More than 3.5 million lights are set to blanket Brookfield Zoo Chicago starting Nov. 21, as the beloved Holiday Magic festival returns for its 45th year and will run on select nights through Jan. 3, 2027. The zoo says this year's run stretches an extended 32 nights, with three additional dates added to the calendar beyond the usual schedule.
According to brookfieldzoo.org, Holiday Magic will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. on designated festival nights, with tickets starting at $29.95 and free admission for zoo members. Parking runs $17 at the Main Entrance, or North Gate, and $20 at the South Gate. As Shaw Local reports, the festival follows its opening days with a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule, and the zoo has tacked on extra open dates of Nov. 23-25, Dec. 21-23 and Dec. 28-30.
Katie Back, associate vice president of marketing at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, said Holiday Magic has been an iconic part of how Chicagoans experience the holiday season for 45 years, per the same report. The festival's light count alone has made it a fixture for families across the region looking for a reliable seasonal tradition.
An Expanded Maze, Though the Numbers Don't Quite Match
One of the headline additions this year is an expanded illuminated maze, though the zoo's own materials describe it differently depending on where you look. The event page on brookfieldzoo.org calls it a 90-by-60-foot maze, while the zoo's 45th-anniversary press release describes the same feature as twice as big as before and stretching 100 feet long. Either way, it's billed as a bigger walk-through experience than in past years.
Beyond the maze, Holiday Magic will feature more than 1,000 illuminated trees, Candy Cane Lane and Sweet Street, a holiday market, and festive photo opportunities scattered throughout the grounds. The Living Coast exhibit will be transformed into the Sparkling Coast for the season, and a new Flaminglow Forest display joins the mix. Hamill Family Nature Plaza will also feature a throwback-inspired display complete with a boombox, cassette player, headphones and a Santa figure.
Santa's Workshop Moves Into the Historic Pachyderm Building
The historic Pachyderm building will reopen this year as Santa's Workshop, giving guests a spot to meet Santa, though the space will not offer animal viewing. Visitors can also drop letters addressed to Santa or to the zoo's animals into an express North Pole mailbox set up for the occasion.
Several animal buildings will stay open during festival hours, including Australia, Clouded Leopard Forest, Gorilla Conservation Center, Hamill Family Play Zoo, The Swamp, The Living Coast and Tropic World. The Gorilla Conservation Center will serve strictly as a warming station this season, and Tropic World will stay open until 7 p.m.
A Sensory-Friendly Night and a Full Slate of Special Events
On Dec. 3, Holiday Magic will host a sensory-friendly night, with dimmed lights, softer music and reduced visual effects designed for guests who find the festival's usual sensory load overwhelming. The modified evening is one of several add-on events scattered across the run.
Earlier in the season, the zoo kicks things off with a Tree Trim on Nov. 7 and 8, followed by the Reindeer Run, a two-mile fun run, on Nov. 14. A Holiday Sip & Stroll for guests 21 and older follows on Nov. 20, and the Women's Board hosts its Holly Jolly Gingerbread Party fundraiser on Dec. 5. Dinner with Santa is scheduled for Dec. 18-20, with seatings at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m., and senior holiday lights tours will be offered on select nights throughout the run.
Holiday Hours and a Companion Film on Tubi
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, located in Brookfield, Illinois, will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, but will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Tickets and additional information for Holiday Magic are available at brookfieldzoo.org/events.
Families who can't make it in person — or want to extend the holiday mood at home — can stream Christmas at the Zoo free on Tubi starting Nov. 10, giving the festival a reach well beyond its 32 nights on the Brookfield grounds.
