Houston Zoo At Night — Getting a Rare Look at Life After Closing Time For the Animals Thanks To Feast With the Beasts

A Foodie Adventure That Few Ever Experience

By Caitlin Hsu // Apr 30, 2025

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Enjoy learning about wild animals at a zookeeper chat at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts takes place Friday, May 2. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Tasty tacos at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Enjoy live music, drinks, and animal encounters at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Delicious bites at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

A selection of sandwiches at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Feast with the Beasts is the Houston Zoo's foodie event. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Chef Tristen Epps will give a live cooking demo in the VIP Lounge (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

The Deltaz will perform at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

See Shosty at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

The Jukebox Heroes will perform at Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

Houston Zoo at night is just different, and Feast with the Beasts lets one experience that. Set for this Friday, May 2, this foodie-friendly event will feature offerings from more than 50 top Houston restaurants — the largest number since before COVID — as well as drinks and live music.

This year, the roster includes Blood Bros. BBQ (a 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand winner), BB’s Tex Orleans, Tumble 22, Moon Rabbit and KUU Restaurant. Desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes, Michael’s Cookie Jar, Güzel Cakes and more are also on tap. While feasting, attendees can rock out to tunes from Texas-based bands The Jukebox Heroes and Shosty, and Tennessee-based The Deltaz.

And of course, it wouldn’t be the zoo without the animals. This is a chance to witness feeding time with the Asian elephants, komodo dragons, Masai giraffes, jellyfish and Amur leopards. VIP ticketholders can also enjoy an exclusive meet-and-greet with a sea lion zookeeper at the Sea Lion Amphitheatre starting at 6:15 pm.

_DSC0903 — Houston Zoo’s Feast with the Beasts takes place Friday, May 2. (Courtesy Houston Zoo)

General admission tickets ($149) include access to the food, drinks and live music, as well as a meet-and-greet with Houston chef Evelyn Garcia. A series finalist on Bravo TV’s Top Chef Season 19 and the co-owner of Jūn in The Heights, Garcia will deliver a live cooking demonstration at 8:30 pm for general admission Feast goers.

The VIP ticket ($299) include all the regular food options, plus VIP selections that include Wolfgang Puck, The Mocksy Bar, Paulie’s Restaurant, Gabby’s BBQ and The Capital Grille. Houston chef Tristen Epps, currently a contestant on Top Chef: Destination Canada and the founder of Epps & Flows Culinary, will also give a live cooking demonstration in the VIP lounge. Later, head to the zoo’s Karamu Outpost for a meet-and-greet with Epps at 8:15 pm.

Feast with the Beasts, presented by TXU Energy, takes place this Friday, May 2 at the Houston Zoo. Early VIP entry starts at 6 pm. General admission entry begins at 6:30 pm. All attendees must be 21 years of age or older. For more information and tickets, go here. Tickets cannot be purchased at the door.