Albuquerque BioPark opens 2026 zoo concert series with Eddie 9V

The Albuquerque BioPark opened its 2026 zoo concert series Friday night with Eddie 9V and local acts, turning the ABQ BioPark Zoo into an evening venue and testing how far a public attraction can stretch between family programming and ticketed entertainment.

The concert ran from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with Eddie 9V set for the Bandshell stage at 7 p.m. The night’s theme centered on the Asia exhibit, giving concertgoers a chance to move between live music and animal viewing while seeing orangutans, snow leopards, Malayan tigers and Asian elephants. The city priced adult tickets at $18, with seniors 65 and older and youth ages 3 to 12 paying $9. Children 2 and under were free, and BioPark Society and NMBPS members received 50% off with valid ID.

City officials are presenting the 2026 series as a broader upgrade, not just a summer concert return. The BioPark says the newly revamped Zoo Music lineup adds more music, more learning, more activities and more family fun, with keeper chats and interactive discovery stations folded into the event. That approach reflects a familiar tension for one of Albuquerque’s core public attractions: expanding hours and revenue while keeping the grounds accessible enough to feel like a civic space, not a private entertainment district.

For Bernalillo County residents, the appeal is partly practical. The city is using one of its best-known destinations to host an evening outing that can draw families, couples and tourists without requiring a trip across town for dinner, music and a separate attraction. It also gives local musicians and touring acts a larger stage inside a place many people already associate with daytime visits, school trips and weekend routines.

The zoo concerts are only part of the summer plan. The city’s 2026 schedule lists more Zoo Music dates for June 19, July 10 and July 24, with Amelia Day, Holy Roller and Taimane still ahead. KRQE also reported that the broader BioPark concert season includes Garden Music at the Botanic Garden, and city event listings show additional Garden Music concerts on May 28, June 11, June 25, July 16 and July 30.

Mayor Tim Keller said the concerts have long been about bringing people together, and the city is building on that tradition with more ways to explore and learn while having a good time. That framing underscores the larger question behind the series at the Zoo and Botanic Garden: whether the BioPark can keep widening its audience without losing the public character that makes it one of Albuquerque’s most heavily used civic spaces.