LA Zoo Lights

The L.A. Zoo is staying open after dark every night through January during this light-up holiday tradition, which for 2019 adding animal-inspired Chinese lanterns and an even longer tunnel of lights.

Though most of the animals will be asleep, you’ll be able to keep warm inside the Lair and encounter crawling and slithering creatures. Outside, many of the lighting displays are inspired by the zoo’s wild residents: think elephant statues with whimsical projections, mosaic-like multicolor giraffes and twinkling butterflies. We actually found, though, that—aside from a pop-up book-inspired opening tableau—most of this year’s enhancement skewed less toward wildlife and more towards straightforward color-changing lights. But that’s okay with us: Zoo Lights has lost a bit of the handmade, kitsch quality that made it quirky in its earlier years, but we think it’s become a more polished experience in the process.

Tip: Buy your tickets in advance to avoid the worst of the entry lines. Also, tickets are a typically a few dollars cheaper during the first week of Zoo Lights. And wear comfortable shoes; the lights only cover about a third of the zoo grounds, but you’ll be walking slightly uphill for most of the way.

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