The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is flipping the switch on its annual holiday light spectacular, with Wildlights set to run from Nov. 20, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, lighting up the zoo grounds seven nights a week starting at 5 p.m. This year's edition brings two brand-new attractions: a trail of towering illuminated animal sculptures and a sprawling LEGO display built piece by piece by a local brick-building group.
New For 2026: Glowing Giants and a Brick Menagerie
According to Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the headline addition this season is Starlight Safari, a display of seven larger-than-life animal sculptures representing each region of the zoo, with each figure illuminated by thousands of points of light. The sculptures depict a polar bear, an Asian elephant and calf, a Florida manatee, a western lowland gorilla, a Masai giraffe, a red kangaroo and a California sea lion, per the zoo, with the gorilla display set to arrive sometime in December. Starlight Safari is located in Adventure Cove and, per the zoo, also includes celestial music and the Pixel Passage tunnel of lights.
The other new centerpiece is Bricktopia: An Array of WILD Builds, a LEGO exhibit created in partnership with OhioLUG and housed inside the Naomi Coyle Dempsey Quest for Enlightenment Interpretive Center, the zoo notes. The display features nine mosaics depicting zoo character ambassadors, along with a built-in train display, a holiday animal village and a life-sized polar bear cub sculpture constructed from more than 24,000 bricks.
Returning Favorites and Fresh Light Shows
Wildlights is also bringing back the Conservation Lake animated light displays, the Oak Ridge Bears Jingle Jamboree and the Wildlights Reindeer Experience, as reported by 10TV. The event will also feature a Starlight Constellation Quest alongside enhanced holiday projections and additional holiday lighting, per the same report. Those additions join the millions of dazzling LED zoo lights, animated musical light shows and festive activities the event is known for, as the zoo's own site describes it.
Admission to Wildlights is included with regular zoo admission or a Columbus Zoo membership, and several rides come along with the ticket. Rides on the Columbus Zoo Train, the Yule Tide Boat Ride and the carousel are all included with admission, according to the zoo. The Yule Tide Boat Ride and the Wild Explorer Virtual Reality experience are available only through Dec. 31, and Santa will not be available for photos after Dec. 23.
Hours, Closures and Animal Viewing Tips
Wildlights runs Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., per the zoo. The event will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to visitdublinohio.com.
Zoo representatives are encouraging guests to arrive before 4 p.m. if they hope to catch animals like gorillas and orangutans, who tend to settle in for the night early, per the zoo. Other animals, including reindeer and tigers, may still be visible outdoors later in the evening, and additional species such as sea lions, harbor seals, manatees and reptiles can be seen in their indoor habitats. The zoo is also suggesting guests allow extra travel time, consider visiting on weekdays and buy tickets in advance, per 10TV.
Exactly how many years Wildlights has been running is a point of disagreement between sources: 10TV describes the 2026 event as the zoo's 38th year, while visitdublinohio.com refers to it as the 37th. Either way, the tradition continues a long run of transforming the zoo grounds into what organizers describe as a glowing winter wonderland.
