POWELL, Ohio — Wildlights returns to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Friday, November 20, for its 38th year, with millions of LED lights and two major new attractions leading a season that runs through January 3, 2027, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s own release announcing the event.
The zoo opens at noon during the Wildlights season, with festivities beginning nightly at 5 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release said. The zoo is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and Wildlights is included with regular zoo admission or membership, a schedule corroborated by Columbus Navigator.
The biggest new addition is Starlight Safari in Adventure Cove, where seven larger-than-life, three-dimensional illuminated animal displays represent the zoo’s regions, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. The lineup includes a polar bear, an Asian elephant and calf, a Florida manatee, a Masai giraffe, a red kangaroo and a California sea lion, with a western lowland gorilla display arriving in December, all set to celestial music.
The second new attraction, Bricktopia: An Array of WILD Builds, fills the Interpretive Center in Asia Quest with brick-built creations made in partnership with OhioLUG, a Recognized LEGO Fan Community, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release said. Visitors will find nine intricate mosaics of the zoo’s Character Ambassadors, a brick-built train display, a Holiday Animal Village and a life-sized polar bear cub sculpture built from more than 24,000 bricks.
Also new this year are the Starlight Constellation Quest in Adventure Cove, sponsored by Disney On Ice presents Magic in the Stars, expanded holiday projections and additional overhead lighting, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. Wildlights is efficiently powered by Ohio Power Company, AEP Ohio, the release said.
Several rides are now included with admission at no extra fee, including the 12 Days of Wildlights Train Ride, the Yuletide Dino Island Boat Ride through December 31 and the Grand Carousel, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. Returning favorites include the Conservation Lake animated musical light displays, with two alternating shows, and Pixel Passage in Adventure Cove, a 200-foot illuminated tunnel with 32,000 pixels of light presented by Diamond Cellar.
The season also brings back the Oak Ridge Bears Jingle Jamboree in Polar Frontier, Jingle Jam in Shores and the Santa Experience in Polar Frontier, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. Through Notes of Hope, presented by OhioHealth, guests can share holiday greetings and encouragement with patients at OhioHealth facilities.
Three special events frame the season. A Sensory-Friendly Light Stroll runs November 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with smaller crowds, reduced background sounds, sensory kits and a calming room, free for members with advance registration required, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. A members-only Wildlights Member Night, presented by Bob Evans Farms, follows November 19 from 5 to 9 p.m.
Brew Lights, for guests 21 and older, is set for November 28 from 7 to 11 p.m. with craft beer tastings from local and regional breweries and live music by Zack Attack at Water’s Edge Events Park, separately ticketed with zoo and Wildlights admission included, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. A Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience follows December 6 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Suzie Edwards Conservation Education Building, with softer lighting, reduced sounds and scheduled entry; advance reservations are required and a $5 fee applies per group, with zoo admission not required.
The Columbus Dispatch, in its November 1 holiday guide, listed online admission prices starting at $34.95 for ages 10 to 59, $32.95 for seniors and $27.95 for children ages 3 to 9, with lower Franklin County resident online prices and free admission under age 3. Because other listings show slightly different figures, families should confirm current prices on the zoo’s Wildlights page before they go.
The zoo advises visitors to arrive earlier in the day to see animals before they settle in for the night, noting that several indoor habitats stay open into the evening, including Jack Hanna’s Animal Encounters Village until 8 p.m. and the Reptile Building and Nocturnal Building until 9 p.m., according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release. The zoo also recommends buying tickets in advance, allowing extra travel time on weekends and peak dates, and considering Sunday-through-Thursday evenings for lighter crowds.
From January 1 through January 3, 2027, Conservation Lake will carry a special Centennial-themed light display marking the start of the Columbus Zoo’s 100th anniversary year in 2027, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release, a point Columbus Navigator also noted in its Wildlights preview.
What happens next is the opening itself: the sensory-friendly stroll on November 17 and member night on November 19 come first, then gates open for the public season at noon on Friday, November 20, with the lights coming on at 5 p.m. Tickets, membership details and special-event registration are on the zoo’s Wildlights page at columbuszoo.org, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium release.