Special Events

Holiday events, seasonal shows, concert series and more – you can be on the Zoo’s schedule all year long! Every season offers one of a kind opportunities for your brand to be incorporated into our guests’ daily visits. Popular events like Animals and All That Jazz, Christmas at the Zoo, and Halloween ZooBoo have become annual traditions for many Central Indiana families.

To help sponsors realize the greatest bang for the buck, the Indianapolis Zoo’s marketing team encourages sponsorship activation. Creative activation and promotions allow sponsors to see participation from their employees, customers, Zoo visitors, and the general public. Naming rights opportunities allow for special benefits like complimentary facility rentals, Zoo tickets, membership discounts, and even behind-the-scenes tours for employee appreciation, client entertainment, and customer cultivation. The Indianapolis Zoo strives to create integrated, multi-departmental packages that help achieve goals throughout our sponsors’ corporations.

You can see a full calendar of upcoming special events.

Just some of the Zoo’s special events include:

Animals and All That Jazz
Some of the area’s best jazz artists take the stage for six consecutive Thursday nights beginning in mid-July and running through mid-August. Concerts begin at 5:30pm and are included with regular Zoo admission. This unique musical experience takes place in the Café on the Commons Plaza next to the lemur and flamingo exhibit.  The shaded brick plaza offers a pleasant outdoor atmosphere with plenty of seating at tables for dinner. Each concert features special food and beverage options from CenterPlate Catering, visits from live program animals, and extended Zoo hours.  Animals and All That Jazz typically draws an older, more affluent crowd than the typical operating day.  Recent surveys of concert attendees have shown that a vast majority of visitors plan to attend another Animals and All That Jazz concert and would recommend the event to others.

Title Sponsorship includes naming rights recognition in all forms of event communication, internally and externally, including advertising, signage, verbal mentions, and news releases. Stage and table sponsorships are also available.

Back to School Concert
The annual Back to School Concert with Radio Disney is scheduled in September. This special concert helps many families wrap-up the summer season and is free with regular admission to the Zoo. Featured acts include the newest and hottest recording artists that appeal to young audiences (and their parents!), such as the 2008 star, teen singing sensation Jordan Pruitt (right). The concert takes place outside in the Café on the Commons area near the middle of the Zoo. A covered facility is utilized as a rain back up.

Community Tuesdays presented by Wells Fargo Advisors
Community Tuesdays presented by Wells Fargo Advisors are held on the first Tuesday of the month from March through October. This well-received event allows the Indianapolis Zoo to make visiting Indianapolis’s premier attraction easier for low income and price conscious families. A substantially reduced price of $8 instead of the regular admission price allows visitors to enjoy the Indianapolis Zoo at half price.

Christmas at the Zoo
Christmas at the Zoo features the glow of a million twinkling lights making it a memorable and magical experience for the entire family. Over 150 larger-than-life light sculptures depict holiday and animal scenes such as candy canes, snowflakes, Santa Claus and his reindeer, Victorian carolers, giraffes, lions, elephants, flamingos, swans, and more. Timed flashing lights, campfire singers, carolers, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Santa’s reindeer, live animal feeds, rides, Santa photos/visits, mascot appearances and the Holiday Trainland ensure that Christmas at the Zoo continues on as one of the most popular holiday traditions in Indianapolis.

Christmas at the Zoo is an annual holiday tradition for many Indiana families. This highly visible sponsorship provides guests with a wonderful reminder of the role corporations play in supporting our community all year long. Various sponsorship opportunities exist for Christmas at the Zoo.

For more information about corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Robin Rushton at (317) 630-2009 or rrushton@indyzoo.com.