More than 70 hand-crafted lantern displays will light up the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium this fall as the park's after-hours Lantern Festival returns for its third year, running Thursdays through Sundays from August 20 through October 25. The nighttime event, held rain or shine from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., features new colorful dinosaur lanterns alongside the multicolor LED displays that have become a signature of the Powell attraction's evening programming.
According to WBNS, the festival combines centuries-old lantern-making traditions with modern technology, and admission is not included with daytime zoo tickets — guests must purchase a separate ticket for the after-hours event. That craftsmanship traces back further than most visitors realize: according to Columbus on the Cheap, the tradition of illuminated lanterns dates to China's Han Dynasty, between 206 B.C. and 220 A.D., when the displays were first created in connection with Buddhist worship practices.
The lanterns themselves are handcrafted by Zigong artists, per the station's report, and the production behind them is far more elaborate than a simple string of lights. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has detailed that producing the festival's glowing sculptures requires roughly 30,000 hours of handcrafting by master artisans in Zigong, China, who follow a 12-step process involving steel framing, rust-proofing, rayon-satin skinning, and LED wiring. The zoo says displays are designed in-house before being hand-welded and fabric-covered by those artisans.
A Toronto Producer Behind the Glow
The festival is produced in partnership with Hanart Culture, a Toronto-based company that the zoo notes was established in 2003 as an acrobatic and martial arts promoter before expanding into lantern festivals and animatronic dinosaur productions in 2012. That production history helps explain why this year's lineup includes new dinosaur lanterns alongside the animal-themed displays, per the same account from the zoo.
The event first launched in August 2024 as part of a broader push by zoo leadership to expand evening operating hours and establish the Columbus Zoo as a year-round destination, according to Coaster101. That inaugural event featured more than 1,200 individual lantern pieces across 60 display sets. In its 2025 season, the festival expanded into the zoo's newly developed North America Trek region, adding mythical creature lanterns and interactive features such as light swings and stomp pads, the zoo has said.
What's Included and What's Open Late
This year's festival includes complimentary rides, themed food and drinks, and photo opportunities, along with live entertainment, 10TV reports. A floating lantern display returns to Conservation Lake, and interactive experiences are set up in Adventure Cove and around the lake. Several animal areas will also stay open later than usual: Stingray Bay is open until 10 p.m. for viewing only, without feeding, and the Sea Lion and Seal Tunnel in Adventure Cove stays open until 10:30 p.m.
The Reptile Building, the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, and the Aquarium at Discovery Reef in Shores and Aquarium will each be open until 8:30 p.m., while the North America Trek Barn remains open until 10:30 p.m. for viewing only. Select North America Trek animals may access both indoor and outdoor habitats, and elephants in Asia Quest will have access to at least one outdoor yard, weather permitting. The Naomi Coyle Dempsey Quest for Enlightenment Interpretive Center in Asia Quest stays open until 10:30 p.m., and Jack Hanna's Animal Encounters Village in Adventure Cove is open until 8 p.m. Select animals can be viewed throughout the festival, and the zoo also offers private guided tours on certain nights when the festival is closed to the public.
Ticket Prices and Where the Money Goes
Non-member tickets for the 2026 after-hours festival are priced at $25.99 for adults and $22.99 for children, while Columbus Zoo members receive discounted entry at $18.99 for adults and $15.99 for children, according to information the zoo shared on Facebook. Proceeds from ticket sales support the zoo's conservation program, which Coaster101 reports funds more than 75 wildlife conservation initiatives across more than 20 countries.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium spans 580 acres in Powell, Ohio, and houses more than 10,000 animals across 600 species, drawing more than 2 million visitors annually, making it one of the largest and most-visited zoological parks in the Midwest. Lantern festivals at zoos and botanical gardens have become a widespread trend nationally, with 44 major events operating across the country in 2026, according to a Chinese Lantern Festivals Guide tracking the industry.
Festival Returns Amid Ongoing Fee Dispute
This fall's festival arrives as the Columbus Zoo continues to appeal a court decision allowing Liberty Township to enforce a 75-cent per-ticket surcharge on admissions, a fee intended to cover fire and emergency medical services. Hoodline previously reported that the township instituted the charge after logging roughly 100 emergency service calls to the park in a single year. That litigation remains separate from the festival's own admission pricing, but it underscores the municipal tensions surrounding one of the region's biggest tourist draws even as it expands its evening offerings.
