Calgarians are very proud of their zoo, and if you come to visit one they’ve likely brought you to it. I bring my family when they come in to town, and my nieces and nephews love it! But have you ever imagined what the zoo would be like if it was adults only, in the evening, and accompanied by amazing food and beverages? Welcome to ZOOGALA 2014 Gallivant!
The annual ZOOGALA is an exciting semi-formal evening filled with unique experiences that will delight and educate you. After the floods of 2013 the gala was unable to happen, but this year it was back and better than ever! I got to go in place of a very disappointed Mr. Fab who was in NYC…
We arrived for the “Early Grazing” period at 5pm to get a lay of the land, and came across countless food and beverage vendors eager to share generous samples of their delicious products.
Then, as the gates opened to the 6pm ticket holders, my guest and I got up close and personal with the penguins as we watched a feeding and learned about the energetic creatures… No lines, and room to enjoy!
After grabbing some more libations, we took advantage of as many ‘behind the scenes’ opportunities as we could. At the Transalta Rainforest, Shannon was very informative and showed us through the gorilla’s off-exhibit area… Did you know that female gorillas take human prescriptions for birth control?!
Then we were off to The Conservatory to watch Jill Belland host the “Roaming among the Wild” fashion show, where 5 designers were assigned an endangered animal as inspiration for the design of a gown.
More eats and drinks as we explored and watched many roaming entertainers; body painting, belly dancing, raffles… I even held a falcon!
While the animal exhibits end at 9 (they need their beauty rest too!), everyone gathers on the beautiful grounds near The Conservatory to dance and mingle until midnight.
This event is incredible, it had my guest Erin and I wishing there was time to do everything! Congrats to the Calgary Zoo on a fabulous ZOOGALA, can’t wait till next year!
Editor Fab
