Zoobilee 2009: Birds in Paradise is going to be a "Zoo-per" Zoobilee, allowing guests to mix and mingle with the Philadelphia area's top corporate leaders and cultural tastemakers while sampling the best in fine cuisine from the region's premier restaurants. New this year, Zoobilee 2009 will offer two ways to participate: an exclusive Zoobilee Dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. or the celebrated Zoobilee Party beginning at 7:30 p.m. Both options offer great food and entertainment in paradise. Guests of Zoobilee 2009 can also celebrate the Zoo's 150th birthday with cake and ice cream. (A complete list of participating restaurants and bakeries is below). Zoobilee is an adult celebration of our Zoo and its animals. The attire is creative feathers or "Zoo-Chic."
At the Zoobilee Dinner, "early birds" will have exclusive access to the Zoo to wet their beaks with a cocktail, sample food from the region's finest chefs and enjoy an exclusive dinner in the Zoo's Peacock Cabaret prepared by Zoobilee 2009 Celebrity Chef Georges Perrier. At 9:00 p.m., dinner party guests can join the party or soar over to the Bird Café, an exclusive nest for dinner guests only, offering a dramatic retreat from the party and a panoramic view of the Water & Light Fantasy, a spectacular show choreographed to music and performed over the Zoo's Bird Lake.
The Zoobilee Party will feature top notch local entertainment including Dirk Quinn, a one-man jazz-funk band; the reggae tunes of the Twenty First Centurians; face adornment by Peanutbutter face and body decorators; Minas, celebrating 25 years of Brazilian Music in Philadelphia; performances by the Prism Barbershop Quartet; David Brodie Trio playing jazz, and Pete and J's band, perfect for dancing.
The theme of Zoobilee 2009: Birds of Paradise showcases the Zoo's new state-of-the-art McNeil Avian Center, a $17.5 million re-imagining of the Zoo's original 1916 Birdhouse. Guests of Zoobilee 2009 will be among the first to experience this enchanting new exhibit.
Complete list of restaurants and bakeries participating in Zoobilee 2009: Birds of Paradise as of May 1:
Alma de Cuba
Aramark
Bassetts Ice Cream
Bourbon Blue
Bredenbeck's Bakery
Cabot Creamery
The Capital Grille
Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
Cooper's Wine Bar
D'Angelo's Ristorante Italiano
Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse
Doc Magrogan's Oyster House
El Vez
Fork
Four Seasons Philadelphia
Funky Lil' Kitchen
Jack's Firehouse
Kildare's
Le Bec Fin
Legal Sea Foods Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Margaret Kuo's
Nectar
Night Kitchen Bakery
Oteri's Bakery
POD
The Prime Rib
Rae Restaurant
Rembrandt's Restaurant & Bar
Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine
The Shanachie Irish Pub
Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine
Tartes - Fine Cakes & Pastries
Tria
Water Works Restaurant & Lunge
World Café Live
Zoobilee 2009: Birds of Paradise is sponsored by Absolut, Coca Cola, Malibu Rum, Pearl Pressman Liberty Communications Group and Philadelphia Magazine. Zoobilee 2009 is co-chaired by Charlotte and Bob Brown and Francie Ingersoll and Matthew Taylor. The Zoo's Sesquicentennial is sponsored by The Graham Company, Independence Blue Cross, Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, philly.com, Philadelphia Tribune, SEI, Select Event Rentals, Southern Wine and Spirits, Steen Outdoor Advertising and Wachovia. Proceeds from Zoobilee 2009 go to the care and feeding of the Philadelphia Zoo's over 1,300 animals from around the world, many rare and endangered. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.phillyzoobilee.com, email rsvp@phillyzoo.org or call 215-243-5225.
