Love
animals? Us too! Every weekend this spring, the Bronx Zoo will bring your
family’s favorite cartoon characters to life. The Animal Tales Extravaganza program
features various action-packed, live animal character shows, a rainforest
parade, yoga and creature-themed crafts for zoo-goers of all ages. This is your
chance to meet-and-greet with the likes of Dora the Explorer, Diego and Spider-Man
(plus, so many more surprises from now until June 30!). Here’s what the Wildlife
Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo has to say about their stellar spring
programming. —
We are excited for another season of Animal Tales Extravaganza. What
inspired the weekend entertainment?
The
wildlife at the zoo inspires all that we do. This program is a celebration of
wildlife, live entertainment and children’s literature. All of the activities were
chosen based on their alignment with the mission of the Wildlife Conservation
Society—saving wildlife and wild places. The entertainment ranges from
treasured classics like Curious George at the Zoo to Nickelodeon’s Dora and
Diego, and PBS’s Sid the Science Kid. The live shows incorporate character
meet-and-greets, storybook readings and the animal exhibits at the zoo.
Avenue Zoo (featuring Kate Monster) is a spin-off from the popular
Broadway play, Avenue Q. Tell us more about this new performance.
Avenue Zoo is a family-friendly musical performance with actors and
puppets, performed in the style of the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q. Kate Monster’s
adventure begins when she misses the Avenue Q station on her way home and ends
up at the wrong subway stop. She meets various animals—a lion, king vulture and
python—as she tries to navigate her way back home. She learns many life lessons
along the way.
Can you predict what parts of the weekends will be the most in-demand?
Our visitors plan their schedule at the zoo so they can attend many of our
special events. The times are staggered through the day with multiple
performances so that everyone will have the opportunity to participate in each
of the activities. The character meet-and-greet lines begin a half-hour prior
and shows tend to reach capacity 15 minutes before the scheduled start times.
For a full schedule of events and activities, visit bronxzoo.com.
Tell us more about the Rainforest Creature Parade. The costumes appear very
intricate.
The Rainforest Creature Parade features the creations of artist Annie Hickman
who uses basketry, costumes and sculpture in her own interpretation of the
world of nature. As part of the Rainforest Creature Parade, visitors can follow
a lizard, katydid, butterfly, blackbird and a bee as they parade through the
zoo grounds. Performers from the dance studio Art in Motion bring the costumes
to life through movement and dance.
What is the best time to come to avoid the crowds?
The program runs on weekdays from 11am to 4pm; event times are organized to allow everyone to participate in each
activity. The first performances of the day are frequently less crowded, but
the popularity of Animal Tales makes it difficult to gauge from weekend to
weekend!
The Bronx Zoo’s
Animal Tales Extravaganza runs until June 30. For more information, click here.
