Event: Goths at the Zoo

Country	USA
Area	St. Louis, MO
Facebook	Goths at the Zoo
When	Sunday Sept. 29
Time	9am - 5pm
Price	Free

GGotW: What started the event Goths at the Zoo?
Megan: A combination of boredom and discussing Bats Day at Disneyland with other fellow goths online. While Disneyland is great it’s not really wallet friendly so I sat at work and thought “You know, we got a free zoo and meetup there would be great idea” and made the event. I figured only 10 people would show up at best, by the end of the day there were 72 people who hit the “going” part of the facebook event. At that point I knew it would officially be a thing.

GGotW: How many people showed up to the first one?
Megan: The first one was kind of unofficial and an experiment. Only less than 100 made it out to that one cause it was set in July so it was horribly hot out. We did the official first one in September which reached over 100 attendees.

GGotW: How did the Zoo feel about it, or did they know in advance that you were doing it?
Megan: I did inform them in advance and they were pretty excited about it. The zoo staff are mostly welcoming. Some of them we can tell tolerate us because they have to but most of them are really awesome! We’ve had staff drive by on carts saying hello, complementing our outfits and asking for pictures. I think deep down some of those keepers are goths.

GGotW: When is the event this year?
Megan: September 29th. All day event from the zoos opening to closing.

GGotW: Who can attend the event?
Megan: Everyone! Despite the name we want to be inclusive to all alternative subcultures and everyone in-between.

GGotW: What should people know if they are thinking of coming this year?
Megan: First of all, if you’ve never been, the St.Louis Zoo is honestly one of the best zoos in the U.S. It’s free, the animals are well taken care of and it’s a ton of fun! Even before this event I always tried to drag out new friends who have never been there to it because it’s always been one of my favorite places in the city. We’re also planning on having team meetups, scavenger hunts and trivia quizzes with prizes.

On a more serious note though I want people to know who are coming that this is NOT a costume or cosplay event. The zoo has strict rules against that but we’re also not big on it either. We highly encourage people just being their true authentic selves, that’s kind of the point behind the whole thing. If you don’t really want to wear black because it’s hot DO IT! We want you to be comfortable as well.

Most clothes and boots are fine. Just no shirts with curse words on them and nothing that’ll cover the face such as goggles. As far as makeup goes the zoo prefers makeup that doesn’t change skin tone, doesn’t go above eyebrows and doesn’t cover cheeks. Lips can be any color so long as they stay on the lips.

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For more information on the event, and find out about the meetups and scavenger hunts through the day, visit their Facebook Page.