The last day the historic Bristol Zoo will be open to the public in Clifton will be September 3 this year, and bosses have announced a packed programme of events to mark the historic move to The Wild Place Project
Bristol Zoo Gardens will host a summer of events to 'celebrate its 186-year history' at the Clifton site, ahead of a move to the zoo's out-of-town location at the Wild Place, in South Gloucestershire in 2024.
The Zoo, which announced September 3 as its closing date back in February, said a series of special events, activities and attractions will take place from now until September, marking 'this closing chapter and honouring the long, rich and varied history of this iconic visitor attraction'.
Read more: Bristol Zoo announces its closure date after 186 years
The series of events is entitled 'The Zoo and You', which will encourage people to come forward and share their memories of the zoo, which first opened in 1836 and was the first place in the world to describe itself as a 'zoo'.
The first event will be a poetry and story competition, which launched last week, followed by a 'Memory Show and Tell' event on the last weekend of May, and a live art exhibition later in the spring.
Then, from mid-July, the zoo will mark its last summer season with what it is describing as 'The BIG Summer Send Off' - a 'collection of fun-filled activities and attractions which will be open for the duration of the school summer holidays. “This summer marks a significant milestone in Bristol Zoo Gardens’ incredible story," explained Simon Garrett, the Zoo's head of public engagement. "As we prepare to close the gates to the Clifton site after more than 186 years, we want to ensure we give this famous attraction the send off it deserves and share that celebration with visitors from Bristol and beyond.
“As well as looking back on so many special moments and memories, our summer events will look to the future of the new Bristol Zoo, which we will create at our Wild Place site. The BIG Summer Send Off will feature a collaborative timeline exhibit on Bristol Zoo Gardens’ historic top terrace. The exhibit will evolve over the summer, as visitors add their own memories, thoughts and wishes to the colourful installation," he added.
The Zoo said the centrepiece of the celebrations will be a huge interactive art installation that will stand tall on the main lawn of the Clifton site - a specially commissioned sculpture to 'mark a pivotal moment in time and captivate visitors', the zoo said..
The summer of events is being put together by the zoo along with Bristol-based theatrical events company, called Bakehouse Factory. “It’s an honour to play a part in this special summer programme, which will mark a significant moment in Bristol’s cultural history," said its managing director Kate Statham.
“There is so much inspiration to be drawn from the Zoo’s vast history, but we also wanted to ensure this family programme marked a moment in time, creating new magical memories. With this programme, you can expect lots of interaction and a festival atmosphere that will span the whole of the summer holidays," she added.
The Zoo announced last year its plans to move out of its historic Clifton site. The site had become too small for the demands of modern animal-based visitor attractions, and the zoo suffered the added blow of being told that in the long term it would no longer be allowed to use the Downs as an overflow car park too.
A move to the Wild Place Project, just on the other side of the M5 motorway junction at Cribbs Causeway, which was set up by the Zoo and opened in 2013, is now being planned, with the official opening of the new zoo at the Wild Place scheduled for 2024.
The Zoo said the famous Clifton attraction will be open to the public until it closes on 3 September 2022, before the new Bristol Zoo opens at Wild Place Project in 2024. Throughout that period, Wild Place Project will continue to welcome visitors as usual.
The Zoo's plans for the Clifton site involve creating a public gardens, as well as selling some of the site to developers to build more than 220 flats. There are alternative plans put forward by leading Bristol business and creative figures, for an 'augmented reality zoo', but the future is yet to be confirmed by council planners.
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