Boo at the Zoo Returns: 2025’s Spookiest SouthCoast Tradition

A family favorite SouthCoast event is returning this weekend to Buttonwood Park Zoo, so get those kid costumes ready.

As my kids have reached the "trick-or-treat with their friends" stage of life, I can't help but get a little nostalgic for the days when we all went together to Boo at the Zoo. The event is back for its 24th year this weekend, and honestly, it still sounds like such a blast.

Here's everything you can expect from a new season of Halloween fun at Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford.

These days wearing that pricey kid costume for Halloween night seems like such a waste. Luckily, Boo at the Zoo is running every weekend from October 11 right through Halloween itself.

What’s New in 2025

This family favorite October weekend tradition has all the usual fun — face painting, carousel rides, glitter tattoos, animal encounters — plus a few new things I know my kids would’ve loved, like an inflatable corn maze and fairy characters blowing bubbles around the zoo.

READ MORE: Buttonwood Park Zoo Opens Animal Ambassador Center

Guests will even have access to the newly renovated Charlie's Nature Play and Animal Ambassador Center while they visit throughout the Halloween weekends. On October 31, there's Baby Boo featuring Miss Rachel and Blippi impersonators plus a Toe Jam Puppet Band performance.

Event Dates, Times & Tickets

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for kids (ages 2 and up), with BPZoo members receiving a $5 discount per ticket. More info on the event can be found at bpzoo.org.

READ MORE: Buttonwood Park Zoo Membership Unlocks Free Family Fun Across MA

Now that my kids have officially declared they’re “too old” for Boo at the Zoo (sigh), I’ll just be over here scrolling through old photos of them in costume, covered in face paint, grinning next to an otter. If your kiddos are still in that sweet spot — go. You’ll miss it when they’re grown.