Wild Lights opens at Elmwood Park Zoo on Friday November 20 and runs on select evenings through December 30, from 5 to 9 p.m., at the zoo’s site in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The zoo and the event are both closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The zoo’s own pitch is that this is not a walk-through light display, and that distinction is worth taking seriously rather than treating as marketing. A light display is one thing you do for forty minutes. What Elmwood has built is a set of separate holiday traditions, each of which a family would normally drive somewhere else for, stacked onto one site on one evening.
What is actually in it
Santa’s Workshop runs every evening through December 23, with photo opportunities. Cookies with Mrs. Claus, a cookie-decorating session, runs on select dates. Character appearances rotate through the season and include the Grinch and Elsa sing-alongs. There is live music and seasonal entertainment on a changing lineup, hot chocolate and seasonal food, and holiday cocktails for adults at ZooBrew. The carousel and the barrel train run.
Two pieces are more specifically a zoo’s to offer. The first is live animal encounters: guests meet the zoo’s animal ambassadors during special evening sessions, which is a different proposition in the dark than it is at two in the afternoon.
The second is the Christmas Cows. Scooby and Shaggy are the zoo’s miniature Highland cows, a small-stature version of the shaggy, long-horned Scottish breed, and they come out dressed for the holidays for meet-and-greets. Highland cattle were bred for the Scottish Highlands, which is to say for cold and wet, so a Pennsylvania December is the one month of the year the animals are more comfortable than the guests.
Can I bring the dog?
On Sundays, yes. Dog-Friendly Sundays let four-legged family members walk the lights with everyone else, with a separate dog admission required.
Before you book
Tickets are online, with a discount for Elmwood Park Zoo yearly members, and children two and under are free. Some activities and special experiences cost extra on top of admission. The important practical note is that the lineup varies by date: character appearances, performances and select experiences are not on every night, so the entertainment schedule is worth reading before picking an evening rather than after.
“Wild Lights has become such a special holiday tradition for families throughout our region, and we want guests to know that there’s so much more to experience than just the lights,” said Al Zone, chief executive of Elmwood Park Zoo.
One thing worth knowing about Elmwood’s calendar: this is a zoo that has shut its gates for a month in January to get itself built, which is a rarer kind of commitment than it sounds. The lights come down on December 30, and the quiet end of the Elmwood year is when the construction happens.
Quick answers
- When is Wild Lights at Elmwood Park Zoo?
It opens Friday November 20, 2026 and runs on select evenings through December 30, from 5 to 9 p.m., in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The zoo and the event are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
- Can I see Santa at Wild Lights?
Yes. Santa's Workshop runs every evening through December 23, with photo opportunities. Cookies with Mrs. Claus, a cookie-decorating experience, runs on select dates.
- What are the Christmas Cows?
Scooby and Shaggy, the zoo's miniature Highland cows, which come out dressed for the holidays for meet-and-greet sessions. Highland cattle are a long-horned Scottish breed built for cold, wet weather.
- Can I bring my dog to Wild Lights?
On Dog-Friendly Sundays, yes. A separate dog admission is required.
- How much does Wild Lights cost?
Tickets are sold online, with discounted admission for Elmwood Park Zoo yearly members. Children two and under are free. Select activities and special experiences require an additional purchase.
- Is the lineup the same every night?
No. Character appearances, performances and select holiday experiences vary by date, so the zoo advises checking the entertainment schedule and buying in advance.
