Hogle Zoo has flipped the switch on its after-dark Halloween season, opening BooLights this week with glowing displays, a zombie-themed ranger tour and a puppet show starring Dr. Frankenstein herself. The event runs Thursdays through Sundays from September 24 through October 18, then shifts to nightly shows from October 22 through October 30, with gates open from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. each night.
Billed as an after-dark Halloween experience, BooLights fills the zoo's grounds with immersive and interactive displays once the sun goes down, according to ABC4 Utah. Adult tickets run $24.95, while non-member children's tickets cost $19.95, and Hogle Halloween members save $2 per ticket and get one free festive popcorn bag per household. Organizers recommend budgeting roughly 90 minutes to see the full lineup of displays and interactive shows, per a post from Welcome to Salt Lake City.
What's Actually Open After Dark
Because most of the zoo's residents are asleep in their habitats by showtime, BooLights leans on themed programming rather than typical animal viewing, the same ABC4 report notes. One centerpiece is a Zombie Ranger tour that winds through the Wild Utah exhibit, a three-acre expansion that extends guest access to the zoo's east side and opened in May 2024, according to Utah's Hogle Zoo. That same habitat is normally home to native species including cougars, desert bighorn sheep, bobcats, badgers, gray foxes and western toads, the zoo says.
Elsewhere, guests can catch a 25-minute puppet program at Dr. Frankenstein's Mad Lab, where Dr. Frankenstein and Igor tackle ways to save endangered species, ABC4 reports. Another stop offers interactions and educational information about spiders' environmental roles and adaptations. Rides on the Eccles Express train and the Conservation Carousel are also part of the lineup, with train tickets running an extra $3.50; the Eccles Express runs on a zero-emissions electric locomotive powered by solar panels on its train shed through Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program.
Costumes Welcome, With Limits
Visitors are encouraged to dress up for the occasion, though the zoo asks guests to skip full-face coverings, weapons, prop weapons or large props. Mountain America Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of the event, officially titled Hogle Halloween: A BooLights Experience, according to Utah's Hogle Zoo.
The seasonal event arrives on the heels of a milestone year for the zoo. In September 2025, Hogle Zoo earned Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation with a perfect inspection score, becoming just the 10th institution in the AZA's 51-year history to receive a completely clean evaluation with zero concerns noted. Fewer than 10 percent of U.S. zoos are AZA-accredited; Hogle Zoo has held that accreditation continuously since 1979.
A Long History In Emigration Canyon
Hogle Zoo has occupied its current 42-acre site at the mouth of Emigration Canyon since August 1, 1931, after an earlier facility at Liberty Park, per ThrillZing. The land was donated by local business leader James A. Hogle and his wife. Today the zoo draws more than 1 million visitors a year and houses roughly 800 animals, according to the same outlet.
Fall programming has also included community outreach in past years; in October 2025, the zoo offered free BooLights and daytime entry to educators with valid school identification, along with half-price admission for up to two guests. It's unclear whether the same educator discount applies to this year's run.
