The San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Celebration will be held Saturday, Sept. 23 inside the San Diego Zoo. (courtesy of the San Diego Zoo)
Zoo’s tasting event helps save wildlife
San Diego’s wildest tasting event — the San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Celebration presented by ASML/Cymer — returns Saturday, Sept. 23. Guests at the 37th annual event will enjoy a globally inspired, all-inclusive tasting event with more than 160 of Southern California’s best restaurants, breweries, wineries and spirit vendors — along with live entertainment, dancing and animal encounters inside the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
The festivities don’t stop there. Soar above it all on Skyfari, light up the night at the glow party, shop till you drop in the gift store, shake a tail feather in seven different zones, and pick your prize and win a chance to take home some wild swag. Event proceeds will help save endangered wildlife and habitats worldwide through the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy.
“ASML/Cymer is proud to continue as the presenting sponsor of this year’s event,” said Blake Miller, vice president of corporate marketing. Cymer, an ASML company, is an industry leader in developing lithography light sources, used by chip makers worldwide to pattern advanced integrated circuits, or microchips.
“Not only is this fundraising event a fun celebration for the people of San Diego, it’s to celebrate all of the animals that the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy saves each year, through their world wildlife conservation efforts,” Miller said. “We are always looking for ways to give back to the San Diego community, and we are thrilled to be a part of this event and a long-standing partner of the San Diego Zoo.”
The event sells out each year, with close to 3,000 participants, including 1,000 VIPs and 2,000 general admission guests, all in the name of conservation. Currently, San Diego Zoo Global supports more than 140 conservation projects and partnerships in 80 countries. These projects include combatting wildlife trafficking; breeding and releasing California condors; restoring palms in the Amazon; curbing rhino, elephant and giraffe poaching; and studying wild giant pandas in the bamboo forests of China.
General admission tickets for the celebration are $125. The fun begins at 7:30 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m. For those guests looking for extra-special pampering, VIP admission is “the ticket.” VIP guests enter at 6:30 p.m. and enjoy exclusive access to three VIP lounges throughout the night including special animal encounters, exclusive food and beverage samplings, chair massages and comfortable seating. VIP admission is $225 per person.
Tickets for the San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Celebration may be purchased by calling (619) 718-3000 or by booking online at zoofoodandwine.com. Guests must be at least 21 years of age to attend; no children or strollers are permitted.