Photo: Ford, Brad
A Northwest holiday tradition is back! ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo, presented by U.S. Bank, opens Nov. 23, showcasing a winter wonderland of more than 1.5 million brightly colored lights.
All the traditional favorites are returning: forests of lighted trees, dazzling life-size animal silhouettes and the light-bedecked zoo train. And new to ZooLights this year: a spectacular display on the central lawn celebrating the Oregon Coast and its unique wildlife, including otters, seals, sea lions, urchins, sea stars, crabs and more.
Once again, there are two ways to illuminate the season: the traditional walk-through ZooLights, plus a dozen midweek evenings set aside for a drive-through experience.
And on Nov. 18–19, the zoo is bringing back its popular BrewLights festival: a ZooLights experience just for the 21-and-over crowd. Guests can sample more than 100 selections of local beers, seltzers and ciders while enjoying live music and strolling among the lights.
ZooLights and BrewLights are special events and are not included with regular daytime admission. Members receive discounted admission (20% off) throughout ZooLights, including two preview nights before the official opening. All guests, including members, must reserve tickets in advance via the zoo website. For tickets and additional info, visit oregonzoo.org/zoolights.
To prepare grounds for the drive-through experience, the zoo will remain closed during regular daytime hours on Tuesdays through Thursdays beginning Nov. 22 (except during Portland Public Schools’ winter break, Dec. 19–30). This temporary daytime schedule will continue through Feb. 16, allowing the zoo to conduct maintenance work during some of its lightest attended days of the year.
Source: Oregon Zoo