Today at the Zoo we are hosting the charity party Dreamnight at the Zoo, a special and totally free evening that is held on the eve of the first Friday of June at zoos around the world, for boys and girls suffering from a serious disease or disability, and their parents and siblings.
Since the Rotterdam Zoo was opened in Holland in 1996, this initiative has been spreading. This year 286 zoos in 39 countries are participating, excited about the idea of making kids happy who are having a tough time and don’t have many chances to visit the Zoo. During 2017, some 100,000 families participated in a Dreamnight somewhere in the world. That means almost a half million special guests!
For the party this year, we will close the Zoo half an hour early so that our guests—some 50 families—can have the park to themselves and leave after the sun has gone down, hopefully happy with the experience they got to have and the gifts that we will give them as souvenirs. Among other activities, they will visit the Komodo dragons, the giraffe dormitory, feed fish to the penguins and other birds that come to spend the night in the Zoo’s trees, prepare enrichment for meerkats and take part in a workshop to learn to be naturalists and learn about the animals that surround us. We will also have snacks and the participation of magicians, Pallapupas (hospital clowns) and the entertainment group De Moment Fantàstics, who will add their magic and happiness to the evening.
The Barcelona Zoo joined the Dreamnight network in 2007, making this our 12th edition. Helping us out with the organisation for the party have been the Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and other hospitals via the foundations Pequeño Deseo, El Somni dels Nens and Enriqueta Vilavecchia. We are extremely grateful to all of these institutions, as well as the companies, entities and volunteers that have offered us their time, services or products free of charge and always with great affection and enthusiasm.
Collaborators:
Coca-Cola, Campofrío, Pepsico, Frigo, Migueláñez, Damm, Aramark, Prevencontrol, Premium Merchandising, Sorigué, Arts & Documenta, Pallapupas, Societat Espanyola d'Il·lusionisme, De moment fantàstics, Casa Gay, SA, Lynx Edicions, Educa, mcongress merchandising, RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona.