CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Holiday magic is back at Brookfield Zoo!
Guests are welcome to join Brookfield Zoo in celebrating the 40 years of festive fun at Holiday Magic, Chicagoland’s longest-running lights festival.
Holiday Magic features over two million twinkling LED lights; and has several new features this year, including the “Sea of Lights." Featuring more than two miles of colorful, sparkling lights, the zoo’s entire West Mall has been transformed into a magical creation of waves immersing guests in the holiday spirit. Adjacent to the spectacular display, guests can feel the season’s cheer while strolling through the 600-foot-long “Tunnel of Lights," synchronized to music.
Additionally, guests will be mesmerized as they look up at the zoo’s 41-foot-tall tree. Located at the north entrance, the "show-stopping" attraction is adorned with thousands of brilliantly colored LED lights and choreographed to seasonal tunes, according to the zoo. Plus, the walkways along the zoo’s malls and around Roosevelt Fountain shine with more than 700 community and corporate trees decorated with ornaments. There will also be larger-than-life illuminated animal sculptures, including a giraffe, bison, bear, and reindeer, to add to the ambiance throughout the park.
And the festive fun does not stop there! Also new this year, is a 3D 16-foot-tall gingerbread house that guests can walk through and is the perfect backdrop for a family snapshot. Additional photo opportunities await inside the ever-popular luminous 20-foot-tall orb aglow with thousands of sparkling lights, a holiday-themed festive frame, and even a Santa Claus cutout.
According to Brookfield Zoo, several indoor and outdoor animal habitats, including Tropic World, Pachyderm House, Big Cats, Swamp, Feathers and Scales, Reptiles and Birds, Living Coast, Hamill Family Wild Encounters, Seven Seas underwater viewing gallery, Great Bear Wilderness, Australia House, and Hamill Family Play Zoo, are open during Holiday Magic. All indoor animal buildings close at 8:30 p.m., with the exception of Tropic World and Hamill Family Play Zoo, which close at 8 p.m. In addition, Dolphins in Action presentations are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. each night of Holiday Magic.
But wait, there's more!
Guests can also take a spin on the skating rink, located on the East Mall. The rink is made of synthetic plastic known as Glice—a material composed of heat-pressed layers of polymers—so no water or electricity is required for operation. The cost for unlimited time for all skaters on the rink is $7. A limited number of skates are available to rent for a $5 fee. Skaters are welcome to bring their own skates.
Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo takes place on Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, and 26-31 from 3 to 9 p.m. Prior to arriving at the zoo for an evening filled with memorable moments, guests are required to secure advanced admission and parking tickets online at CZS.org/HolidayMagic.
Reservation times for Holiday Magic are available in 15-minute increments. Zoo admission and parking tickets, which must be reserved in advance at CZS.org/HolidayMagic, are $24.95 for adults, $17.95 for children ages 3-11, and $19.95 for seniors 65 and over. Parking is $15. All tickets are nonrefundable.
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