Zoo Lights 2026 Dates: National Zoo, Bronx, Lincoln Park, L.A., Denver, Houston and More

The first holiday light show on our list opens Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Atlanta Botanical Garden, which is a garden, not a zoo, and most of the zoo shows open Nov. 19-21 and run to Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, according to each venue’s own website, checked Oct. 31, 2026. The table below covers 12 shows with opening and closing dates, closed nights, hours and the prices the venues publish. A one-page printable lists every opening and closing date.

Which zoo light show opens first in 2026?

Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Garden Lights, Holiday Nights opens Saturday, Nov. 14. Three shows follow on Thursday, Nov. 19: Philadelphia Zoo’s LumiNature, Houston Zoo Lights and the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights. Four open Friday, Nov. 20 (the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Oregon Zoo), and two open Saturday, Nov. 21 (the Bronx Zoo and Brookfield Zoo Chicago). Denver Zoo starts Monday, Nov. 23, and San Diego Zoo is last, on Saturday, Dec. 19. Counting those dates, nine of the 12 open Nov. 19-21. Nine of the 12 also end Jan. 3, 2027; Philadelphia ends Saturday, Jan. 9, and Los Angeles and Atlanta end Sunday, Jan. 10.

Zoo lights 2026 dates, hours and prices by show

Hours are local time. “Not listed” means the page we checked did not state it.

Opens	Show and city	Closes	Hours	Price on the venue’s page
Sat., Nov. 14	Atlanta Botanical Garden, Garden Lights, Holiday Nights	Sun., Jan. 10, 2027	Timed tickets; hours not listed	Not listed; members save $5
Thu., Nov. 19	Philadelphia Zoo, LumiNature	Sat., Jan. 9, 2027	Select nights, 5 to 9 p.m.	General admission $27-31; parking $22
Thu., Nov. 19	Houston Zoo Lights	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	5:30 to 10:30 p.m., last entry 9:30 p.m.	Not listed; date-specific tickets with an arrival window
Thu., Nov. 19	Cincinnati Zoo, Festival of Lights	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Sun. to Thu. until 9 p.m.; Fri., Sat. and Dec. 20-31 until 10 p.m.; light activities from 4 p.m.	Included in zoo admission
Fri., Nov. 20	Smithsonian’s National Zoo ZooLights, Washington, D.C.	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Mon. to Sat. 5 to 9 p.m.; Sun. 5 to 8 p.m.	$10 general admission; Adults-Only Night Dec. 16, $19
Fri., Nov. 20	Lincoln Park Zoo ZooLights, Chicago	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	4:30 to 9 p.m., last entry 8 p.m.	$7-12 fixed-date in advance, $20 day-of; flexible $20; Mondays free with a reservation
Fri., Nov. 20	Los Angeles Zoo, L.A. Zoo Lights	Sun., Jan. 10, 2027	Select evenings; two timed entry times	From $19; adults $29-35, children $19-25, under 2 free
Fri., Nov. 20	Oregon Zoo ZooLights, Portland	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Opens 4:30 p.m.; closes 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.	Adults $13-35, youth $13-30; dated tickets
Sat., Nov. 21	Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights, New York City	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Select dates; hours not listed	Not listed; tickets must be reserved in advance
Sat., Nov. 21	Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Holiday Magic	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Select dates, 3 to 9 p.m.	From $29.95; free with membership
Mon., Nov. 23	Denver Zoo Lights (“Zoo Lights 35”)	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Sun. to Thu. 4:30 to 9 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 4:30 to 10 p.m.	Adults $29.95 standard, $25.95 value; youth $22.95 and $18.95; 2 and under free
Sat., Dec. 19	San Diego Zoo, Jungle Bells	Sun., Jan. 3, 2027	Zoo open until 8 p.m.	Included with admission and membership

Denver’s show is in its 35th season. San Diego’s member preview is Friday, Dec. 18. Houston’s member preview is Nov. 17-18, and the National Zoo lists member nights Dec. 8-9.

Nights each zoo is closed

Show	Closed or not listed on the venue’s page
Lincoln Park Zoo	Closed Nov. 26, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 24 and 25
Brookfield Zoo Chicago	The dates on the zoo’s calendar do not include Nov. 26 and 30; Dec. 1-2, 7-9, 14-16, 24 and 25
Los Angeles Zoo	Closed Nov. 26 and 30; Dec. 1, 7, 14-16, 24, 25 and 31; Jan. 4-7
Denver Zoo	Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Oregon Zoo	Closed Nov. 24-26 and Dec. 25
Philadelphia Zoo	Closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1
Houston Zoo	Closed Wednesday, Dec. 9 and Thursday, Dec. 24
Cincinnati Zoo	Closed Nov. 26, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25
San Diego Zoo	Excludes Dec. 24
Bronx Zoo	Select dates only; the page does not list the closed ones
National Zoo and Atlanta Botanical Garden	No closed nights listed on the pages we checked

Show-by-show closures matter because Brookfield, Los Angeles, the Bronx and Philadelphia run on select dates only. Check the venue’s calendar before you buy a ticket.

Thanksgiving week and Christmas Day at zoo lights

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026 (see when is Thanksgiving). Lincoln Park, Los Angeles, Denver, Oregon and Cincinnati list it as closed, and Brookfield’s calendar dates skip it. Oregon’s closure covers Tuesday, Nov. 24 to Thursday, Nov. 26. Houston, Philadelphia, the National Zoo and Atlanta do not list Nov. 26 as closed.

On Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25, Houston Zoo Lights is open; the Houston Zoo lists only Dec. 24 and Dec. 9 as closed. Lincoln Park, Los Angeles, Denver, Oregon, Philadelphia and Cincinnati list Dec. 25 as closed, and Brookfield’s dates skip it. San Diego’s page excludes only Dec. 24 and does not mention Dec. 25, and the National Zoo, Bronx Zoo and Atlanta pages do not list it either.

Ticket rules and timed entry before you go

• Advance tickets required: the Bronx Zoo says tickets are required and must be reserved in advance, and its ticket page says entry after 12 p.m. on Holiday Lights dates requires a Holiday Lights ticket. Philadelphia requires advance online reservations.
• Brookfield: the South Gate requires advance tickets and parking reservations.
• Timed or dated entry: Houston sells date-specific tickets with an arrival window, Atlanta uses timed tickets, the Los Angeles Zoo has two entry times and Oregon sells dated tickets.
• Last entry: Lincoln Park’s last entry is 8 p.m., and Houston’s is 9:30 p.m.
• Price swings: Lincoln Park’s day-of tickets are $20 against $7-12 in advance for fixed dates.

For the other holiday events in these cities, see our stories on US Christmas markets in 2026 and the NYC holiday calendar for 2026.

Zoo lights dates to mark on your calendar

The printable has one row per show with its opening date, closing date and city, and a Done column. Add the dates to the November 2026 printable calendar and the December 2026 printable calendar, and see our Saturday planner for the weekends until Christmas to fit the Saturday openings into your weekends.

Dates, hours and prices can change, so check each venue’s site before you buy tickets.