Zoo Nights: Oregon Zoo

Zoo Nights – Oregon Zoo

Nothing says summer in Portland like a warm evening outdoors with good food and live entertainment. Over the course of 10 Friday’s from June to August, the Oregon Zoo hosts Zoo Nights: evenings filled with local music, food carts, activities for all ages, and the chance to get to know some of the animals active during twilight hours.

Live music will begin on the lawn at 6:30 pm and activities from 5:30 pm on. Food and snacks from local food trucks will be available, plus the ever-popular elephant ears, and selection of local beer and wine for adults.

Zoo Nights is a special event and is not included in regular daytime admission. Tickets must be purchased online in advance.

Tickets:

• Adult (12 and up): $24 ($19.20 for Members)
• Child (2-11): $19 ($15.20 for Members)
• Infant (0-1): $0

Every Zoo Nights ticket purchased helps the Oregon Zoo connect communities to the wonder of wildlife to create a better future for all.

Artists joining us for Zoo Nights:

 

Grupo Masato 

June 16

Grupo Masato is a multi-ethnic Portland-based band that plays highly irresistible danceable music from Latin America! Powerful combinations of Chicha, Cumbia, and Afro-Peruvian music explore and celebrate diversity with a show that will make you want to dance.

Robert Henry 

June 23

Calling all country music fans! As a student of history in all facets, Robert Henry draws musical influence across a spectrum of genres – most significantly from his Honky Tonk forbearers like Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Waylon Jennings, to name a few.

His passion and talent for country music have also been recognized globally. In 2020, Robert Henry was awarded Best Traditional Country Song by the World Songwriting Awards for his piece, “Storm the Gate.”

Jackstraw 

June 30

Jackstraw was born when rhythm guitarist Darrin Craig and lead player Jon Neufeld, met mandolin picker David Pugh and bassist Jesse Withers in 1997 at Artichoke Music – a Portland guitar store and acoustic music institution. Not long after their formation, Jackstraw recorded their first album and hit the road. Five albums later, Jackstraw is now a Northwest institution. While they typically play bluegrass, Jackstraw also has a deep collection of well-crafted originals and performs honky-tonk and rock ‘n roll as well.

Pa’lante

July 7

Get ready for irresistible Afro-Caribbean dance music! Groove to fiery salsa, Latin jazz, and more with Portland’s acclaimed 9-piece band Pa’lante. This year, Pa’lante is celebrating more than three decades of thrilling Portland audiences with the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and beyond.

DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid

July 14

Few DJs can be said to have changed the sound of their city but that is exactly what DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid have accomplished since they first introduced Portland, Oregon nightclub audiences to the many varied sounds of Global Bass. They are most known for incinerating dance floors with the heavy dance floor artillery of South Asia, but the duo scours the globe for any hard-hitting music that combines local music traditions with window-rattling production.

Hit Machine

July 21

Hit Machine is a group you will never forget! Created by Bart Hafeman, the energy of this 7-piece band is highly contagious. They play hits from all eras as it’s not uncommon to hear “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, “Kiss” by Prince, “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz, and “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC, all in the same set. Plus, their synchronized dance moves will have everyone moving and grooving.

Too Loose Cajun Band 

July 28

Louisiana-style Cajun and Zydeco dance hall music from Portland, Oregon

Ural Thomas and the Pain 

August 4

Universally recognized as one of the most exciting singers remaining from the original soul era, 82-year-old Ural Thomas and his band The Pain just released their third LP “Dancing Dimensions.” Thomas initially made his name in the 1960s with stone-cold soul classic releases like “Pain Is The Name of Your Game,” “Can You Dig It,” “Deep Soul,” and his 1964 recording debut with The Monterays “Push – Em Up.” After a musical journey that commenced in his native Portland, Oregon, and led to Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and New York, sharing stages with everyone from James Brown to Stevie Wonder to Otis Redding to Etta James, Thomas became disillusioned with the music business and returned home to the city of roses at the end of the decade – where he continues to reign as Portland’s uncontested Soul Brother Number One. In 2014 Ural met drummer/bandleader Scott Magee at a Sunday jam session he’d been hosting for decades and Ural Thomas and The Pain was born.

Garcia Birthday Band

August 11

Garcia Birthday Band isn’t your mother’s Grateful Dead cover band. Using the Dead’s repertoire as a springboard for limitless potential and improvisation, Garcia Birthday Band is a cornerstone of the modern Grateful Dead universe. Placing no boundaries on eras of the Dead’s career or catalog, and drawing on decades of individual and shared experience, Garcia Birthday Band plays music through an auditory kaleidoscope.

Jujuba 

August 18

[ jo͞o jo͞o bah ]  Ridiculously danceable Afrobeat and Juju music from Portland, Oregon. The ten-piece ensemble features Nigerian Master Talking Drum legend, Nojeem Lasisi, a world-class West African and Cuban percussion section, a blazing horn section, and a funky electric rhythm section.

Food

• Verde Cocina
• Alchemy
• Bandit Kettle Corn
• Pidgin Hole
• Eleni’s Kitchen Ethiopian Food
• Getta Gyro
• Divine Mini Donuts
• Zed’s Real Fruit Ice Cream
• Growlers Pizza and Beer
• Aviary Cafe

 

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