Phoenix Zoo Lights—An Annual Tradition

Last year we were in Phoenix on Christmas and Gene and I went to the Phoenix Zoo Zoo Lights with my best friend’s sister and brother’s families. It was something I had never done even here in Colorado so I was so excited to experience it with my extended family.

For those who may not know about zoo lights or what the Phoenix Zoo Zoo Lights is all about, I am going to share a quick bit of information before continuing with our visit.  Zoo Lights is when a zoo is decorated with millions of twinkling lights, dazzling animal sculptures and in the case of the Phoenix Zoo, two Music-in-Motion Light Shows on their main lake. It is and was so magical and such a wonderful experience.

It all starts before you actually even enter the zoo. Once we had our tickets scanned and were allowed to enter, we all had to walk through a huge tunnel of lights. I couldn’t even tell you how many rows of multi-colored lights there were, but it was a great way to begin our visit.

The next thing that really caught my eye was all the lights on the trees. They were absolutely gorgeous, and each area was so unique and colorful. They even had a bunch of the cacti colorfully decorated. Everywhere you looked there were sparkling, twinkling, and dancing lights.

Another fun thing to see was all the brightly lit animal sculptures. When we were there in 2021 some of the newer animals included an elephant, hawksbill sea turtle, Amur leopard, Bornean orangutan, wolf, and Bali mynah.   However, I was happy just to see some of the Flamingos real and sculptures, bees, butterflies, dragonflies, lions, monkeys, ducks, and so many others that I can’t remember. All I know is we had a great time checking them out.

Somewhere in the middle of our visit, we stopped to get some pictures and grab a drink and a small snack. It was fun just sitting around the lake and taking in all the lights. It was so breathtaking to just sit a few and take it all in for a few minutes.  Apparently, Santa and his elves were there earlier in the season for photo ops, but they went back to the North Pole a few days earlier (I guess they had to get ready for Christmas, lol). I have never been to the Cinncinati Zoo Lights, but I think they would have been quite similar.

We did a bunch more walking around and didn’t really see many real animals that night as they were probably already beaded down for the night and out of the visitor’s view, plus it was dark besides the lights. We did learn from someone that the Phoenix Zoo Lights have been a 30-year holiday tradition and that many people do this every year sometime throughout the season.

I am so glad that we were able to be part of that group last year and hope to be able to do it, or the Denver Zoo Lights sometime again soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share what the experience was like in 2021, and share some information. Of course, the dates and such will be different for 2024-2025 but I have updated information from their website. Hope you enjoyed seeing a few pictures from our night exploring the zoo and seeing these amazing lights.

Phoenix Zoo Lights Visitor Information

Dates: November 27, 2024– January 12, 2025 (SELECT NIGHTS ONLY), 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Tickets: $30 online, $35 at gate; $5 discount for members. Children 2 and under are free. Here is a link to purchase tickets.

Special Event Nights

• Sensory-Friendly ZooLights—Monday, December 2: During this special evening you can expect the same great ZooLights with some modifications to make it more sensory friendly, including smaller crowds, quieter music, reduced flashing lights and more. This event requires a separate ticket.
• Cruise ZooLights—November 10, 11 & 12 and January 13 & 14: From the comfort of your car, drive through our all new immersive 200 foot light tunnel, experience millions of twinkling lights and dazzling animal sculptures and enjoy Music-in-Motion Light Shows on our main lake. This event requires a separate ticket.