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A new tulip event and FREE concerts on Thursdays in April will rock the garden.

CINCINNATI, OH (April 1, 2019) – It’s about to get colorful at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden as 100,000 spectacular tulips get ready for their close ups! Visitors can enjoy the bloomin’ awesome gardens daily during Zoo Blooms and at Tunes & Blooms FREE concerts Thursday evenings in April. And, at the all-new Twilight ‘n Tulips  event on April 16!

“Cincinnati Zoo is home to one of the largest tulip displays in the Midwest, and our spring landscape also features more than a million daffodils, hyacinths, flowering trees, shrubs and other more,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard.  “April is prime time to see our botanical garden at its brightest and best.”

This year’s concert series, presented by Macy’s, will kick off this Thursday with a performance by the Zoo’s very own Cecil Jackson, backed by his Dry Ridge Band! When Cecil isn’t working with elephants, he sings and plays bluegrass music all over the region. Shiny Old Soul, described as a combination of gypsy jazz & vintage rock, will also play that night.  Click here to see the full FREE concert schedule.

On April 16, guests can sip “Mint Tulip” cocktails, stroll through the gardens, and enjoy dinner-by-the-bite at the first Twilight ‘n Tulips fundraiser.  Tickets to this unique celebration of tulips and gardens include seating for the keynote speech by renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin*. Click here for more information.

Tunes & Blooms admission is free after 5pm. Music starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. Parking is $10. The Zoo opens daily at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.  Cincinnati Zoo members and Adventure Ticket holders can enjoy early entry at 9 a.m.  For more information visit cincinnatizoo.org.

• More about Twilight ‘n Tulips’ Keynote Speaker:   Dr. Mark Plotkin is a renowned ethnobotanist who has spent three decades studying plant use with traditional healers of tropical America. He played a leading role in the Academy Award-nominated IMAX film “Amazon.” Dr. Plotkin’s work also has been featured in a PBS Nova documentary, in an Emmy-winning Fox TV documentary, on the NBC Nightly News and Today Show, CBS’ 48 Hours and in Life, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Elle, People and The New York Times. Time magazine called him an “Environmental Hero for the Planet” and Smithsonian magazine hailed him as one of “35 Who Made a Difference”, along with Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg. Dr. Plotkin is perhaps best known for his popular book, Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice. Thane Maynard says, “Mark Plotkin is the very best speaker there is on natural history and conservation.”