Christmas Lights at the Bronx Zoo

Do you love light festivals? If you visit the Bronx Zoo at Christmas time you can't miss the beautiful Holiday Lights Festival where the animals are the absolute stars, you can't miss it!

To attend the Bronx Zoo's Holiday Lights Festival you will need to buy tickets online in advance in order to reserve the date and time of your visit, just like the regular tickets to the park ("Limited Admission Ticket" and "Bronx Zoo Admission Ticket"), which I advise you to book before you start your trip.

In other words, you will need to buy tickets for the Christmas Lights Festival itself, as you will not be allowed to enter with any other zoo ticket for this event.

These tickets are not bought at the ticket office, but are purchased on the Bronx Zoo website. If you have already decided to visit the park over Christmas, I recommend you do so as far in advance as possible because demand is very high and tickets tend to sell out quickly.

Tickets to the Holiday Lights Festival are priced a little higher than regular tickets to visit the Bronx Zoo**(from $35** for adults), as this is a special once-a-year event held for Christmas.

We compare prices for all Bronx Zoo tickets

Can I stay to see the Christmas lights if I go during the day at the Zoo?

No, you may not. Visitors who have entered the Bronx Zoo during the day with a regular admission ticket will be asked to leave at 4:30 PM, the usual closing time for the park during the cold months.

During the Holiday Lights Festival period (November 19 - January 9), all visitors entering the zoo after 3 PM must have a ticket specifically for this event in order to remain in the zoo for the Holiday Lights Festival.

However, during the holiday season you can still purchase tickets to the Bronx Zoo even if you are not attending the light show.

The Bronx Zoo has promotional codes for the Holiday Lights Festival applicable to the following groups:

• Military.
• Students in New York.

In addition, there are reduced rates for:

• Children ages 3-12 (from $20).
• Adults over 65 (from $30).

In this way, families will be able to slightly reduce their spending on this activity and use the money saved to do other things in the Big Apple during the Christmas season, such as going to see an NBA game, enjoying a Broadway musical or visiting Madame Tussauds Museum.

While "Limited Admission" to the Bronx Zoo is free all day on Wednesdays, the same is not true for the Holiday Lights Festival.

For the duration of the event, the last entrance to the zoo during the day is at 12 PM and from 3 PM onwards, all visitors must purchase a Holiday Lights Festival ticket to gain access to the grounds.

The Bronx Zoo's Holiday Lights Festival is open nightly from November 19 to January 9 from 4:30 PM to 10 PM. The park is only closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

Which days can you see the Christmas lights?

About 2-3 hours. Holiday Lights Festival is an event to enjoy the Christmas lights and lanterns in the shape of animals and plants that decorate the zoo at night but it's not the only thing to see there. There are also many other winter-themed and animal-themed shows that will leave you speechless - you'll love them so much you won't want to leave the zoo!

Attending the Holiday Lights Festival is a fun and original way to celebrate Christmas. It's a family-friendly outdoor event filled with lights, music and colour to brighten up the winter evenings with nature as a backdrop - you'll be amazed at what they have in store!

What exhibitions and activities are part of the festival?

During the Holiday Lights Festival you can see more than 260 super cool lanterns and lanterns representing dozens of species of animals and plants, which you can see during the day at the zoo (gorillas, lions, zebras, tigers, monkeys, anacondas, bears, turtles...) but in a much more glowing and colourful version.

Another beautiful exhibition that you will be able to see at the zoo during the event is the Forest of Colour, a space made up of twenty new lanterns that join the traditional ones to represent some of the smallest animals on our planet, which despite their tiny size have beautiful colours that make them shine brightly.

In addition, you can see many more things that will complete this fantastic experience: - Puppet theatre for children (in the Dancing Crane Pavilion).

• Ice carving competitions and demonstrations where you can see the incredible talent of many artists (in Grizzly Corner).
• Stilt walkers (at Astor Court).
• Animal costumes (in Somba Village).
• A Christmas train to ride around the park (at Astor Court), for only $3 more.

What other light festivals to see in New York in winter?

If you like light festivals, Christmas is a great time to see them. If you have time in your schedule, after the Holiday Lights Festival I recommend checking out the New York Winter Lantern Festival and the LuminoCity Festival- you'll have a great time and some great photos!

For safety, do not touch the lights, lamps or displays. Stay within the marked paths that are part of the festival and do not enter the display areas or planters.

During the Holiday Lights Festival, not all of the zoo is open, but only part of the zoo where the event takes place. Therefore, some areas of the park and the Bronx Zoo's animal exhibit areas will be closed after 4 PM. In this regard, follow all the signs that form the festival itinerary and, if you want to see the animals, buy your Bronx Zoo tickets during regular hours.

Wearcomfortable clothes and shoes. The Holiday Lights Festival occupies a large space inside the Bronx Zoo so you will be doing a lot of walking. Since the event takes place during the winter, don't forget to dress warmly as temperatures drop significantly in the evenings.

You won't have to go far from the Bronx Zoo if you get the itch in the middle of the Holiday Lights Festival because there are plenty of dining options within the zoo itself.

For example, the Dancing Crane Café restaurant will be open throughout the event, but weather permitting, there will also be food carts and stalls such as Zoo Bites and Zoo Brews scattered around the park at night where you can pick up some snacks and drinks to refuel for the rest of the tour.

New York at Christmas time is a real experience so after seeing the Christmas lights at the Bronx Zoo you may want to take the opportunity to take a stroll around the area and check out other nearby attractions that are also hosting Christmas themed events.

The New York Botanical Garden hosts a wonderful toy train show in the Enid A. Haupt Greenhouse, which has become a Christmas tradition. Since the Holiday Train Show is a very popular Christmas event, I recommend you book your tickets in advance on their website because they sell out.

Finally, if you liked the Christmas lights at the Bronx Zoo, you'll also love the Christmas lights at Dyker Heights.

Practical info