San Antonio Zoo Introduces New Event Venue and Gorilla Habitat

San Antonio — New event venue opens at the zoo as a major gorilla habitat readies for launch

The Ralston, San Antonio Zoo’s new event venue, is now open. The facility opens alongside continued construction on a large new habitat, with the zoo scheduling both public viewing opportunities and private event use. The opening of The Ralston and the planned launch of the gorilla habitat are the most immediate changes visitors will notice at the park.

Key details at a glance

The venue features a ballroom with telescoping doors opening to a balcony. The balcony overlooks the Lion and new Congo Falls exhibit. The main ballroom can accommodate up to 500 guests, and the space can be rented for lunches, galas, and other celebrations. The zoo also intends to use the venue for special events, with one of the first major ticketed gatherings being the facility’s New Year’s Eve Celebration.

New Year’s Eve Celebration and events

The Zoo will use the venue for special events, including its New Year’s Eve Celebration. The planned New Year’s Eve Celebration is designed as an adult-only, formal event with a range of included services. New Year’s Eve Celebration features valet arrival, formal attire, live music, and a midnight champagne toast under the stars. Attendees can enjoy culinary stations with elevated fare and handcrafted desserts. Tickets for the adult-only New Year’s Eve Celebration are priced at $300. The facility is also available for rental for private groups and community functions.

Congo Falls gorilla habitat

A massive new 2-acre habitat called Congo Falls is under construction and set to open later this year. The exhibit is intended to host gorillas as part of coordinated conservation efforts. Congo Falls will house eight western lowland gorillas, including a bachelor troop of four and a family group with one male silverback and three females. The exhibit’s design emphasizes multiple viewing options and complex spaces for the animals.

The gorilla exhibit will be part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) with hopes of breeding gorillas. The SSP involvement means the habitat will participate in population management and conservation efforts coordinated among accredited institutions. Visitors will have a 360-degree view of the gorillas from various vantage points, including overhead trails and underground viewing areas.

Design and visitor experience

The venue’s ballroom with telescoping doors is intended to create an indoor-outdoor flow, giving event guests direct sightlines to nearby exhibits via the balcony that overlooks the Lion and new Congo Falls exhibit. The Congo Falls habitat is being built as a multi-level experience with overhead trails, ground-level viewing, and subterranean galleries to provide both close-range and panoramic perspectives of the gorilla groups.

Operations and public access

The Ralston will operate as a rentable event space for private bookings such as lunches, galas, and other celebrations, while also hosting zoo-run events like the New Year’s Eve Celebration. Congo Falls remains under construction and is set to open later this year; public access to the gorilla habitat will begin when construction and animal introductions are complete and safety protocols are in place.

Background and conservation context

Western lowland gorillas are managed in human care through coordinated programs like the Species Survival Plan, which aims to maintain genetically healthy, sustainable populations. The zoo’s plans to house two distinct groups — a bachelor troop and a family group — reflect common management practices that balance social needs, space, and breeding considerations.