Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is back in the running for the title of best zoo lights display in the country, hoping to extend a winning streak that now stretches eight years deep. Voting in USA Today's 10Best competition began Monday and runs through the end of the month, giving fans of the zoo's dazzling holiday display another shot to push it to the top of the national rankings.
According to WLWT, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has won the Best Zoo Lights poll for eight consecutive years, a run that underscores just how popular the PNC Festival of Lights has become nationally. Voters can cast one ballot per day, and that daily window stays open until noon ET on Monday, Nov. 30, per USA Today's 10Best. The outlet lists Cincinnati's display, the PNC Festival of Lights, as one of the contenders vying for the top spot this year.
USA Today plans to announce the top 10 winning displays on Thursday, Dec. 3, giving the zoo a decision just days after voting closes. The station's report notes that the festival itself is a major draw on its own, regardless of how the poll shakes out, thanks to the sheer scale of its lighting display.
Five Million Lights Return to Cincinnati Zoo Grounds
This year's Festival of Lights is set to open Nov. 19 and run through Jan. 3, with a member preview night scheduled for Nov. 18, per the same account. The display will once again feature five million LED lights illuminating the zoo grounds, according to 10Best, turning the Cincinnati property into one of the largest lighting spectacles in the Midwest each winter.
Festival of Lights admission is included with general zoo admission, the station reports, meaning visitors don't need a separate ticket to see the lights once they're inside. The zoo will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so holiday visitors will need to plan around those dates.
A Streak Built on National Recognition
The zoo's eighth consecutive poll win in 2025 reflects a sustained run of success in the 10Best competition, the report notes. Last year's 43rd annual PNC Festival of Lights ran through Jan. 4, 2026, and was described by cincinnati.com as having been voted the No. 1 zoo lights display in the country by USA Today's 10Best. This year's edition trims a day off the calendar, closing Jan. 3 instead, but keeps the same five-million-light footprint that's made it a perennial contender.
For now, the outcome of the 2026 vote remains unsettled, with results not due until the first week of December. Whether the zoo claims a ninth straight title or not, the lights themselves are set to switch on in just over two weeks, giving Cincinnati families their annual chance to walk through the display and judge for themselves.
