The Bronx Zoo’s seasonal celebration returns!

Select dates
November 17, 2023 — January 7, 2024
Exclusive Member Previews November 14 • 15 • 16

Tickets are required and must be reserved in advance.

Event Info Sensory Inclusive Nights Faqs

Join us for a family holiday festival at the Bronx Zoo.

During the evenings, the park comes to life with holiday cheer as immersive light displays, custom-designed animal lanterns and animated light shows sparkle across the zoo. This year, you’ll experience NEW lantern displays showcasing the wildlife of New York’s ocean waters and wetlands, plus a new interactive experience celebrating bioluminescent creatures.
Changes to activity availability may occur due to unforeseen conditions. This program does not include animal exhibits. All animal exhibits close at 4:00pm. Holiday Lights is a rain or shine event.

A Celebration in Lights

We’re celebrating the wildlife we love with animal lantern trails, holiday decor, animated sculptures, holiday train, and much more.

Lantern Trails

Nearly 400 lanterns representing almost 100 animal and plant species will connect you to the real wildlife and wild places that WCS staff works to protect through our field programs around the world, and at our zoos and aquarium in New York. 64 new lanterns representing 9 new animal species will make their debut at this year’s Holiday Lights!

Africa
Asia
Forest of Color
Latin America
North America
Oceans

Africa

A glowing pathway celebrating Africa’s animals in lights! Your favorites, including giraffes, lions, lemurs, ostriches, African forest elephants, hippos, Aldabra tortoises, Aldabra white-throated rails, Aldabra sacred ibises, and many others will be there.

Asia

Encounter the glittering snow leopard, Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, Malayan tapirs, tree kangaroos, cassowary, fruit bats, and many other favorites.

Forest of Color

The brightly colored, larger-than-life animal and plant lanterns that fill the Forest of Color represent the beauty and diversity of nature, showing that our planet is home to tiny animals who display some of the brightest colors on earth, and sharing ideas on how we can help to protect them.

Latin America

Discover the illuminated jaguar, orinoco crocodile, scarlet macaws, Andean cocks-of-the-rock, giant anteater, Andean bears, white-lipped peccaries, brown-throated sloth, and two-toed sloth, and other favorites.

North America

Experience North American animal lanterns, including polar bears, caribou, gray wolves, bison, Pacific walrus, wolverine, grizzly bears, moose, trumpeter swans, golden eagles, and prairie dogs.
Plus, NEW this year, encounter animals native to New York’s wetlands: North American beavers, raccoon, great egret, common snapping turtle, and red fox.

Oceans

An undersea journey in lights including penguins, sea turtles, larger-than-life black seadevil, anglerfish, vampire squid, Atolla jellies, deep-sea nudibranch and many others, including a nurse shark with a body that you can walk through!
Plus, NEW this year you’ll find animals from the Bronx River and the New York Seascape, including alewife, American eels, and Atlantic sturgeon.

NEW!

Enchanted Sea

Get your glow on in Schiff Family Great Hall with LED swings, interactive floor projections, ocean-themed interactive light panels that create patterns that mimic ocean life, and a jellyfish celebration in lights.

Light Show Experiences

Holiday Lights includes enhanced light shows that provide perfect photo ops for friends and family. On Astor Court, a towering holiday tree features synchronized musical light performances. And the walk-through Light Tunnel will dazzle you with animal-themed light shows.