Lincoln Park ZooLights: dates, ticket prices, and the free Mondays
ZooLights runs Nov. 20 to Jan. 3 at Lincoln Park Zoo. Here are the dates, ticket prices, how the four free Mondays work, and parking tips.
You know the night: it's dark by five, everyone's in their heaviest coat, and somebody in the back seat asks whether the zoo lights are on yet. This year they come on Friday, Nov. 20, the week before Thanksgiving, and stay up through Jan. 3, 2027. Tickets bought ahead start at $7. On four Mondays you can get in free if you reserve early. Here are the dates, the prices, how the free nights work and how to deal with parking.
The short answer
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo runs Nov. 20, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Last entry is at 8 p.m., so if you get there at 8:15 you won't get in.
It's closed on these nights:
- Thursday, Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving)
- Tuesdays Dec. 1, 8 and 15
- Dec. 24 and 25
It is open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve there's a countdown every hour, so kids can "ring in" the new year long before midnight.
Prices:
- Fixed Date tickets: $7 to $12 if you buy ahead. The price depends on the night.
- Flexible tickets: $20, good on any regular night.
- Free Mondays: Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. You still need a reservation.
Last year was the 30th ZooLights. It ran Nov. 21, 2025 to Jan. 4, 2026, with more than 3 million lights. Ticket sales for 2026 may already be open, so check tickets.lpzoo.org before you pick a night.
Ticket types and prices
Fixed Date Admission is the cheapest way in on a regular night. It's $7 to $12 if you buy in advance and $20 if you buy on the day you go. Once you buy, you can't change the date.
Flexible Admission costs $20. It works on any regular ZooLights night but not at the ticketed special events. The zoo added it in 2025 so people could avoid sold-out nights and bad weather. That matters in a Chicago December. A Fixed Date ticket for a night that turns into sleet is still good only for that night, but a Flexible ticket lets you wait for a calmer evening.
At the gate, tickets are $20 and there aren't many of them. Cash is taken only at the East and West Gates. If you're driving in from the suburbs, buy online before you leave.
Some other rules:
- Everyone needs a ticket. That includes members, kids and infants.
- Members get 2 to 8 free Fixed Date tickets, depending on their level. Extra Fixed Date tickets are 20% off. Flexible tickets don't get the discount.
- Groups of 50 or more get 5% off Fixed Date tickets.
- No refunds. All tickets are nonrefundable and can't be resold. You can forward them to friends or family, though, so if you can't go, someone else can use them.
- It runs rain, snow or shine. Electronic tickets work at the gate.
The free Mondays
The cheapest night is a free one. Lincoln Park Zoo offers free admission on four Mondays this season:
- Monday, Nov. 23
- Monday, Nov. 30
- Monday, Dec. 7
- Monday, Dec. 14
"Free" doesn't mean you can just show up. Every person still needs a reservation, and the free tickets come out one week before each date at 11 a.m. Central. To get Nov. 23, be ready at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. For Nov. 30, it's 11 a.m. on Nov. 23, and so on.
The free Mondays stop before the holiday rush. Dec. 21 and Dec. 28 are not free. Those nights cost the regular price, right when school is out and family is in town.
Last year these went fast. Chicago on the Cheap said the 2025 free Monday tickets sold out quickly, and Enjoy Illinois noted that tickets were still required on the free nights. Set a phone reminder for 10:55 a.m. on each release day, log in to your zoo account ahead of time and know how many people you're booking for. If you miss one, the next release is a week later.
Special nights and closed dates
Three nights need their own tickets, and Flexible tickets don't work for any of them:
- Member Preview Night, Thursday, Nov. 19: members get in the night before opening. Train and carousel rides are free that night, and hot chocolate is free at the Member Center.
- Sensory-Friendly Night, Tuesday, Nov. 24: blinking and moving lights are slowed down or held still, and the music is quieter. It's a good choice for kids, or adults, who find the regular show too much.
- Adults Night Out, Thursday, Dec. 10: 21 and older, 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Again, ZooLights is closed Nov. 26, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 24 and 25. If you're planning around Thanksgiving, aim for the Friday or Saturday after. It's open on New Year's Eve (4:30 to 9 p.m.) and New Year's Day, which is useful when you need to get everyone out of the house on Jan. 1.
Getting there and what to know
Parking is the hard part. There's paid parking in the zoo lot on Cannon Drive, and it isn't included in your ticket. There aren't many spaces, and the lot can close for a while once it fills. The zoo suggests public transit or a rideshare, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. If you have to drive, a weeknight is your best chance at a space.
Before you go:
- No outside food or drinks. You'll have to buy hot chocolate inside.
- Strollers and wagons are fine. Scooters and bikes have to be parked or walked.
- No pets. Service animals are welcome.
- No smoking or vaping anywhere on zoo grounds.
- Dress for the weather. The event doesn't close for rain or snow, and you'll be outside for most of it.
What's there: Last year's show had more than 3 million lights, a Ferris wheel, hot chocolate and a light show called Zooltide, narrated in English and Spanish. This year the zoo lists a Ferris wheel, the Endangered Species Carousel and a holiday VR experience. Those rides are sold separately on the ticket site or at booths near each one. The zoo also lists a South Lawn light show, a scavenger hunt, ice carving on Friday and Saturday nights, carolers on Sundays through Dec. 21, and Santa in the Pepper Family Wildlife Center through Dec. 23.
If you want to do it cheaply: grab a free Monday in late November, take the CTA and bring money for one hot chocolate.
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Photo: Lincoln Park Zoo Lights by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar, BY 2.0.