Christmas Lights at the Bronx Zoo

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

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

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

These tickets are not purchased at the box office, but are purchased on the Bronx Zoo's website. If you have already decided to visit the park during Christmas, I recommend you to do it as early as possible because the demand is very high and tickets usually sell out quickly.

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

We compare the prices of 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 to see 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 take advantage of 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" 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, last admission to the zoo during the day is at 12 PM and starting at 3 PM, 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 through January 9 from 4:30 PM to 10 PM. The park is only closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

What days can you see the Christmas lights?

About 2 to 3 hours. Holiday Lights Festival is an event to enjoy the Christmas lights and lanterns in the shapes 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 open-mouthed - you'll love it so much you won't want to leave the zoo!

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

What exhibits and activities are part of the festival?

During the Holiday Lights Festival you will be able to see more than 260 super cool lanterns and lamps 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 resplendent and colorful version.

Another beautiful exhibit that you can see at the zoo during the event is the Forest of Color, a space formed by about twenty new lanterns that join the traditional ones to represent some of the smallest animals of our planet, which despite their tiny size have beautiful colors that make them shine brightly.

In addition, you can see many more things that will complete this fantastic experience: - Puppet theater for children (in 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 (at Somba Village).
• A Christmas train where you can ride to tour the park (at Astor Court), for only $3 more.

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

If you love light festivals, Christmas is a fabulous time to see them. If you have time in your schedule, after seeing the Holiday Lights Festival I recommend discovering the New York Winter Lantern Festival and the LuminoCity Festival- you'll have a great time and take some beautiful 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 a portion of the zoo where the event takes place. Therefore, some areas of the park and the Bronx Zoo animal exhibit areas will be closed after 4 PM. In this regard, follow all the signs that make up 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 inside the zoo itself.

For example, the Dancing Crane Café restaurant will be open during the entire event, but weather permitting, at night there will also be food stands and carts like Zoo Bites or Zoo Brews distributed throughout the park where you can buy some snacks and drinks to replenish your energy to continue with the tour.

New York at Christmas 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 great toy train show at 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 like the Christmas lights at Dyker Heights.

Practical information