Start Date2nd Jun 2023 End Date2nd Jun 2023
Friday 2nd June 2023 open until 8:30pm
It’s our birthday!!! Join us for our birthday bonanza as we celebrate turning 60! Our special birthday is bursting at the seams just like our party balloon’s and is packed with shows from Magic Iain, Marimba Music from Otto & The Mutapa Calling, and finished with an Zoobilee Party and later closing time!
PLUS live music by Silence the Sirens on the Main Stage from 5.00pm to 8.00pm!
Tune in to BBC Essex on Friday 2nd June for the Ben Fryer Show from 10:00am to 2:00pm as they broadcast LIVE from the Zoo in celebration of our 60th anniversary! Listen to live interviews with long-standing staff members, dedicated visitors and entertainers performing throughout the day plus some special animal guests too of course!
We are delighted that First Essex Buses will be joining us for our Big Birthday Bonanza on Friday 2nd June! Check out the Colchester Zoo 60th Anniversary bus and join in the celebrations by sharing your birthday messages!
TIMETABLE:
| TIME | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|
| 10:00am | Magic Iain – Main Stage opposite Penguini’s Restaurant |
| 11:00am | Marimba Music from Otto & The Mutapa Calling – Main Stage opposite Penguini’s Restaurant |
| 12 noon | Carnival Workshop – Terrace area opposite Snack Shack |
| 1:00pm | Magic Iain – Main Stage opposite Penguini’s Restaurant |
| 2:00pm | Marimba Music from Otto & The Mutapa Calling – Main Stage opposite Penguini’s Restaurant |
| 3:00pm | Carnival Workshop – Terrace area opposite Snack Shack |
| 4:00pm | Zoo Crew Party – Main Stage opposite Penguini’s Restaurant |
| 5:00pm | Zoobilee Party with live music by Silence the Sirens – Main Stage opposite Penguini’s Restaurant |
PLUS learn more about the history of Colchester Zoo from our Animal Care Team, with a number of special encounters taking place throughout the evening!
View our daytime timetable here.
| TIME | ENCOUNTER |
| 5:15pm | Smooth-coated Otter – Otter Creek |
| 5:45pm | Red Panda – Wilds of Asia |
| 5:45pm | Bornean Orangtuan – Rajang’s Forest |
| 6:00pm | Humboldt Penguin – Inca Trail |
| 6:00pm | Meerkat – Suricata Sands |
| 6:15pm | Mandrill – Edge of Africa |
| 6:15pm | Gelada Baboon – Gelada Plateau |
| 6:30pm | Komodo Dragon – Dragons of Komodo |
| 6:30pm | Ring-tailed Lemur – Lemur Bridge |
| 6:45pm | Malayan Sun Bear – Bears of the Rising Sun |
| 7:00pm | African Elephant – Outside Paddock |
| 7:30pm | Spotted Hyena – Edge of Africa |
| 7:45pm | Patagonian Sea Lion – Playa Patagonia |
Every day is a celebration like no other as we cherish this marvellous milestone. Become a part of the Colchester Zoo history celebrating the past and present and as we look forward to the next 60 years.
