Events

Check out our upcoming events and activities at Butterfly House & Aquarium and Great Plains Zoo!

Upcoming Events

Looking for a convenient way to keep track of all our events?

Download our full event list here!

Senior Discount Day March 13, 2024
Senior Discount Day
Starts: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 2:00pm
Guests aged 60 and above enjoy reduced admission of $9 plus tax!

Kick off the morning with coffee, donuts, and an insightful educational session led by our Director of Conservation. As the afternoon unfolds, savor coffee, cookies, and indulge in a delightful array of games like checkers and cards.
Egg-Stravaganza March 30, 2024
Egg Stravaganza
Starts: Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 5:00pm
Join us at Great Plains Zoo for a day filled with delightful egg hunts, egg-themed facts and fun, animals, story times, photo ops, and endless fun for the whole family!
Party for the Planet April 20, 2024
Party for the Planet
Starts: Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 5:00pm
We're cleaning up the Big Sioux River, in conjunction with the city-wide cleanup! Choose to clean up at the Butterfly House & Aquarium (BHA) or Great Plains Zoo (GPZ) and help make a positive impact on our environment.
Spring Fling April 26, 2024
Spring Fling 2024
Starts: Friday, April 26, 2024 at 5:00pm
Ends: Friday, April 26, 2024 at 8:00pm
Come spread your wings and dive into an evening of delicious snacks, fun games, and magical performances at Butterfly House & Aquarium!
Rhinopalooza May 11, 2024
Rhinopalooza
Starts: Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 2:00pm
One of the many flagship animals of Great Plains Zoo (GPZ), the black rhino is critically endangered, with only approximately 3,000 mature adults left in the wild.

Join us at GPZ to help continue to raise awareness of this important species!
Leap Into Summer May 25, 2024
Leap Into Summer 1
Starts: Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 9:00am
Ends: Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 2:00pm
Get ready to leap into summer on May 25 at Great Plains Zoo!
World Ocean Day June 8, 2024
World Ocean Day
Starts: Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 4:00pm
Join us for World Ocean Day at the Butterfly House & Aquarium and Great Plains Zoo!

Butterfly House & Aquarium Campus
Bring your thinking cap and participate in our Creature Cards Scavenger Hunt by exploring the campus and collecting 11 different creature cards hidden throughout the building.

Once you've completed the hunt, stop by the Conservation Alley to let your creativity flow with World Ocean Day coloring sheets! Want to color outside the lines? You can create your very own ocean animal art using holographic stickers!

And finally, if you need a place to relax, we'll have Octonauts playing in the Discovery Den all day long!

10:30 am - Ray & Shark Dock Talk
2:30 pm - Coral Exhibit Expert Chat

Great Plains Zoo Campus:
Join us for special Penguin Keeper Chats! Time TBD.
World Pollinator Week June 22, 2024
World Pollinator Week
Starts: Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 4:00pm
Join us for a week of celebrating our pollinators!

Each day will feature education stations and a new pollinator activity!

As the grand finale to pollinator week, be sure to join us on Saturday, June 22 for Flutterfest at Great Plains Zoo!
Flutterfest at GPZ June 22, 2024
Flutterfest
Starts: Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 5:00pm
Join us at Great Plains Zoo (GPZ) for this event (cost included in admission) to learn a little more about the conservation program for the Dakota skipper butterfly and how YOU can help save pollinators in the wild!
Zoofari June 27, 2024
Zoofari
Starts: Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5:30pm
Ends: Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 8:30pm
Stay tuned, more information is coming soon!
Zippity Zoo Day July 13, 2024
Zippity Zoo Day
Starts: Saturday, July 13, 2024 at 9:00am
Ends: Saturday, July 13, 2024 at 5:00pm
Come one, come all... to Zippity Zoo Day!
Bugapalooza August 10, 2024
Bugapalooza
Starts: Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 1:00pm
Get ready to celebrate the "little guys" that play a BIG role in our ecosystem at Bugapalooza!
Books & Butterflies August 17, 2024
Books Butterflies
Starts: Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 4:00pm
Stay tuned, 2024 event details coming soon!
Falling for Animals September 21, 2024
Falling for Animals
Starts: Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 2:00pm

Dive into the spirit of Autumn at our Falling for Animals event on September 21 from 10 am - 2 pm at Great Plains Zoo!

ZooBoo October 18, 2024
Zoo Boo
Starts: Friday, October 18, 2024 at 5:00pm
Ends: Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 12:00pm
Stay tuned, 2024 event details coming soon!
Spooky Seas October 26, 2024
Spooky Seas 2
Starts: Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 2:00pm

Get ready for a hauntingly good time as we transform our aquatic world into a Halloween wonderland!

Creative Creatures Art Show November 30, 2024
Creative Creatures
Starts: Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 5:00pm

It’s a new Sioux Falls holiday weekend tradition! The Creative Creatures art show, curated by Untitled.10, brings the work of local artists out of the gallery and into the Great Plains Zoo!

Santa at the Zoo December 7, 2024
Santa at the Zoo
Starts: Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 2:00pm
Join us 10 am - 2 pm on Saturday, December 7 at Great Plains Zoo (GPZ)
Holiday at BHA December 14, 2024
Holiday at BHA
Starts: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 10:00am
Ends: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 2:00pm
Make your way to Butterfly House & Aquarium to kick up that holiday cheer on Saturday, December 14!

Daily Fun!

Animal Encounters

Animal Encounters

Unlock a world of wonder and discovery at our daily animal encounters!

Join us every day at 11 am and 2 pm in Ambassador Alley to meet our animal ambassadors and awaken a sense of curiosity in a whole new way!
Butterfly Chats

Butterfly Chats

Learn about how we get our butterflies from around the world and see how our biologists release newly emerged butterflies every morning!

Daily at 10:15 am in the butterfly conservatory!

Learn More About Our Programs & Events