September 8, 2016
San Diego’s wildest tasting event returns on Saturday, September 24, with a few surprises to celebrate the zoo’s centennial year. The 36th annual
San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Celebration takes over our famous zoo for an adults-only festival that allows guests to sample culinary delights and sip beverages from more than 150 San Diego area restaurants, wineries and breweries, as well as getting the chance to meet exotic animals like a cheetah, koala, and flamingo up close - all while supporting wildlife conservation around the world.
"Not only is this fundraising event a fun celebration for the people of San Diego, it’s to celebrate all of the animals that the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy saves each year, through their world wildlife conservation efforts," said Blake Miller, vice president of Corporate Marketing.
The annual celebration is one of San Diego’s most popular fundraisers, and it is sure to be even more spectacular this year. Partygoers can enjoy entertainment - from dance music to country rock to Zydeco - on multiple stages; participate in the live drawings; take a chance on winning great prizes while playing blackjack or roulette at the Critter Casino; and and the chance to win fabulous prizes in the Pick Your Prize raffle, including Drink Up which features popular drink options from the event, Eat Out with restaurant gift certificates and tasting cards, or enjoy a One-year Single Membership good for admission to the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park. And a party at the zoo wouldn’t be complete without animal encounters, including an animal presentation by San Diego Zoo Global Ambassador. To top it off, there will be a special treat this year, as the Zoo celebrates its centennial and offers guests a close-up look at the life-size puppets that come to life each night during Nighttime Zoo.
Vendors participating at this year's event and offering samples of their product include Blue Point Coastal Cuisine, Brian's 24, Big Front Door, BabyCakes, Sevilla, Cafe Coyote, Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant, Corvette Diner, Duke's La Jolla, Duck Dive, Galaxy Taco, Hash House, Jake's Del Mar, Meze, Nobu, Peohe's, S&M Sausage and Meat, Rubio's, Season's 52, Sea 180, Solare, Spitz, The Cravory, Oceanaire, The Prado, The Patio Group, Waypoint Public, Urge Gastropub, Amplified Ale Works, Ballast Point, Belching Beaver, Bitter Brothers, BNS Brewing, Cafe Moto, El Cielo Wines, Deep Eddy Vodka, Coronado Brewing, Ferrari Carano Vineyards, Firestone Walker, Green Flash, Kombucha On Tap, Kill Devil Spirits, Mezcal Los Javis, Maui Brewing, Monte Xanic, Mike Hess Brewing, Saint Archer, Thorn St. Brewery, and so many more.
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| Partial view from the Skyfari |
Tickets to the Food,Wine & Brew Celebration are
available online for $125 for general admission and $225 for VIP. For those guests looking for extra-special pampering, VIP admission is “the ticket,” as VIP guests enter at 6:30pm (rather than 7:30pm) and enjoy exclusive access to three VIP lounges located around the zoo throughout the night - including hosted drinks, special animal encounters and plush lounge furniture, as well as unlimited Skyfari rides. This event sells out each year, with close to 3,000 participants - including 1,000 VIPs and 2,000 general admission guests. The party ends at 11pm. Proceeds from the San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Celebration will support endangered animals and habitats worldwide through the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy.
San Diego Zoo Global currently works on conservation projects locally and is involved in more than 140 conservation projects in 80 countries. These projects include breeding and releasing California condors, restoring palms in the Amazon, combating rhino and elephant poaching, and studying wild giant pandas in the bamboo forests of China.
For more information on the San Diego Zoo Food, Wine, & Brew Celebration, visit the
zoofoodandwine.com.
