Marina and Charlie with Maky at the conservation table.
Learn about various research projects going on at the DLC, in an accessible and kid-friendly way.
Keepers, educators, and researchers will be on hand to talk about the adoptable lemurs and to answer your questions!
Enjoy wandering the tour path at your own pace.
The education table is always popular!
See the lemurs at your own pace! Guides stationed along the tour path will share facts and stories and answer your questions.
Meet Maky, the DLC's ring-tailed mascot!
Face- and arm-painting are always a hit!
Kizzy, a ruffed lemur whose enclosure is adjacent to the parking lot, sat by the fence and "greeted" our 2016 guests as they arrived.
Join us for a festive evening celebrating and supporting the amazing animals of the Duke Lemur Center! This event has been so popular that we are scheduling for TWO dates for May 2019! Attendees can register to attend either Saturday, May 4 from 4:00 'til 7:00 p.m. or Friday, May 31 from 5:00 'til 8:00 p.m.
UPDATE: Our May 4 and May 31 Lemurpaloozas are both SOLD OUT! To be added to the waitlist, please email adoptalemur@duke.edu.
Please note: When you submit your reservation online, you will receive an email from Duke University acknowledging your donation. This email will not specifically reference Lemurpalooza, but don't be concerned — within one week, you should receive a second email from the Duke Lemur Center confirming that you are registered for the event. There will not be a ticket for the event or for parking, but there will be a welcome table where staff will check you in before you enter the event.
This awesome event costs just one $75 donation per vehicle, but reservations must be made in advance. Enjoy your evening of lemurs with the knowledge that your donation supports our animals as well as our education, research, and conservation programs! Our gift shop will be open until 7:30 p.m. on May 4 and until 8:30 p.m. on May 31, and a food truck will be serving up dinner! (Be sure to bring some extra $$ to purchase food, since it is not included in your ticket price.) Your $75 registration fee is for one parking space, admission for all occupants of the vehicle, and one adoption of a lemur for one year!
Your reservation comes with a lemur adoption! This year's featured lemur will be Halley, a black and white ruffed lemur. All Lemurpalooza reservations will receive a symbolic adoption of Halley. If you would like to select other species for adoption, you will be able to do this at the event for a donation of $25 each. For a full list of adoptable species, please visit the Adopt a Lemur homepage.
Lemurpalooza is our largest event of the year and offers a unique open house-style experience with information tables, activities, a food truck, and a festive atmosphere! If you would like to avoid the excitement of a large event and have a guided experience in a smaller group, please consider one of the DLC's many tour options offered through the Education Department as an alternative way to visit and support us.
WHAT: Lemurpalooza open house and Adopt a Lemur event — fun for all ages!
WHEN: Saturday, May 4 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. or Friday, May 31 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Choose a date when making your reservation.
WHY: To generate adoptions through the Adopt a Lemur program, which helps fund the $8,400 per year cost it takes to care for each of the DLC's lemurs. Lemurpalooza also offers families the opportunity to visit lemur species in the program, and to ask technicians and education staff about each animal!
WHERE: Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Road in Durham, NC. Directions are available here.
Come meet the unique primates of Madagascar! This will be a special evening experience that allows families to stroll and view the animals at their own pace, rather than our usual guided tours. Keepers, educators, researchers, and more will be on hand to talk about the adoptable lemurs and to answer your questions. Engaging educational activities will be provided for kids and kids at heart. Guests can enjoy food from fabulous local food trucks, or pack a picnic to enjoy. Community fun, adorable lemurs, and an opportunity to conserve the environment and endangered animals all add up to a perfect spring evening.
Lemurpalooza is our largest event of the year, and offers the chance to share your love of lemurs with others in a large open house-style experience. If you would like to avoid the excitement of a large event and have a guided experience in a smaller group, please consider one of the DLC's many tour options offered through the Education Department as an alternative way to visit and support us.
How does my donation help lemurs? In 2012, lemurs were named the most endangered mammals on the planet. The Duke Lemur Center has been caring for and learning from lemurs for over 50 years. More lemurs live at the DLC than anywhere in the world outside of their native Madagascar. When you adopt a lemur, you not only help fund the $8,400 per year cost it takes to care for each animal, but also support our work in the U.S., Madagascar, and around the world to study and save these endangered animals.
What's included in my $75 donation? Each $75 donation includes parking and admission for one vehicle and its occupants at Lemurpalooza as well as the symbolic adoption of a Black & White Ruffed lemur through the DLC's Adopt A Lemur program. You'll receive regular updates and photos on a lemur named Halley, and you don't have to scoop the poop! Halley stays at the DLC, and we do the dirty work.
How will I know my donation was received? If you submit your reservation online, you will receive an email from Duke University acknowledging your donation. This email will not specifically reference Lemurpalooza, but don't be concerned -- within one week, you should receive a second email from the Duke Lemur Center confirming that you are registered for the event. There will not be a ticket for the event or for parking but there will be a welcome table where staff will check you in before you enter the event. You will also receive an email with event information a few days before the event.
Can I bring my kids? Yes, absolutely!
I don't have kids. Can I come anyway? Of course! Lemurpalooza is a fun, educational evening for lemur lovers young and old. Have family visiting for the weekend? Bring them! Or invite your "special friend" and make it a date night!
What if it rains? Pack your umbrella and pull on your wellies! Lemurpalooza is rain or shine, provided there is no thunder or lightning in the area.
Will I get to touch a lemur? Nope. For the safety of our animals and for your safety, no guests are allowed any physical contact with the animals here at the Center.
I have more questions. Who can I contact? If you have questions or would prefer to submit your reservation over the phone, please email Susan Fitzgerald at adoptalemur@duke.edu or call (919) 401-7226. She'll be happy to help!
Our Visitor Information Guide is the best resource for planning your visit to the DLC! That said, no resource is exhaustive; so if you have any questions that aren't addressed in the information linked above, please call please call Susan Fitzgerald, who oversees our Adopt a Lemur program, at (919) 401-7226. She'll be happy to help!