Zoo Night, one of Cork’s wildest nights, is back and bigger than ever. Expect drag, burlesque, pole and dance, with twists you can’t predict until you experience it for yourself.

Zoo Night is returning to the stage on August 3 at The Pavillion for Cork Pride, which has a much larger capacity than its usual residency at The Black Dog (formerly BDSM). Produced and hosted by Abra Kedavre, they give us insight into the show and their future hopes for the project.

“Zoo Night stands out for being inclusive, body-positive, thought-provoking, liberating, empowering, and bedazzling, and exists thanks to the pioneers that wanted to make a positive impact on the scene and our community. Emerging from the underground and in the spirit of our legendary punk rebels, it’s now brought to you by those who want to make it matter,” Abra shared.

“It’s produced, hosted, cast, run and performed by a diverse team full of different colours, shapes, flavours and magic, at The Black Dog, one of the oldest and most legendary heritage venues within the very heart of Cork City, alongside yours truly” they said.

“Zoo Night is now a monthly event, having many special show dates where international guests have graced our midst, like The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula‘s very own Supermonster ORKGOTIK, and Drag Race Spain‘s one and only drag beast, BESTIAH, unleashing some of the wildest and most memorable nights I won’t ever forget, helping us raise awareness and collect funds for Gaza. As show producer, that’s quite a milestone.

“Zoo Night proudly welcomes, represents and celebrates diversity, the queer, the different and freedom. Everyone is encouraged to explore their wilder selves and feel liberated, creating an inclusive, safe space full of electrifying euphoria.

“We embrace and celebrate the differences that bring us together as a community, the colours of queerness and flavours of its people, the different, the underground, the underdogs, the wild – all throughout an entertaining and interactive night full of burlesque, pole dance, drag, kink, punk, freakshow and breathtaking performances by local, national and international talents.

“Everyone is welcome. We just want everyone to feel free to BE FREE,” they continued.

“It’s an absolute honour to carry the torch and continue the legacy of Zoo Night. I promise I will contribute to its constant growth, evolution, transformation and CELEBRATION. We want Zoo Night to host as many liberating experiences non-stop in the Black Dog, and I personally want to keep letting it grow and evolve.

“We want to take it on a journey of exploration nationwide and even thought of bringing it to a festival this year – plans we had to postpone due to overlapping schedules – but I believe 2025 holds quite many wild surprises yet to be unfolded.

“In the meantime, you can find us monthly in BDSM, and we have yet another special date in the works for Cork Pride, in August, creating yet our biggest production at The Pavilion, bringing back our beloved Bestiah and more legendary guests for a liberating experience you won’t forget” shared Abra.

“Many things inspire me to continue contributing to Zoo Night the way I do, from the sense of belonging to embracing community and diversity. Those are my ethos and core values, and I am eternally grateful to everyone that trusts and supported me.

“Producing any kind of show is no easy task, and I’ve felt nothing but a warm embrace of acceptance and love from the people I have worked with, peer performers, audience members and venue staff, many of which I can consider a clan, a chosen family. This is truly heart-warming, and I love them and what we have created together deeply, so very much.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 𝗭𝗢𝗢 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 ⚧ (@zoonightshow)

It’s safe to say that Zoo Night can only grow from its current iteration in Cork with an inspiring producer, cast and queer community supporting them. Some regulars of the cast also shared what Zoo Night means to them. They have also offered advice for anyone who is unsure or has wanted to venture into spaces like this for the first time.

“I love performing at Zoo as it truly is a safe and inclusive event. I feel like I have full range when creating performance ideas and concepts and feel totally accepted by Abra and the other Zoo performers,” shared Ava (performer, stripper and owner of Elite Pole Cork).

“As an audience member you can expect to see a variety of so many performers with different dance styles, backgrounds and music tastes. There really is something for everyone to enjoy.

“I really appreciate that consent is mentioned at the beginning of the show for both performers and audience members. As a pole performer I am usually wearing a revealing outfit and I feel very safe at Zoo knowing that everyone is made aware of what will and won’t be tolerated throughout the event.”

Avatar Guille (performer, pole dancer, dance specialist, instructor) commented: “The closeness that you can have between audience and public is something I personally enjoy, you can make people really come together with you while you’re performing and interact with them constantly which is always so much fun.

“I think for me the highlight is to always have something that’s different and see everyone’s reaction: the faces of excitement, happiness, even confusion and then enjoyment, it’s so much fun. Come with an open mind, you’ll see a little bit of everything, it could be dramatic, or funny, or sexy, and even sometimes some flying heels on a pole with fire on them.

“I want Zoo Night to go to so many different places around the country and also internationally because it is a night of absolute freedom, and that is something everyone deserves to feel.”

Bombshell Ghuleh (performer, pole instructor, owner of Bomshell’s Pole Studio) stated: “Zoo has been one of my absolute favourite shows to be a part of in my performing career thus far. Calling it a show, to be honest though, is completely underselling it. Zoo is a safe space, an experience, a COMMUNITY.

“From a personal standpoint, Zoo Night is the place I feel most comfortable and confident and a space I can truly be myself. It’s such a welcoming and accepting space that everyone can feel that they belong there.

“Zoo Night has so many different types of people come through, and rather than feel like they don’t belong cause we aren’t all the same – it feels much more like a community that supports each other and recognises the benefit and the beauty of uniqueness, and recognises that those differences are what make us strong when we come together.

“I’ve always felt it was OK to be more raw and step outside my comfort zone in this space. I think this is something that is universally felt among the performers here and why one of my favourite things to do at Zoo is watch the other performers absolutely living their authentic selves on stage and a crowd of other performers genuinely cheering them on every time.

“The space has been entirely overrun with love and support, I understand that could sound like an exaggeration, but once you experience it you will know its truly not.

“If you have never been, my best advice would be to enter with an open mind and a willingness to support and strive to understand everyone pouring their souls out on stage. Every act may not be for you, but an understanding that it is the world to them and some other people is enough to have a beautiful time, you may even find something new about yourself! Zoo night is all about inclusiveness, so we often invite the audience to participate and even learn some pole dance, get pictures and even ask some questions. This has to be one of my absolute favourite things and one of the things that make it a community.

“For the future of Zoo Night, I simply want it to stick to its roots, never become too big that we forget the beauty of simplicity, and have everyone that walks in feel they are welcomed and appreciated,” she concluded.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 𝗭𝗢𝗢 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 ⚧ (@zoonightshow)

Zoo Night Goes Wild comes to The Pavillion on August 3 for Cork Pride. See @zoonightshow on Instagram for more information.