Lincoln Park Zoo Lights – A Colorful Lights Extravaganza Like No Other
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Chicago is one of my favorite cities to spend Christmas in due to the many festive events and high chance of snow. Growing up in the area, I always looked forward to the cold snowy months as this is when most of the fun events take place. Although I have been to many zoo lights across the US, Lincoln Park remains my favorite.
This zoo is one of many great free attractions in the Chicago area. December is an ideal time to visit Lincoln Park Zoo. This zoo offers a fantastic holiday Zoo Lights event which stands out as one of the best light displays in the state. They began charging a few years ago ($7-10), which is still a great deal compared to other zoos. 2024 marked the 30th anniversary of this amazing tradition. Whenever I am home for the holidays (which isn’t that often), attending this colorful event is top of my bucket list.
In my opinion, the lighting display here is better than the popular Holiday Magic event at Brookfield Zoo as the lights are more colorful and the zoo is much more compact. And thus, the display looks more organized. You will not see many animals at night, however, the indoor exhibits are still open.
This is great as Chicago winters are often brutally cold, so it’s nice to have a warm escape. Visiting this zoo is just one of many great attractions I recommend checking out during the long dark winter season. The indoor primate and lion exhibits are pretty cool. Not as fantastic as Tropic World which is one of my favorite exhibits of any zoo.
Seeing the amazing ice carving demonstrations is my favorite part about this festival. These artists are really talented and it’s hard to believe what they can create with a simple block of ice! We saw a few different ice carvings including a shark, octopus, and giraffe -check them out! Amazing work…
The lights are so colorful and beautiful, especially the tunnel of trees. You can really tell that there was some major effort put into stringing the lights as opposed to carelessly flopping them over the branches. The synchronized light and music show is also amazing. Numerous festivities are held throughout the holiday season including caroling, ice carving demonstrations, and visits from Santa. Specialty holiday drinks and snacks are available, so grab a hot cocoa to keep you warm while you enjoy the display.
So Festive and Colorful!
I love that this zoo features such a colorful variety of lights instead of just white everywhere. The lights are not just sloppily thrown up either. You can really tell that much time and dedication was put into making this event beautiful! Although I prefer Brookfield Zoo for its’ world-class exhibits, Lincoln Park zoo wins the award for the best zoo lights festival!
I love the gorgeous candy cane lights
Look at how perfectly these lights are strung on these trees. I imagine this took forever and was super frustrating.
Lots of fun LED wire displays throughout the grounds. You will see everything including: toy soldiers, penguins, giraffes, and cat displays.
Mike and I really loved this adorable snowman photo opportunity. What a great spot to take holiday photos for greeting cards.
I love the fact that LPZ offers free admission and is located just a few minutes north of downtown Chicago! Update: As of 2025, zoo lights is now $7-10 per person, although admission is still free on select Mondays.
Address
- Address: 2001 N Clark St Chicago, IL 60614
- Dates: The event runs from mid November through early January. Closed major holidays.
- Admission: Tickets range from $7-10. Free general admission on Mondays.
- Learn more about this zoo
*Pricing and dates current as of 2025. Please check the website for current pricing as well as special promotions and new events.
