The Oklahoma City Zoo is flipping the switch on its sixth annual Safari Lights starting Nov. 14, bringing back the drive-through and walk-through holiday light displays along with a lineup of new add-ons, including private heated igloos and a 21-and-older lounge called the Holiday Hideaway. The event runs through Jan. 3, 2027, with nightly hours from 5:30 to 11 p.m. and a final check-in cutoff of 9:30 p.m.
Reservations are made online in advance, and the zoo has said availability is limited, according to Oklahoma Gazette. Visitors can choose between walking the grounds or driving through to see the lights, decorations and displays, and ticket prices scale depending on membership status and which admission type guests pick, per KOCO.
What Tickets Cost This Year
Drive-through admission starts at $45 for ZOOfriends members, according to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Walk-through tickets alone start at $10 for members, the zoo's event page notes. Ticket sales are final, and the zoo says all Safari Lights tickets are non-refundable.
The event is billed as running rain or shine, though the zoo reserves the right to delay, modify or cancel it during severe weather or extreme temperatures, per the same source. That policy applies across the full 51-day run, which stretches from mid-November through the first few days of January.
Sleigh Rides, Igloos and an Adults-Only Lounge
For guests who want more than a stroll past the lights, Safari Sleigh Ride tours are available in two nightly slots, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m., though the zoo says those reservations need to be booked two weeks ahead of time. Private heated igloos are also available to rent, starting at $230 for members and $250 for nonmembers, the zoo's listing shows.
New this season is the Holiday Hideaway, a space reserved for guests 21 and older that includes cocktails and is bundled into walk-through admission on select nights, according to the same event page. Live performances are scheduled near the zoo's main entrance from 6 to 8 p.m. on select evenings throughout the run, and those shows are included with walk-through tickets as well, Oklahoma Gazette reports.
Santa's Schedule Still Murky
Santa is set to make appearances at Safari Lights again this year, though exactly when and whether meeting him costs extra depends on which source you check. Oklahoma Gazette reports Santa will be on-site Thursdays through Sundays from Nov. 14 through Dec. 24, from 6 to 10 p.m., and that photos with him are included at no additional charge. MetroFamily Magazine lists photos at $35 to $75. Separately, MetroFamily Magazine lists a different set of Santa visit dates altogether — Nov. 15-16, 22-30, and Dec. 4-7, 11-14 and 18-28 — leaving the exact schedule unsettled ahead of opening night.
Why the Zoo Keeps Expanding the Event
Jenna Dodson, the zoo's director of events and sales, said Oklahomans have turned Safari Lights into an annual tradition for families and friends, according to KOCO. She said the zoo's teams build out each year's event elements and extras with the goal of creating holiday memories and deepening visitors' connection to the zoo, per the same report.
With six seasons now under its belt, Safari Lights has grown from a lights-and-drive-through outing into an event with tiered ticketing, rentable igloos, timed sleigh rides and an adults-only lounge. Anyone planning a visit will want to lock in reservations early, given the zoo's own warning that spots are limited this year.
