 14 at 8 p.m. through OETA and PBS KIDS, and will also stream via OETA.tv, the PBS KIDS Video app and the PBS app, per the Journal Record's report.
A Free Voucher and a Local Elephant Herd
Registered guests age 3 and older who attend a screening will receive a free Oklahoma City Zoo admission voucher, good for the day of the event or for another visit through March 1, 2027, the Journal Record reports. That voucher opens the door to Expedition Africa, home to giraffes, ostriches, zebras and lions, and Sanctuary Asia, where the zoo's Asian elephant herd lives. A free elephant presentation on caretakers and the herd is also scheduled for 2 p.m. that same day.
The Asian elephant herd has been especially busy this year. The zoo announced in August that Asian elephant Kairavi is pregnant with a calf expected in June 2027, which would mark the herd's seventh birth following calves born in June 2026 and May 2025, according to Enid News & Eagle. The zoo has also said it is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facility actively supporting wild elephant conservation in Sri Lanka through its Sri Lanka Elephant Project.
The Habitats Behind the Voucher
Sanctuary Asia is home to the zoo's Asian elephants.
Expedition Africa was planned as a $35 million, 12-acre expansion funded through private donations and Oklahoma City's dedicated 1/8-cent municipal sales tax, first approved by voters in 1990, with an October 2023 opening anticipated, as detailed by MetroFamily Magazine. That same sales tax helped fund Expedition Africa.
OETA's Statewide Reach
OETA is combining family programming with natural history programming through Nature and its Think Wednesday lineup for the event, per the Journal Record. The network reaches more than 650,000 weekly viewers across all 77 Oklahoma counties through four full-power transmitters and 14 low-power translator stations, according to an OETA statement. In May 2026, OETA received a $500,000 program-underwriting grant from the Richison Family Foundation to help fund public media operations, including PBS KIDS early learning programming.
Beyond broadcasting, OETA also maintains Oklahoma's statewide infrastructure for the Wireless Emergency Alert system.
Free Screenings
WEDU has promoted free screenings of Sesame Street and the Great Elephant Adventure, according to WEDU.
