‘I went to the London Zoo Nights for the first time and tried to see all the animals before their bedtimes’

It's that time of year when London Zoo opens its gates back up for the evening and invites city locals to roam its iconic Regent Park site before its animal inhabitants go to bed. 

But if you’re planning on attending the Friday late openings you may want to plan what fauna you want to see otherwise you may miss out on seeing them before they rest their heads.

As a London Zoo Nights firstimer walking up to the zoo entrance, I was excited to finally get to see what all the hype is about. But while I hoped to see the park’s many animal lodgers up close I only managed to squeeze in seeing a few because of some of their early bedtimes.

Having visited the capital based zoo a few times growing up, getting the chance to walk around at night was a totally different experience. The park just seems to comes alive in the evening and there are so much more things to do than just explore its vast enclosures.

From guided tours to face painting and game events and live music, during my visit I managed to swing by a few different talks which were hosted by zoo keepers. 

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As well as getting a chance to see the zoo’s penguins, tigers and giraffes, the talks also allow guests to learn a bit more about the zoo’s animal residence from the staff that care for them.

Between talks I also visited the home of the zoo’s reptiles and amphibians, the butterfly section and of course had to head to the Land Of The Lions to see the adorable trio of baby cubs that were born this spring.  

However, the evening soon flew by, which meant I ended up on missing out on seeing some of the other animals including the likes of the gorillas and the otters.

But of course with over 10,000 amazing animals living in the park, it was unlikely I’d see all of the animals in the four hour evening zoo event.

Generally most of the animal areas close around 9pm but there are a few that close slightly earlier and later. With that in mind, I’d recommend eating a bit later into the evening so you can prioritise seeing the animals.

The London Zoo Nights will be available to visit every Friday across June and July so if you don’t do everything you want in one evening you can always book another visit to pick up where you left off.