LumiNature Light Up the Philadelphia Zoo with Over One Million Sparkling Lights, New Installations, & Anytime Tickets
The Philadelphia zoo is lit. No, literally the zoo is lit this year with one million sparkling lights as part of the yearly LumiNature experience. The Philadelphia Zoo’s spectacular winter light show experience, LumiNature Presented by PNC, is back this holiday season popular installations as well as some new ones. wildlife and the beauty of our planet.
Highlights this year include two brand-new illuminated zones, Shimmer River and LumiNature Lane, along with the return of fan favorites like Penguin Prismatic featuring a 40 ft. tall penguin glimmering with 40,000 lights, our iconic 25 ft. tall tree made entirely of 1,500 lit flamingo lawn ornaments and so much more. At Shimmer River, take a journey through the jungle and enter a 100 ft. long tunnel filled with 4,000 lights, creating dynamic scenes from growing vines, to blooming flowers, multicolored kaleidoscopes and more. At LumiNature Lane, local artists are lending their talents and painting 3 ft. tall paper lanterns that will beautifully shine under a canopy of lights to tell the wondrous story of LumiNature.
New for this year, Santa will be stopping by on December 1, 8 & 15 from 5:00-8:00pm to take selfies with guests inside the Zoo’s Treehouse! This add on is free to Zoo members. Guests can purchase a $10 ticket per group to enter the Zoo’s exclusive members-only space to get their photos with Santa.
For added excitement, go on a Nature Blazers Scavenger Hunt powered by TRAKID through our 16 zones of sparkle. Wearing a smart compass, complete challenges and answer trivia questions at each stop through an interactive mobile app. This engaging add on is recommended for ages 4 & up, costs $10 per wristband and is available for purchase at the kiosk inside the main gate.
The adventure begins Friday, November 17 and runs select nights through Saturday, January 6. This nighttime experience features timed entrance tickets available every half hour from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and closes at 9:00pm or 10:00pm depending on the visit date. Tickets for adults ages 12+ are $25 to $28, children ages 2-11 are $20 to $23, and children under 2 years old are free. Purchase Anytime Tickets ($32 for adults and $27 for children) and visit LumiNature any operating night without advance reservations, only available now through November 15. Zoo members receive a discount on all tickets. For tickets and membership information, visit philadelphiazoo.org/
“The holiday season is such an important time to reconnect with what’s important to us, and LumiNature Presented by PNC is designed to do just that,” says Philadelphia Zoo Chief Experience and Marketing Officer Amy Shearer. “This truly magical experience will delight and inspire guests of all ages, with brand new custom-designed displays and the return of family favorites with added sparkle.”
“The Philadelphia Zoo, America’s first zoo, is a shining star in our city that attracts visitors of all ages throughout the year,” said Joseph G. Meterchick, PNC Bank Regional President for Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. “Now, LumiNature shines a light on the wonders of the natural world around us and serves as a terrific way to welcome the wonders of the holiday season. We look forward to experiencing LumiNature with families and neighbors across our region.”
LumiNature is a full-scale nighttime holiday light show extravaganza that takes over the entire footprint of Philadelphia Zoo after hours. Dazzling sights, sounds and surprises throughout the Zoo will create magical illusions of hundreds of butterflies gathering on an enormous tree, giant cat eyes blinking in the night and hundreds of penguins hosting an outdoor party of their very own. LumiNature is designed to inspire a sense of wonder and connection as all these elements come together in this experience available nowhere else in America.
LumiNature presented by PNC by the numbers will feature:
* Over a million lights and 10+ miles of power cord
* New 20 ft. tall coral reef and under the sea-inspired holiday tree featuring a giant sea turtle
* New enormous, sparkling waterfall and vine wall featuring 20,000 lights
*150,000 sparkling pink and aquamarine lights
* 200,000 lights shining above the Septa PZ Express Train
* 40 ft. tall penguin glowing with 40,000 lights
* Over 1500 illuminated flamingos and 200 illuminated penguins
* Pretty in pink 25 ft. tall flamingo holiday tree
* 100 ft. long jungle tunnel shining with 4,000 lights
* 22 ft. tall butterfly tree covered in 4,000 butterflies
* 20 ft. tall snake shimmering with 5,000 lights
* 15 ft. tall blue gorilla wearing a glowing lei
* 20 giant, floating jellyfish
LumiNature Presented by PNC will be open select nights Friday, November 17 through Saturday, January 6. LumiNature is a nighttime experience, with timed entrance tickets available every half hour from 5:00pm to 8:00pm with the experience closing at 9:00pm or 10:00pm depending on visit date.
