Frequently Asked Questions

• Drusillas Park is all year with the exception of the 24th, 25th and 26th December
• Our Summer opening hours (BST) are 10am - 6pm with last admission at 5pm. Our car park closes at 6:15pm
• Our Winter opening hours (GMT) are 10am - 5pm with last admission at 4pm. Our car park closes at 5:15pm

For the full list of opening times for all of our attractions please visit our opening times page here

Park entry ticket prices vary throughout the year, to reflect our varied offering during busy and quieter times.

Tickets purchased in advance online are always 20% cheaper than if you purchase tickets on the gate on the day of your visit, and this saving is available right up until midnight the day before.

Check the gate price vs the advance online price on your chosen visit. We always advise to check What's Open before booking your tickets.

Our advance online prices displayed are already automatically adjusted so there's no need for a discount code. Tickets purchased online on the day of visit will be the full gate price.

Although you can buy tickets on the gate most days of the year*, we highly recommend booking your tickets online as you'll save 20% on the gate entry price on the day. This saving is valid up to midnight the day before you visit.

Customers wishing to use discount vouchers, Tesco Vouchers, Kids Pass tickets, or any other ticket offer can only redeem these on the gate on the day.

*Character Day Events are pre-book only and tickets must be purchased in advance online to attend. No tickets will be availble to purchase on the day.

If you are unsure on what day you want to visit or worried about what the Great British weather might do, you can choose our 'Flexi-Tickets' allowing you to visit any day of the year except Character Event Days. 

The price of entry into Drusillas includes:

• Zoo
• Animal Walkthroughs
• Go Wild!
• Go Bananas!
• Get Wet!
• Jurassic Jungle
• Amazon Adventure
• Mungo's Adventure Maze
• All of our rides including The Rainforest Carousel, Go Safari! rides, The Rainforest Adventure rides, and the Safari Express Train
• Animal Spotter and Zoolympic Challenge booklets
• Free gaming arcade
• Free toddler rides
• Dino Dig

Additionally, we offer some optional activities where there is a small charge, these include our sensory attraction SPARK, Panning for Gold, Vertical Limit Climbing Wall, and Penguin Plunge slide. There is also a charge for face painting, temporary tattoos and hair braiding. These optional attractions are open most weekends and East Sussex state school holidays, weather permitting.

We are open 362 days per year and rides, catering and retail outlets are geared to the level of visitors on any given day, but there will always be one catering outlet and one retail outlet open. Rides operate on a rotational basis on quieter days. Please see what's open seasonally here

We are a partner of the Tesco Clubcard Scheme. Tesco Clubcard Partner codes can only be redeemed against admission tickets purchased at the entrance kiosk. Tesco Clubcard Partner codes cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounted ticket including:

• Online admission tickets
• Annual Memberships
• Group bookings
• Education bookings
• Character Events Days 

On the day of your visit, you will need to present the email that includes your Tesco Clubcard Partner QR code (not the order confirmation email).

Find more information about using Tesco Clubcard Partner Codes here.

Please also check the Drusillas page on the Tesco Clubcard website for all the details and terms and conditions before you visit.

Yes, we have a number of family-friendly rides here at Drusillas.

Go Safari! is our African-themed attraction which features three fun rides; the Safari Express train, the Hippopotobus and Flying Cheetahs.

The Rainforest Adventure is our new jungle-themed attraction with four rides; Jungle Jeeps, Amazon Skyrise, Toucan Twister, and Junior Jeep

And our beautiful Rainforest Carousel features 30 rainforest animals to ride upon.

All rides are included with standard entry tickets. Height restrictions and safety measures apply on all rides. 

Yes, we have a free app! Features include digital ticket wallet, interactive map, event and ride times, animal feeding times, personalised planner, and special offers. 

Children aged 2 years and over are charged the full admission rate. Babies under 2 are free of charge and do not need to be included in any ticket you are purchasing for yourself or group.

We offer free entry for one carer accompanying a paying visitor who can provide evidence of one of the following: 

• DLA
• PIP
• ESA
• Attendance Allowance
• Access Card with the Essential Companion (+1) symbol
• National Disability Card (DID)
• Blue Badge

Please note the evidence provided must be dated within the last 2 years. Such evidence must be shown to staff at our entrance gates. If evidence is not present or not in date, the full charge for entry will be required. Carers must be aged 16 or over.

You do not need to book your free carer ticket in advance, but we advise to purchase your paid tickets online before the day to save 20% on our gate price.

Visitors who do not have the above evidence but have alternative documentation (such as diagnosis letter, or other disability support cards) are not eligible for our free carer ticket scheme, but are welcome to request a free Access Pass, a free Sunflower Lanyard, and are welcome to book into our SEND session in SPARK.

For more detailed information please see our Access Statement.

Third-party experience-led vouchers cannot be redeemed via the Drusillas website. All vouchers of this nature must be booked directly through our Visitor Services Team on [email protected] or 01323 874100.

We are situated just off the A27 near Alfriston in-between Eastbourne and Brighton. For sat navs please use the postcode BN26 5QS. If travelling to us via public transport we recommend journeying by train and arriving at Polegate station where there is a taxi rank available. Alternatively, visit www.traveline.info for more public transport information. For a map, route planner and further information please see our Directions page.

Visitors who book their tickets online in advance receive a 20% discount off our standard gate entry price on the day. Online advance discount is applied up to midnight the day before your planned visit and cannot be purchase on the day of your visit. 

We are also a partner of the Tesco Clubcard Scheme, please see our web page here with information on using Tesco vouchers.

From time to time we will have special offers running, which we will advertise on our website here.

If you would like to visit our sensory attraction SPARK this has a small additional charge of £3 (£2 for Members). We advise tickets for this experience are booked in advance. We do offer optional children’s activities at a small additional charge such as Panning for Gold, Dino Dig, Vertical Limit and Penguin Plunge. Take a look at all the fun activities on our Optional Activities page.

Please use any daily admission queue for entry and ensure that all your party are present at the time of admission. Online tickets guarantee the cheapest entry price but do not guarantee a faster entry system. Visitors will be required to have their tickets redeemed before entering the Park.

We have 80 different species and specialise in smaller exotic animals so we don’t have elephants, lions or tigers but we have lots of family favourites such as monkeys, sloths, red pandas, penguins, meerkats and lemurs. Take look at our Animals page for more information.

Drusillas is aimed primarily at families with children under the age of 12 years old although our animals have universal appeal. All the play areas are specifically designed for children 12 years or under.

On average families spend between 4-6 hours in the Park. This is based on market research we have undertaken over the last five years.

Yes, Drusillas is accessible for all visitors. We offer disabled toilets and changing, disabled parking, and the Park is wheelchair friendly throughout with low-level viewing. Wheelchairs are available to hire subject to availability and a refundable £20 cash deposit. We also offer free carer tickets, sunflower lanyards, ride Access Passes, and SEND-only sessions in SPARK. Please read our Access Statement for full details.

We have a modern Changing Places Facility located behind our Amazon Adventure soft play area. Please ask staff in the Cafe for the key. To read more about our Changing Places area please click here

Yes, baby changing facilities are located in all toilets (except those next to the Discovery Centre). Our Parent and Baby room is located in the Go Wild! area. A nappy vending machine is located in the toilets opposite Go Safari! 

Yes, you can and we have food to suit all tastes and budgets such as fish & chips, burger & chips, jacket potatoes, salad boxes, a selection of sandwiches plus vegetarian and gluten-free options. We have four food and drink outlets which have different opening dates and hours, so please take a look at our Food and Drinks page before you visit us.

No, our car park is free of charge but vehicles are left at owners’ risk.

If you need to leave the Park and re-enter on the same day please stamp your hand clearly with our Drusillas hand stamp situated at the exit gate. To re-enter the Park please go to our Admission Gates and show the clear, black stamp on your hand.

We do not have a cash machine at Drusillas. All of our outlets accept card and contactless payments

Our Annual Membership scheme provides admission to the Park every day that Drusillas is open (362 days a year). We have two levels of Membership; Standard and Gold. To learn all about the benefits, take a look at our Annual Membership page.

At Drusillas, we receive a huge number of free ticket requests from so many wonderful charities and causes. We would love to be able to help everyone, but in order to allocate our resources fairly we have had to create some criteria to determine who qualifies. Please see our Charity Page for all the relevant information.

Whilst you are visiting the zoo we ask that you respect our animals and do not feed or tease them. You can, however, watch our Penguins being fed at 11:30 and 16:00. You can also feed the animals yourself when you book one of our animal feeding experiences which range from a one-to-one Keeper for the Day experience to a 30-40 minute Close Encounter experience.

The founder of Drusillas Park, Captain Douglas Ann named the Park after his wife Drusilla! Click the link for more information on the History of Drusillas Park.

We are increasingly aware of the part that we play in helping the environment and are working hard to make positive changes. This is a gradual process and a complete switch is going to take time, however, we are committed to continuing down this path.

To see more information about sustainability at Drusillas please click here.