Today marks Blackpool Zoo’s 50th anniversary and to celebrate the venue is hosting a whole weekend of celebrations.

On Saturday, July 9, and Sunday 10, the venue will celebrate its golden anniversary with a weekend long party.

There will be a lot of activities for visitors to enjoy including history talks, creating themed tasty treats and enrichment that will be fed to animals across the zoo, taking a walk on the wild side through life size replica footprints and stopping off at a selfie station.

With a long and varied history, the site on which the zoo now stands started life as an airport and the original air traffic control tower still stands overlooking the camel paddock.

It is now used as keeper accommodation and the meeting point for a special talk that takes people on a journey through the years back to 1931.

The bird arena will be a hub of activity throughout the weekend, with visitors being able to get hands on and create birthday themed tasty treats and enrichment that will be fed to animals across the zoo. 

People can also write messages and take the walk of fame through life size replica footprints of the really wild residents and compare the size of their feet. 

Staff will be meeting and greeting children dressed as some of the zoo’s best loved residents and will be happy to pose for pictures. 

Darren Webster, Zoo Director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be marking such a special occasion with the very people that have enabled us to become a 50 year success story.”

On July 6, 1972, Blackpool Zoo was officially opened by Johnny Morris, the star of TV's ‘Animal Magic’.

He rode to the zoo on Katsula, an elephant from the Tower Circus, accompanied by the Mayor of Blackpool in a Rolls-Royce.

In true Blackpool fashion, it rained all day but the VIP guests enjoyed their day being treated to tours of the zoo, great company and tasty food.

If you would like to attend the celebratory weekend buy your tickets online in advance on the Blackpool Zoo website.