The African Festival will feature a variety of live entertainment, including dance performances by In Season & Out, drum performances by Kevin Collins and Kuungana and interactive storytelling by Ivory D. Williams.  Guests can also enjoy authentic African cuisine available for purchase from local restaurants, participate in arts and crafts, and receive free health screenings.  In addition, animal enrichment activities will take place in the African Grasslands with the gorillas, warthogs, African wild dogs and river hippopotamus.  

Also supported by Comerica Charitable Foundation, the Summer Festivals at the Detroit Zoo celebrate the cultural diversity of the Metro Detroit community.  Each festival includes activities such as live entertainment, storytelling, arts and crafts, and a community resource area.  In July, the Zoo hosted Asian and Hispanic/Latino festivals, and will host a festival celebrating the Arab-Chaldean culture on August 23.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October (open at 9:30 a.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day) – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11 for adults 13 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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