Central Florida Zoo brings back affordable Sunset at the Zoo series

The Central Florida Zoo is turning summer evenings into a low-cost outing for Seminole County families, with Sunset at the Zoo set to run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on five fourth Fridays, starting May 22. Online tickets are $6, gate admission is $8, and a $46 family four-pack includes four admissions, four hot dogs and four sodas.

The 2026 dates are May 22, June 26, July 24, August 28 and September 25. Each night will carry a different theme, beginning with Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage and continuing with LGBTQ+ Pride, Black & African American Heritage, Native American & Alaska Native, and Hispanic Heritage. The zoo says guests can expect live music, themed keeper chats and food, beer and wine available for purchase, giving families a chance to spend an evening at the Sanford zoo without paying a full-day price.

The event is separate from daytime admission, and annual passholders are not automatically included, which makes the pricing structure especially important for parents comparing summer plans. That affordability, along with the shorter evening window, puts Sunset at the Zoo in a different lane from many other Central Florida warm-weather outings. It offers time on the grounds after work and school hours, with enough programming to make the visit feel like more than a simple walk-through.

One example of what the series can look like comes from the zoo’s Hispanic Heritage night plans, which include children’s storytime with animal guests, DJ Ricky Jimenez and keeper chats featuring a guira cuckoo, reptiles, a fossa, squirrel monkey and peccary. Community partners and vendors tied to the event have included Volusia Pride, the Seminole County Office of Supervisor Elections, Orlando City Soccer Club and TD Bank.

Richard E. Glover, Jr., the zoo’s CEO, has called Sunset at the Zoo one of the zoo’s most anticipated events of the year. That community focus fits the zoo’s role as a nonprofit education and conservation organization and its long-running partnership with Orlando Health, which is backing the series this year through Orlando Health Lake Mary Hospital. Orlando Health says the hospital reflects its commitment to Seminole County, where it has served for 40 years; the hospital opened with 124 beds in a 455,000-square-foot building and can expand to 240 beds.

The format has changed over time. In 2020, Sunset at the Zoo was adults-only and ran on third Thursdays from March through October. By 2023, it had shifted into a family-friendly series on fourth Fridays from May through September, and the 2026 schedule keeps that model in place for another summer of affordable after-hours entertainment.