Two favorite music eras go head-to-head for one very special L.A. Zoo Roaring Nights evening, a 1980-90s "Battle of the Decades" for ages 18 and older featuring legendary Los Angeles DJ Richard Blade on Friday, September 15, 2017, 6 to 10 pm. The summer music party features rare after-hours access to animal habitats, including an expanded route through the Zoo open from 6 to 8 pm, pop-up zookeeper talks and close-up animal experiences. Guests are encouraged to dress for the 80s-90s theme as they enjoy live music from the Boombox Heroes, who deliver favorite up-tempo 90s hits, L.A.'s favorite food trucks, full-service bars, a Game Zone, and more. DJ Johnny Hawkes spins fun, eclectic sets with hits from both decades, while DJ Richard Blade focuses on the era during which he first shot to fame, the 1980s. Food trucks include Baby's Badass Burgers, Pico House, Peaches Smokehouse, The Greasy Wiener, The Grilled Cheese Truck , Ragin Cajun , Lobsta Truck, Mandoline Grill, Kogi Truck, Joe's Pizza Truck, Border Grill, Austyn's Burger, The Paradise Truck, The Pudding Truck and Rice Balls of Fire. Full bars are available for guests 21 and older.
DJ RICHARD BLADE, as both an '80s music trailblazer and standard bearer, has become a Los
Angeles legend. Soon after arriving in L.A. from his native U.K. in 1982, Richard
Sheppard took a new last name inspired by Ridley Scott's dystopian sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner. (How wonderfully '80s is that?) Within months, his highly rated KROQ show led to his becoming the #1 Arbitron-rated radio personality on the West Coast. During that same time, he hosted the influential daily video show MV3, and later, Video One. A multi-talented artist, Blade is also an actor (appearing in the beloved '80s series Square Pegs, among other shows), TV writer, and producer. He can currently be heard on Sirius
Satellite Radio channels First Wave, The Big 80s, and The Pulse.
Roaring Nights is part of the Zoo's yearlong 50th
Anniversary "ZooLAbration." Like all Zoo nighttime events, Roaring Nights supports the L.A. Zoo and its global conservation efforts. More information about the Zoo's 50th
Anniversary is available at
www.ZooLAbrate50.org.
Roaring Nights is just one component of a yearlong "ZooLAbration" that began on November 28, 2016, which is the 50th anniversary of the Los
Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens' opening at its current location. Throughout the 50th anniversary year, the Zoo is spotlighting not only its key role as a world-class destination and an important community asset but also its critical successes in conservation, quality of life and premier care for animals. Having recently completed a $172 million master plan which significantly improved the Zoo facility, the Zoo marks its 50th anniversary as it embarks upon developing a new Master Plan, which will serve as a road map for the future. The landmark Los
Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, drawing nearly 1.8 million visitors each year, is home to a diverse collection of 1,100 animals representing 250 different species, many of which are rare or endangered, as well as a botanical collection comprising over 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), whose members meet rigorous professional standards for animal welfare, the Zoo has achieved renown as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife. Its responsibility toward wildlife conservation not only encompasses safeguarding the animals in its care but also actively participating in the preservation of some of the world's most critically endangered species and their habitats. Its many conservation successes include having led the charge in saving
California condors from extinction and restoring populations of these critically endangered animals to their native habitats. The Zoo's lush grounds on 113 acres feature Rainforest of the Americas, an extraordinary collection of endangered and exotic mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians living in spaces that exemplify their natural habitat in the rainforest biosphere; Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains, home to one of the largest troops of chimpanzees in the United States; Red Ape Rain Forest, where visitors can walk among orangutans; the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles);
Elephants of Asia; Campo
Gorilla Reserve; and one of the largest flocks of flamingos in any zoo in the world. Among other highlights are an extraordinary, hands-on Hippo Encounter and face-to-face
Giraffe Feedings; the Winnick
Family Children's Zoo and Muriel's Ranch animal contact area; the Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel; a variety of daily opportunities to learn more about animals, including close-up visits, special feedings and intriguing talks; and much more. The private, non-profit Greater Los
Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), which has supported the Zoo in partnership with the City of Los
Angeles for more than five decades and provides funding for and operates seven essential Zoo departments, has 60,000 member households representing more than 240,000 adults and children. As evidence of the Zoo's popularity, GLAZA attracts one of the largest membership bases of any cultural organization in Los Angeles.
Ticket prices are $20 (ages 18 and older only), and $17 for Greater Los
Angeles Zoo Association members.
The Los
Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles' Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and
Golden State (5) freeways. Free parking is available. For additional information, contact call
(323) 644-6001; tickets are available at
http://www.lazoo.org/roaringnights.
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