Cultural Evening

Enjoy the Cultural Evening at the Diergaarde Blijdorp (the Zoo of Rotterdam)

The Cultural Evening takes place on Tuesday, 22. August from 18:30 – 22:00.

Wander through different continents where you will see fascinating animals.

For example, discover the amazing and beautiful butterfly paradise of Amazonica, visit the renewed Great Barrier Reef in the fully covered Oceanium and be surrounded and amazed by sharks, fishes and turtles. Wander through Asia and meet elephants and rhinos in the tropical green of the (mostly covered) Taman Indah, see the giraffes on the African Savanna or visit the red panda.

Practical Information

Bus Transfers / Entrance and Exit

Busses depart at Ahoy between 18:00 and 19:00

Don’t forget to bring your voucher which is attached to the name badge as an entrance ticket.

There are 2 entrances to the Zoo: Blijdorplaan 8, the main entrance, and van Aerssenlaan 47. If you do not use the transfer from the Ahoy, but the public transport, please travel to Blijdorplaan 8.

For the return transfer, all buses leave only from the main entrance starting at 21.00.

Food and Beverages

Upon arrival, you will receive a voucher with a value on it, with which you can pay at all food and beverage stations spread throughout the Zoo.

The voucher is also valid in the souvenir shop at the main entrance, which will stay until 22:00.

Once the credit on the voucher has been used up, you can pay anywhere yourself, either by pin or credit card; in the foodcourts at  Lepelaar and Oewanja, you can also pay by cash.

Entertainment

Besides a DJ who will perform from 18:30 to 22:00, you can also try out a silent disco. The folk music band ‘Marble Waves’ will perform from 18:40 to 19:10, from 19:25 to 19:55 and again from 20:30 to 21:10. A Shantykoor will sing from 19:00 to 19:30 and from 20:00 to 20:30. Also, keep an eye out for the animal stilt walkers at both entrances and again at the exit from 20:50 to 21:30.

Take some photos in the photo booth and take a nice memory with you.

To avoid disturbing the rest of the animals, the evening will end at 22:00.

For orientation purposes, see the map ti the left with the locations of the artists, and the food stands when boarding the bus.

The History of Diergaarde Blijdorp

Rotterdam Zoo was founded in the mid-19th century by two employees of the Dutch Railways as a private facility to keep exotic birds. They were soon joined by other railway employees. Interested Rotterdammers could finally become a member of the small animal park for 10 guilders.

Henri Martin, who was very well-known at the time, acted as a consultant when the zoo was founded. In 1857 Martin became the first director of the zoo.

The first zoo was located near the Delftsche Poort train station near the city’s current main train station. The street name Diergaardesingel is still a reminder of the former location.

In 1938 Sybold van Ravesteyn was commissioned to design a new animal park at a new location in Blijdorp. These facilities, which are still in use today, were built between 1939 and 1941. During the bombing of Rotterdam in 1940, the old zoo was destroyed even before the new facilities were occupied.

In December 1940, the northern part of the park in Blijdorp was opened, and in April 1941, the entire facility could be used. For the first time, anyone could visit the zoo for an entrance fee, which was previously only open to members.

Since April 2004, the zoo’s buildings and facilities from the years 1939 to 1941 have been registered and protected as a Rijksmonument. Today’s 25-hectare park is home to around 5,800 animals of 600 species. The park is a geo zoo divided into six themed areas: Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America and Oceanium.