Philadelphia Zoo turns its lights on for the holidays on Thursday, November 19, and this year the whole walk has a plot. LumiNature, presented by PNC Bank, returns with fourteen stops built around a single conceit: the animals have written to Santa Claws, and the letters are enormous and lit from within.
Santa Claws is a lion. That is the kind of detail that tells you how seriously the zoo is taking the gag, which is to say completely. Guests collect a Book of Wishes at the gate, pick up clues at each stop, and finish with a keepsake. The run goes most nights through Saturday, January 9, 2027, from 5 to 9 p.m.
What is new this year
Five displays are new, and one of them is hard to miss. A penguin standing 40 feet tall, lit by roughly 40,000 bulbs, now looms over Bird Lake Plaza. Nearby, the North Pole Post Office stacks oversized envelopes and overflowing mailbags into the scene where the premise gets explained.
Wishes from the Wild is the one to slow down for: a giant crocodile, floating jellyfish, luminescent coral and a sea turtle tree, all under blue-green light. Monkey Business puts a 20-foot illuminated banana tree at the center of a stand of glowing vines. Bear Whispers, drawn from the zoo’s Andean and sloth bears, lays oversized paw prints through a winter woodland. Field of Wishes spreads thousands of points of light across open ground on the way to the last stop.
The returning favorites are the ones people turn up for. Flutter Flair opens the evening under a 22-foot Butterfly Tree carrying 4,000 illuminated butterflies. Slither & Shimmer runs a snake of more than 5,000 lights through purples, blues and greens, with dragonflies, ladybugs and grasshoppers for company. Flamingo Fancy is a 25-foot tree made of about 1,500 lawn flamingos. Starlit Savannah lights the African Plains with giraffes and a rhinoceros standing against a sky that shifts from sunset to stars.
Bring the Zoo Key
If there is a Zoo Key in a drawer at your house, this is the year to find it. Five displays have interactive activations keyed to it: Flutter Flair, Impala Fountain, Monkey Business, Flamingo Fancy and The Enchanted Forest, which is presided over by a Postmaster General Owl. Keys are on sale at the zoo for anyone who never had one.
KidZooU stays open nightly from 5 to 7 p.m. with something happening every half hour, including ambassador animal meet-and-greets, keeper chats and enrichment sessions. The 110-foot Philly Zoo Pherris Wheel closes the route, and the zoo notes it is making its only appearance of 2026 during this run.
At Santa Claws’ Lodge in the Garden Pavilion there are holiday trees decorated by West Philadelphia community groups, under the heading Our Neck of the Woods, and visitors vote for a favorite. It is a small thing and it is the most local thing on the map.
Tickets, times and the grown-ups’ night
Timed admission runs $27 to $33 for adults 12 and older and $22 to $28 for children 2 to 11. Children under 2 are free. Anytime tickets are $34 and $29. Members get 10 to 20 percent off depending on level, and admission-plus-Pherris-Wheel bundles are available every operating night.
There is also a first: a LumiNature Cocktail Walk on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 9 p.m., with six tastings at six locations around the zoo and a final pour at 8:45 p.m. It is 21 and over and a photo ID is required.
One more thing, aimed at anyone in a choir. The zoo is taking applications from local performers, singers, musicians, dancers and theater groups, to play roughly 30 minutes on select evenings. Performers get in free and their families get a discounted rate. The deadline is November 13.
“From unlocking surprises with your Zoo Key to meeting Santa Claws, there’s magic around every corner,” said Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman, the zoo’s president and chief executive. “In the spirit of the season, we’re inviting guests to help make wishes come true for animals here at the Zoo and around the world.”
The wishes are not purely decorative, as it happens. The zoo is updating its animal wish list page so that a guest who liked a particular letter can act on it. That is a tidier piece of fundraising design than most light festivals manage, and it sits comfortably beside the zoo’s other recent work, including the opening of Carey Bear Country. The zoo’s own closing advice is to dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.
Quick answers
- When does LumiNature 2026 open and close?
It opens Thursday, November 19, 2026, and runs most nights through Saturday, January 9, 2027, from 5 to 9 p.m.
- How much are tickets?
Timed admission is $27 to $33 for adults 12 and older and $22 to $28 for children 2 to 11. Children under 2 are free. Anytime tickets are $34 for adults and $29 for children. Members receive 10 to 20 percent off depending on membership level.
- What is new at LumiNature this year?
Five displays: the North Pole Post Office, Wishes from the Wild, Monkey Business, Bear Whispers and Field of Wishes. The 40-foot penguin at Bird Lake Plaza, lit by roughly 40,000 bulbs, is also new to that spot, and the whole route is built around illuminated letters to Santa Claws.
- Who is Santa Claws?
A lion, and the host of this year’s holiday story. Guests can visit him at his lodge at the Garden Pavilion for a selfie-style photograph.
- What is the Book of Wishes?
A keepsake booklet handed to guests on arrival. It carries clues to collect at the 14 stops along the route.
- Do I need a Zoo Key?
No, but it unlocks interactive surprises at five displays: Flutter Flair, Impala Fountain, Monkey Business, Flamingo Fancy and The Enchanted Forest. Keys can be bought at the zoo.
- What is the LumiNature Cocktail Walk?
A first this year: Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m., with six tastings at six locations around the zoo and a final pour at 8:45 p.m. It is for guests 21 and over and a valid photo ID is required.
- Can local performers take part?
Yes. The zoo is accepting applications from choirs, singers, musicians, dancers and theater groups to perform for about 30 minutes on select evenings, with a November 13 deadline. Performers get complimentary admission and their guests get a discounted rate.
