Believe it or not, but zoos make awesome venues for concerts. If you don’t believe us, just ask the good folks who run Sydney’s Taronga Zoo and the Melbourne Zoo, which have both just announced their lineups for their respective summer concert series. Each features a superb selection of local and international talent who will be performing among the scenic grounds of our beloved Aussie zoos.

Twilight At Taronga 2015

Sydney’s Taronga Zoo has announced the return of its annual Twilight at Taronga entertainment series for 2015, confirming another spectacular musical program that will see punters making their way down to the famous zoo to watch a diverse range of acts from the world-class vantage point of a harbour-side amphitheatre each Friday and Saturday night from Friday, 30th January through to Saturday, 21st March.

Once again, organisers have managed to corral a sublime roster of local artists, including Australian rock veterans like Bernard Fanning, You Am I, Paul Kelly, and Something For Kate, a few international heavyweights like Belle and Sebastian, Conor Oberst, and Rufus Wainwright, as well as a selection of great Australian voices like Sarah Blasko, Anthony Callea, and fresh off one of the hottest years of his career, Dan Sultan.

“It’s the first time in our history that we’re introducing big-name international and contemporary artists to complement our regular favourites and we hope this will pique the interest of younger festival-goers while keeping our regular patrons coming back for more,” said Taronga Zoo General Manager Marketing, Fundraising and Commercial Services Paul Davies. “We’re thrilled to be introducing Twilight at Taronga to a new generation of audiences with this vibrant lineup.”

Tickets to all of the events of the 2015 Twilight At Taronga musical program are set to hit sale at 9am on Friday, 31st October via the official Twilight At Taronga website. Free public transport is included in the price of all tickets, covering bus, rail, light rail, and ferry from Sydney metropolitan areas. Profits from the series continues to support the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

Check below for all dates, lineups, and ticketing details.

Twilight At Taronga 2015 Music Program

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Friday, 30th January 2015
Bernard Fanning, Supported By Little May

Saturday, 31st January 2015
Belle And Sebastian, Supported By Special Guests

Friday, 6th January 2015
Paul Kelly Presents The Merri Soul Sessions Featuring Clairy Browne, Kira Puru, & Vika And Linda Bull, Supported By Hiatus Kaiyote

Saturday, 7th February 2015
You Am I, Supported By Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders

Friday, 13th February 2015
Sarah Blasko, Supported By Luluc

Saturday, 14th February 2015
Anthony Callea Presents Ladies & Gentlemen, The Songs Of George Michael, supported by Caterina Torres

Friday, 20th February 2015
The Beautiful Girls, Supported By Caravãna Sun

Saturday, 21st February 2015
The Bamboos, Supported By Katalyst With Special Guests (original Beats Set)

Friday, 27th February 2015
Boys In The Band – 50 Years Of Hits!

Saturday, 28th February 2015
Björn Again

Friday, 6th March 2015
Conor Oberst, Supported By The Felice Brothers

Saturday, 7th March 2015
Rufus Wainwright Performing The Best Of Rufus Wainwright, Supported By Lucy Wainwright Roche

Friday, 13th March 2015
Dan Sultan, Supported By Benny Walker And Pierce Brothers

Saturday, 14th March 2015
James Morrison Big Band

Friday, 20th March 2015
Something For Kate, Supported By Jen Cloher

Saturday, 21st March 2015
Ross Wilson And Mental As Anything

Tickets and info: Taronga Zoo

Melbourne Zoo Twilights 2015

Not ones to let Sydney-siders have all the fun, Melbourne Zoo have announced the return of their beloved Twilights concert series for 2015, confirming one of their grandest lineups in recent memory, once again made up of plenty of local stars and some big international names. Kicking off this January with a performance by James Reyne, 2015’s Twilights series will also see performances from Paul Kelly, Bernard Fanning, Conor Oberst, The Cat Empire, Spiderbait, and more.

As in previous years, the organisers have pretty much organised your summer evening entertainment for you, presenting 12 very special shows across Friday and Saturday evenings from late January through to early March. All the performances are all-ages, family-friendly, and organisers promise they will be “as wonderfully diverse as the animal species the Zoo is home to”, having taken great lengths to match great artists with equally great support acts.

Tickets to all shows also include full access to the Zoo and punters are encouraged to arrive early and wander among the Zoo’s many exhibits before settling in for a night of great music. Some of the attractions include the “majestic Asian Elephants, sleek Sumatran Tigers and or hang[ing] out with the Orangutans as they swing through the trees”. In addition to visiting the Zoo’s famous Gorilla Rainforest or their range of native Australian fauna, there’s new interactive exhibits designed just for the kids.

The musical lineup, which readers can check out in its entirety below, is complimented by a range of food outlets within the Zoo grounds serving everything from sit-down dinners, to takeaway pizzas, snacks, coffee, and desserts. Punters are also welcome to bring their own picnic, with restrictions only on BYO alcohol or glass within the Zoo grounds.

Twilight At Taronga 2015 Program

General public tickets on sale 9am Tuesday, 28th October

Zoo members 20% early bird discount until Monday, 3rd November (10% thereafter)

Friday, 30th January 2015
James Reyne plays Australian Crawl, with special guest Jack Carty (Doors open 5:30pm)

Saturday, 31st January 2015
Bernard Fanning, with special guests Little May (Doors open 5:30pm)

Friday, 6th February 2015
Sarah Blasko, with special guest Luluc (Doors open 5:30pm)

Saturday, 7th February 2015
Paul Kelly presents the Merri Soul Sessions featuring Clairy Browne, Kira Puru, Vika and Linda Bull, with special guests Hiatus Kaiyote (Doors open 5:30pm)

Friday, 13th February 2015
Dan Sultan, with special guest Benny Walker (Doors open 5:30pm)

Saturday, 14th February 2015
Boys In The Band (Doors open 5:30pm)

Friday, 20th February 2015
The Budos Band and The Bombay Royale (Doors open 5:30pm)

Saturday, 21st February 2015
Spiderbait, with special guest Jen Cloher (Doors open 5:30pm)

Friday, 27th February 2015
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, with special guests Twerps (Doors open 5:30pm)

Saturday, 28th February 2015
Conor Oberst, with special guests The Felice Brothers (Doors open 5:30pm)

Friday, 6th March 2015
Village People, with special guest DJ Andee Frost (Doors open 5:30pm)

Saturday, 7th March 2015
The Cat Empire, with special guests Dorsal Fins (Doors open 5:30pm)

Tickets and info: Zoos Victoria

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