The Los Angeles Zoo flipped the switch on its twinkly Christmas lights display this past weekend. LA Zoo Lights, the successor to Griffith Park's old holiday tradition, will look largely familiar to those who visited last year, with a few big additions: a colossal snake atop the "Luminous Lair" reptile house, a laser-and-projection water show and some new animal-themed displays, as well as more lights, lasers and props in some of the zoo's returning decorations.
The line to get in on Friday looked daunting, though the crowds inside the gates were thick but manageable (if you have no patience for lines, consider shelling out for the adults-only Holiday Happy Hour). The zoo has alleviated some of last year's bottlenecks by relocating Santa to his own pavilion, as well as by moving the sensational projection-mapped elephant sculptures to a wider path closer to the front of the park.
Admission is only $10 until this Thursday; after that, it jumps up to $13 during the week and $16 on weekends. Alternatively, if you're fine running through the entire event in an hour—which is absolutely doable—you can grab a "$9 after 9pm" ticket on select weekdays.
Here's a look at some of the new additions to this year's LA Zoo Lights.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Check out some more photos of LA Zoo Lights.