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Zoo’s ‘Beastly Bash’ features competitions, food, cash bars
“Party like an adult; play like a kid” is the ideal slogan for “Beastly Bash.”
Now in its fourth year, the event on Saturday, Sept. 1, at the ABQ BioPark Zoo features a number of games and activities for adults ages 21 and over to enjoy. They include carousel races, a photo booth, pinball, henna tattoos, a three-legged race and face painting.
There will be food trucks and cash bars in the Cottonwood area of the park. Attendees can also explore some of the zoo exhibits before dark.
“We provide games,” said Danielle Flores Mills, marketing and events coordinator for the New Mexico BioPark Society. “They are free, unlimited play. We have paddleboats on the lake, giant Jenga, giant Connect Four, giant Twister and giant beer pong. They can take shots of pickle juice. We have huge trash cans that look like red Solo cups. We have a casino games area with a bourbon bar, vintage video games, and giant inflatables. We have things all over the facility.”
Eventgoers will get to climb a rock wall near the giraffe exhibit. There will also be a tug of war with one of the zoo’s “larger celebrities,” according to Flores Mills.
“I think they enjoy it,” Flores Mills said when asked what the animals at the zoo thought of Beastly Bash. “We always tell people to be respectful of the animals. This is their home.”
Many who have attended past events have become regulars.
“We have a lot of fun,” Flores Mills said. “People really enjoy it. People come back, and we feel like the momentum is gaining.”
Beastly Bash was created to reach out demographic that is important to the ABQ BioPark Society’s future. All proceeds from the event benefit the New Mexico BioPark Society, a nonprofit organization that supports the ABQ BioPark Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Garden and Tingley Beach.
“We wanted to start targeting this demographic, since it’s our future members and donors,” Flores Mills said. “We want to get them enthusiastic about conservation. It’s our goal.”