Boo at the Zoo

October 17, 18, 24, 25 & 31

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Boo at the Zoo is Atlanta’s favorite family Halloween festival!

Wake the Komodo dragon, Gila monster and hooded vultures! Boo at the Zoo is FREE for Zoo Atlanta Members and children under 3; FREE with general admission. 

Atlanta’s favorite fun family Halloween festival takes over the Zoo for two full spooktacular weekends and Halloween this October! Enjoy trick-or-treating, fa-boo-lous photo ops, themed live entertainment, carnival games and activities, costumed characters, and more thrills around every corner.

Costumes are encouraged, but not required. Please take a moment to read over our costume guidelines!

Boo at the Zoo is about creating special memories with the family, not necessarily to bring home the biggest haul of candy. Come for the candy but stay for the fun! This event is rain-or-shine; however, some activities may be delayed or canceled due to rain. Décor includes mostly friendly spooks. 

Tickets

Zoo Atlanta Members do not require a timed reservation for Boo at the Zoo. 

 

Buy Tickets

Entertainment & Activities

Available 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. unless otherwise noted and while supplies last.

  • Kids’ TrickorTreat Lane: Follow Trick-or-Treat Lane for eerie-sistible treats*! Kids can visit approximately eight treat stations and collect one piece of candy at each stop while supplies last. As part of Zoo Atlanta’s commitment to wildlife conservation, all candy distributed contains sustainable palm oil or no palm oil.
  • Treat Bags: Kids can pick up a complimentary Boo at the Zoo-themed treat bag sponsored by Georgia Natural Gas while supplies last. Treat bags are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Kids’ Crafts: Get into the scary spirit with fun, Halloween-themed crafts for all ages. For 2026, get into the fall spirit and create your own handprint paper candy apple craft, and let your creativity shine as you build your own spooky clothespin paper puppets.
  • Carnival Games: Play for petrifying prizes at our carnival games.
  • Family-Friendly Performances: Take a seat and enjoy dynamic entertainment for the whole family at the Zambezi Elephant Center! Check out the schedule to plan your day. 
  • Festive Décor: Get into the Halloween spirit as the Zoo comes alive with seasonal decorations, pumpkin displays, and enough hay bales to make every corner feel like a storybook fall festival.
  • Trading Cards: Collect two exclusive Zoo Atlanta Trading Cards during your Boo at the Zoo visit. Zoo Atlanta Members can collect a third Members-only exclusive card, and don’t miss the Ghosts of Trading Cards Past table, where you can pick up select cards from previous years to help complete your collection.
  • Strolling Characters: You’ll never know who you’ll run into! Keep an eye out for special characters roaming around the Zoo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Perfect for a photo-op!
  • Photo Opportunities: If you didn’t get a photo, did it even happen? Find themed photo sets across the Zoo and capture memories you’ll haunt forever.
  • “Jinxed” Limited Time Showing: At the Wild Explorer Virtual Reality Experience,  prepare to be Jinxed as you hop onto this immersive ghost train ride! Additional purchase required.
*Note for grown-ups: Trick-or-treating is complimentary and intended for kids.

Performance Schedule

Check back for more!

Saturday, October 17

  • 10:30 a.m. – Ghoulish Grooves with Alyssa    
  • 12:30 p.m. – “Mad Sciences” with Science Guys of Atlanta  
  • 2:30 p.m. – “Mad Sciences” with Science Guys of Atlanta     

Sunday, October 18

  • 10:30 a.m. – Captain Crimmins & the Story Boat Band
  • 12:30 p.m. – Magic of Tommy Johns 
  • 2:30 p.m. – Magic of Tommy Johns    

Saturday, October 24

  • 10:30 a.m. – Boo Be Announced!  TBA            
  • 12:30 p.m. – Ghoulish Grooves with Alyssa   
  • 2:30 p.m. – Boo Be Announced!  TBA

Sunday, October 25

  • 10:30 a.m. – “Mad Sciences” with Science Guys of Atlanta   
  • 12:30 p.m. – “Mad Sciences” with Science Guys of Atlanta

Saturday, October 31

  • 10:30 a.m. – “Mad Sciences” with Science Guys of Atlanta   
  • 12:30 p.m. – Boo Be Announced!  TBA            
  • 2:30 p.m. Boo Be Announced!  TBA   

Discover other rides and attractions at Zoo Atlanta!

Costume Guidelines

  • Costumes must be family-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable, gory or violent.
  • Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
  • Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another guest.
  • No large, full-body inflatable costumes as they may unintentionally spook our animals.
  • Be merry, not scary! Adults may dress in costumes, but we ask that they be family-friendly and not scary.
  • As this event caters to small children, adults may NOT wear costume masks that cover their face. Zoo Atlanta reserves the right to ask adults to remove costume masks.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Presented by 
Georgia Natural Gas logo
Supported by 

Kaiser Permanente logo

Pumpkin Sponsors 

carter's charitable foundation logo     The Coca-Cola Company logo      Huntington Bank logo

Sponsorship Opportunities: Interested in having a presence at Boo at the Zoo? Contact corporaterelations@zooatlanta.org for more information. 

Questions? Contact publicevents@zooatlanta.org.

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