Night of Zoos: A special evening of wildlife wonders across Hungary

In 2024, The Night of Zoos will take place on 30 August. This is the time of the year when animals will be the main attraction for one evening, with guided tours, animal shows, feeding sessions, concerts, and various other activities happening in zoos and wildlife parks across the country.

The Night of Zoos is an annual tradition held every year on the last Friday of summer. This year, it falls on 30 August, when zoos and wildlife parks nationwide will offer special evening experiences, unique programs, and attractions.

Hungary is home to nearly 50 zoos, wildlife parks, bird parks, animal sanctuaries, and aquariums. Here are a few of them that will be participating in the end-of-August events.

Budapest Zoo

Opened in 1866, Budapest Zoo is one of the oldest operating zoos in Europe. It features classic buildings such as the Main Gate, Owl Castle, Magic Mountain, and the Elephant House, which is covered in Zsolnay tiles. Additionally, the Palm House and the surrounding botanical gardens make it a fascinating place to explore. Notably, the zoo’s hippos bathe in the thermal water from the Szent István spring, which also supplies some of the pools at the nearby Széchenyi Spa.

The program at the park this August includes a seal show, elephant training, shark diving, and spectacular feeding sessions for Persian leopards and lions. There will also be quizzes, various wildlife discovery activities, planetarium screenings for families, an arthropod show, educational presentations, and performances by fire jugglers, mirror animals, and musicians. For more information, visit the zoo’s website here.

Debrecen Zoo

Debrecen’s Nagyerdei Cultural Park, which houses both a zoo and a botanical garden, is also home to Hungary’s only permanent amusement park. Open in 1958, this zoo was the first of its kind to be established outside of Budapest and has since become an integral part of the city and the surrounding forest.

Over the years, it has expanded from a small 17-hectare area to accommodate around 900 specimens from 170 species across five continents. For the 13th time, the park will host its biggest evening event of the season, the Night of Zoos, where guests can enjoy a unique summer evening program that showcases the natural and cultural diversity of Central and South America. For more information, click here.