Milwaukee County Zoo's 'A la Carte' event kicks off 40th anniversary celebration
40th edition of A La Carte at Milwaukee County Zoo; runs Aug. 20 – 23
The Milwaukee County Zoo is serving up much more than animal encounters during the 40th edition of A La Carte. Brian Kramp has details on the food, music, and fun taking over the grounds starting later this morning.
MILWAUKEE - The 40th annual "A La Carte at the Zoo" kicks off at the Milwaukee County Zoo on Thursday, Aug. 20, running until Sunday, Aug. 23. The event will include local restaurant options, live music, and other activities to enjoy while browsing the zoo's exhibits.
Food and drink offerings
Flavorful Fare:
Over 30 local restaurants will be offering food and beverages at the "A la Carte" event. Some new offerings that will be at the event this year are Chillwaukee Coffee, Crust & Copper, Fly By Night, Shuckers CrabShack & Oyster Bar, and The Grazing Experience.
The event will also include many vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free food and beverage options. Some vegetarian options will include Milwaukee Pretzel Company, Wild Burger, and Bear Garden. While some gluten-free options include Taco Caja, Scrima's Wood-Fired Pizza, and Thunder Bay Grille.
A comprehensive list of food offerings, as well as entertainment and activity schedules can be seen in the event's program.
The food and beverage vendors will be credit and debit card only. Cash will not be accepted. However, cash can be converted to a pre-paid card at the Zoo Administration office. Both cash and electronic payments will be accepted for admission, parking, merchandise, and attractions.
Entertainment
Music and More:
Entertainment across the event will include live music on six stages. There will be national headlines as well as local performers. Here is a schedule of the performances during the festival at the Miller Lite Caribou Stage.
- Thursday, August 20 — 7 p.m. lovelytheband
- Friday, August 21 — 7:30/6 p.m. — Chris Lane and jackrabbit. featuring Dermot Mulroney
- Saturday, August 22 — 7 p.m. Tank and the Bangas
There will be other performances at different stages around the zoo each day as well, offering various alternate performances. A list of these performers and which stage they will be performing at can be found in the festival program.
Giveaways:
"A la Carte" will also be hosting daily giveaways for a select number of attendees. Below is a list of each festival date's giveaway.
- Thursday: The first 500 kids to enter will receive a special penguin backpack and a hippo bookmark.
- Friday: The first 500 groups at the main entrance will receive a retro, 80s, zoo-themed Rubik's cube.
- Saturday: Arrive early! 40 Tank fans will receive a Milwaukee County Zoo camp chair.
- Sunday: 40 guests will receive a festival essentials pack, which includes a tote bag, bucket hat and water bottle.
Tickets
How to attend:
Tickets for the event are available here, at the Zoo's website. Adult tickets per day for Milwaukee County residents start at $21, while children's tickets start at $18, senior tickets are $19, and infants enter free.
For those outside Milwaukee County, adult tickets are $22.75, children tickets are $19.75, senior tickets are $21.75, and infants still enter for free.
The Source: Information for this article was provided by a press release by the Milwaukee County Zoo and the zoo's website. This story was reported from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.