December 18, 2024

Tis’ the wonderful holiday season, and many folks (myself included) will be venturing out to look for fun, themed holiday experiences. From humble operations in small towns and neighborhoods to major separately ticketed events at renowned theme parks, the holidays present an interesting opportunity for creatives to present unique experiences. I’ve been very fortunate to experience many holiday attractions of all sizes over the years, and one of my favorite experiences is the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights.

Festival of Lights

The Festival of Lights is a seasonal holiday event at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. It features a full-zoo light display with millions of lights, special shows, and experiences.

This is a truly special event. Lights seem to adorn every part of the zoo, and special decorations and lighting match different sections. It’s not like lights, colors, and displays are just randomly thrown around – it feels like a cohesive, carefully considered display. For example, animal exhibits may have impressive animal light-ups or a decorated exhibit name that add a small dynamic element to enjoy. Besides being pleasant to look at, these displays serve as easily recognizable exhibit markers for the darker zoo, too. It’s details like this that really capture a special feeling and put this above other experiences out there.

Simply walking through the zoo and appreciating the lights feels like a satisfying experience on its own. But on top of that, some animal exhibits are still viewable at night, there are character meet and greets, simple scavenger hunt experiences, unique food offerings (at an additional charge), and more. And to me, what makes all of this so impressive is the cost – all of this is included with a single admission ticket. So for one reasonably priced ticket, you can experience the zoo during the day and experience all of the special offerings exclusive to Festival of Lights.

It’s hard to find any negatives when there is so much on offer for one reasonably priced ticket, especially taking into account the costs of some of the pricy local competition. It’s a fun, family friendly event that I love attending and I emphatically recommend. Really, my only word of caution is about parking, as the event can get busy and parking is unfortunately not included with a general admission ticket. Other than that, though, I firmly believe that this is one of the best holiday experiences around.

My Experience in 2024

This will be brief, as my experience this year was great as always! I went with my girlfriend and we had a great time walking around the zoo and enjoying all the lights. We arrived relatively early too, so parking wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. The event had a decent crowd, but it wasn’t busy enough to feel overwhelming. It was a fun experience, and I’ll be excited to enjoy it again in the years to come. If you’re reading this during the holiday season, I recommend you check it out! It’s a charming, cheerful experience at a reasonable cost.