Of course, the National Zoo would not be saying goodbye to its three giant pandas without a proper send-off.

Later this month, the zoo will host a nine-day celebration of the pandas’ larger-than-life contributions to D.C. before they get on a very big airplane back to China on Dec. 7.

From Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, “Panda Palooza” will feature various family-friendly activities to wish Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji well on their journey; zoo vendors will be selling panda-themed drinks, the theater will run free screenings of Kung Fu Panda, and the Zoo’s Mainstage will feature various musical performances. Visitors will have a chance to ink themselves with panda-themed temporary tattoos, participate in a scavenger hunt, and take their picture in front of panda-themed backdrops.

“Although this farewell is bittersweet, we must celebrate these bears and their impact on fans and on our understanding, care, and conservation of their species,” said Brandie Smith, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Zoo’s Conservation Biology Institute, in a release announcing the palooza.

The celebration is sponsored by the city’s quasi-public entertainment agency, Events DC, and also (kinda funnily) Boeing, the aircraft company whose 777F plane has transported pandas in the past. More events and a detailed schedule will be made available closer to the dates of the celebration. No extra ticket, beyond a free entry ticket to the zoo, is required to attend. Given the large base of panda-cam devotees, there will also be virtual programming, and the zoo is soliciting visitors’ favorite panda memories to share on its website.

The pandas first came to D.C. in 1972, as a gift from China in what’s now known as “panda diplomacy.” Over the past five decades, they have become some of — if not the — most beloved celebrities of the city. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, parents to Xiao Qi Ji, arrived in the District in 1999, per a loan agreement that stipulated the pandas would be returned to China. (Bei Bei, Bao Bao, and Tai Shan have also made the journey from D.C. to China over the years.)

We still have a few months left with the bears even after the festivities, but it’s unclear when we might expect more pandas in the District. Zoo spokespeople said in August that they’re hopeful they might be able to develop a new giant panda program with China, but no such agreement has been reached yet.