The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is gearing up for its seventh annual Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild, with more than 50 handcrafted lantern displays set to glow along the zoo's grounds in Sanford starting in November. The festival, presented by Publix, draws more than 100,000 guests each year and has become one of Orlando's premier holiday traditions, transforming the zoo's paths into a nighttime spectacle of light, sound, and scenic design.
The event runs on select nights from November 13, 2026, through January 17, 2027, according to Historic Downtown Sanford. As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, the festival features a three-quarter-mile loop around the zoo that immerses visitors in colorful natural lands integrated into the landscape, with displays including space, North American animals, the polar experience, and traditional Chinese lanterns. Central Florida Zoo CEO Richard Glover said in a news release, per the Sentinel's reporting, that the festival “brings wonder and excitement to the community while showcasing the zoo in a new way.”
Sensory and Adults-Only Nights Return
This season again includes two sensory nights with adjusted sound and lighting elements, set for December 1 and January 12, along with two 21-and-older adults-only evenings on December 10 and January 5, per the Sentinel's account of the schedule. The festival is also offering buy-outs for select nights, and group reservations are already underway, with inquiries directed to [email protected]. Family and individual tickets go on sale October 1, 2026, the Sentinel reports.
Publix Media Relations Manager Hannah Herring said in a news release that the grocery chain is proud to support the festival and bring it to families across Central Florida, according to the Sentinel's coverage. The zoo is continuing its collaboration with Publix for another festival season, marking a partnership that has helped the event grow into a marquee winter attraction.
From 40,000 Visitors to a Record-Breaking Season
The festival's growth has been dramatic. It launched at the Sanford zoo in November 2019 with roughly 40,000 attendees, according to the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a hiatus in 2020. It returned as an annual holiday fixture starting in late 2021, per EnjoyFlorida. By the 2024–2025 season, ticket sales had climbed to 120,000, an attendance record for the event and a figure that represents nearly half of the zoo's typical annual daytime visitation of 275,000 to 300,000 guests.
That surge underscores how much evening light festivals have become financial engines for zoological parks looking to offset seasonal winter drop-offs. The Central Florida Zoo operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1986, meaning proceeds from the festival help support animal care and conservation work year-round.
Artisans From China's Lantern Capital
The unique holiday lights are crafted by Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., a Chicago-based company that serves as the U.S. arm of a manufacturer located in Zigong, China — a municipality whose lantern-making craft was officially named a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China in 2008, according to Tianyu Arts & Culture. The festival's more than 50 custom handcrafted displays are illuminated by thousands of LED lights, built around welded steel frameworks and fabric, per Orlando Shine.
Tianyu's production teams also custom-engineer multi-ton steel and fabric floating lanterns specifically to fit natural bodies of water within the zoo grounds, a process the company has detailed in its own accounts of building large-scale installations around zoos, aquariums, and gardens nationwide. The same company recently designed a Chinese lantern festival at an outdoor venue in Denver, a project Hoodline previously covered.
A Century-Old Zoo on Lake Monroe
The Central Florida Zoo has deep roots in Seminole County. It originally opened in 1923 as the Sanford Municipal Zoo with animals donated by local firefighters, before relocating to its current 116-acre site along Lake Monroe on July 4, 1975, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. Famed zoologist Jack Hanna served as the zoo's director from 1973 to 1975 and helped orchestrate that move to Lake Monroe before later taking over the Columbus Zoo.
Advance online purchase has been required for timed entry slots at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., or 8 p.m. in recent festival seasons, with no walk-up sales permitted, according to Orlando Shine. General single tickets have run $26.99, with a Family 4-Pack priced at $88, though it remains unclear whether pricing will change for the 2026–2027 season. Hoodline has also reported on other recent developments at the Sanford zoo, including a free August promotion for kids and a bomb scare that briefly emptied the grounds in June.
