Beer and Animals! Binder Park Zoo Hosts Oktoberfest October 10th.

Binder Park Zoo's 6th annual beer tasting event BontebOktoberfest is Saturday October 10th from 6-10pm. Tip back a few with the animals while enjoying some of the best microbrews that Michigan has to offer!

This year’s event will feature over two dozen Michigan breweries, as well as several wine stations and hard cider. Live music will come from bands Hey Monea and Seabird.

Pre-sale tickets are $45/person and designated driver tickets are available for $25. To purchase tickets, click here. Remaining tickets will be available on the day of the event for $50 at the gate. This is a 21 and over event..

Event attendees will receive a special BontebOktoberfest commemorative tasting glass, and 12 drink tickets to sample beer from numerous Michigan based breweries including: Arcadia Ales, Dark Horse Brewing, Bell’s Brewing, Founders, and many other Michigan microbrews along with hard ciders, wines and mead. A complete list is Binder Park Zoo's website.. Also included with admission is a variety of tasty specialty dishes prepared by a professional chef of Taste of the Wild Catering.

“Bonteboktoberfest is not only an important fundraiser but a great night out at the Zoo for adults to enjoy the animals and have some fun sampling beers and bites while mingling with friends both old and new” said Amy Riegel, the Zoo’s Chief Financial Officer and Event Chair.

Other special features at BontebOktoberfest include raffles and games, a Carousel Derby with prizes, live animal encounters, and free train rides.

This year’s event is sponsored by: ISH Distributing, Atlas Sales, Imperial Beverage and Townsquare Media

BontebOktoberfest is named for the rare and endangered bontebok, a species of antelope from the grasslands of South Africa. The bontebok is part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a program designed to help reestablish this animal back into the wild. Currently, this species is extinct in the wild and can now only be seen in national parks, games reserves and zoos, such as Binder Park Zoo. Proceeds from BontebOktoberfest support the many conservation efforts that the Zoo is involved in including 17 different Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plans.