Boo in the Zoo Celebrates 30th Anniversary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Greenville Zoo’s signature Halloween event for children ages 12 and under. Boo in the Zoo presented by Banfield Pet Hospital takes place October 28-30.

It will feature trick-or-treating, activity booths, an extinct species graveyard, a princess castle with characters and an unhaunted house. Additionally, in honor of the milestone anniversary, this year’s event will also feature a Memory Wall with pictures from Boo in the Zoo over the past few decades. Members of the public can also submit their own Boo in the Zoo photo memories for inclusion on the wall.

Event hours are 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free for a member adult, $6 for a member child, $6 for a non-member adult and $7 for a non-member child. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the ticket booth or online at www.greenvillezoo.com/boo. Children must be accompanied by an adult and everyone is invited to come in costume. For safety reasons, attendees are asked not to bring plastic pumpkins, Halloween bags or sacks. Instead, candy bag sponsor Harvest Hope Food Bank will provide special commemorative trick-or-treat backpacks for the children.

Banfield Pet Hospital is sponsoring the candy for this year’s event, which will be Mars brand products. Mars is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and uses certified sustainable palm oil that is deforestation-free, which supports the Greenville Zoo’s efforts to reduce the negative impacts of palm oil cultivation. According to the Orangutan Species Survival Program, millions of acres of rainforest in Borneo and Sumatra are cut down each year to create more palm oil plantations, making the rapidly expanding industry the single greatest threat facing wild orangutans today. While palm oil is used in many foods and household products, consumers can help protect wild orangutans by supporting companies that have committed to using 100% certified sustainable palm oil.

The Greenville Zoo will again offer a free park and ride service to transport attendees from County Square to the Greenville Zoo and back, with three buses running continuously between the two locations from one hour before the event until 9 p.m. Attendees are strongly encouraged to utilize the free service, as parking will not be permitted on Woodland Way or Woodland Way Circle and parking in Cleveland Park is limited.

The public can celebrate Boo in the Zoo’s 30th anniversary and support the Greenville Zoo by purchasing a commemorative t-shirt. Shirts are $12 for infant, toddler and youth sizes and $15 for adult sizes. Order online at www.greenvillezoo.com/boo.

In keeping with the Greenville Zoo’s mission, a portion of the proceeds from Boo in the Zoo will go toward the Association of Zoos & Aquarium’s Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program.