I am a sucker for Christmas lights. This was my first time trying the lights at the Oakland zoo which was super unique and fun. The gondola was the highlight! This was a blast and I am glad we did it. read more

Fun night out with the kids 1) had a blast on the gondola, souring across the sky with an amazing view of the city and lights. The kids were thrilled! 2) walking through the zoo and experiencing the light show that the kids could walk thorough was an experience like no other. 3) short and quick line to se Santa! The kids got some adorable pictures and the set up was extra cute! The boys were pretty excited about the jelly beans. 4) it was a great experience seeing the zoo at night, totally different than a day experience! The crocodile just barely peaking out through the water at night was horrifying and amazing! 5) kid friendly 6) my kids loved the rides the best, but they are so expensive!!! I get that the zoo is expensive to upkeep but my kids only care about the rides 7) the zoo train of lights was a crowd pleaser! Definitely worth the extra dough read more

See all

We're members of the zoo and we frequent the zoo. During this time of year they have zoo lights. It's awesome. The boys loved all of the lights. The gondola ride is soo cool in the night being able to see a lot of the Bay Area. The train ride around the zoo is fun. They offer hot chocolate and popcorn and other snacks around the zoo during zoo lights. We enjoy going to this event every year!! read more

Zoo Lights - View from the gondola looking at the bay area - Festivals Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

We arrived at 5:30, which is when it starts. There were two huge long lines for tickets that already formed. It looked like each was 45 mins wait time. I decided to go up to the ticket counter area to see why the lines were so long. Turns out that no employees were properly guiding the lines and 4 of the ticket booths basically didn't have anyone in line, only two did. So I skipped the unnecessary long lines with my family and got tickets right away. No one was in line at the Gondola. We get up to the top and have hot chocolate. The place gets packed real quick. But only the cafe is open at the top. The California trail is closed. No lights at the top. Felt bad because the gondola line got even longer and looked like an hour wait eventually. There are tons of lights to see but you need a flash light to walk around because the ground is dark. The lights themselves are entertaining and they have fake snow for the kids to enjoy. The kids' rides are a separate cost so bring your wallet. Only animals out are the reptiles, ie turtles frogs and snakes. My major COMPLAINT: not a single employee was happy or offered good service. No one even smiled at us. Not sure why mgmt is not training the zoo lights staff, it is the holiday season after all. read more

So I can sum up my visit to zoo lights in one word...meh I was a little disappointed in the lack of actual lights at zoo lights. The touted laser light show was almost a waste of time, and a lot of the lights are really no better than what you see at a well decorated house. We were fortunate that we had brought in a few flasks of Bailey's that we could mix in with our hot chocolate and make the evening a little more enjoyable. There is no alcohol sold during the event. One of the biggest downers was that the gondola system was not operating due to "wind". Let me tell you, if that gondola shut down due to the modest amount of wind that we had that night it must be a piece of shit and probably not something I would want to ride on anyways. Also know that if you go there are no animals to see, except for the reptile pavilion, which was pretty cool. So now that I've got my gripes out of the way, I will say that for the price it was good to check out. Also, if you have kids you can take advantage of their Playland area where most of the rides were in operation. The one ride I would've liked to go on was the train, but not with the Space Mountain line that you had to wait through to do so. So I would say if you live in Oakland, go check it out at least once, on a day that is not windy, or frankly has any wind at all, because one of the best parts of it will be shut down. read more

See all

It's not the most robust or interesting music show, but little kids like it. All the rides were open. No Santa when we were there, he hangs out at the Sun Bear exhibit when he's there. We did the train first, then walked the zoo, then more rides. Dress warm. Bring a flashlight, the lighting is poor. The workers uniformly were polite, helpful and kind. It's not a WOW like other light exhibits I've been to (surprisingly CALM in Bakersfield blows the Oakland zoo away) but it's fun and a sweet yearly tradition. Members get free entry to the lights for a limited time, need to register online through EventBrite for it. read more

I came here with my bf on nye, it was great! We arrived right before the doors opened, went inside, and went straight for the gondola ride. Wait was not bad at all, and parking was easy to find. I enjoyed my time here, but I felt like the lights were pretty spread out. I wished they had things closer together to make more of an impactful statement. You can get tickets there or in advance. This place can be a pretty romantic location, super cold so make sure you buckle up. A good amount of kids here but wished there were more hands on things, or more Ig worthy spots. read more

See all

For $8 this was real treat even for a hater of the holidays like myself. If you come, know that most of the zoo is closed off and the only animals that you'll see are the small reptiles and amphibians in one heated building and the ants, spiders, stick bugs, etc in a different heated house. They had some face painting available, gift shop is open, and the main concession area sells hot chocolate with marshmallows and a mini churro in it. Trees and buildings are lit up throughout along with some very cool animal lights but the star is the light show set to holiday music and movie clips (even a voice cameo from Bill Murray) that plays every seven minutes and is really well done. It only lasts about 6 minutes but it's fun, and something we caught 3 times while we were there. Parking is free, though it does fill up if you arrive before 7. Give yourself an hour and a half to two hours if you want to ride the train and meet santa and you'll have seen/done it all. read more

Zoo Lights - Zoo Lights - Festivals Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

I was expecting to see the nocturnal animals active! I didn't realize that all of the animals were going to be put away, and you'd be walking around just to see lights. The light shows were alright. The zoo wasn't lit well enough, and the ground is uneven, there were several instances of bumping into people fumbling around in the dark. Santa was a hit, and we got lucky to find him, as we entered, when we left the line to see him was really long. We also got lucky to get on the train before the line got too long. We waited for about 15 minutes for 2 train loads to go in front of us. When we got off the train, the end of the line would have easily stood there for an hour. We didn't even attempt the gondola ride, because everyone rushed to it as the doors opened, and we chose Santa and the train instead. The age of the kids that this event is aimed at isn't conducive to a good evening out. So many tears and tantrums. Many little kids were melting down and tired. Besides looking at lights, there was nothing else to do. The playground was dark, besides the reptile house, with their 5 animals, there was nothing animal related to see. The train goes through dark woods for over half the ride. read more

This Zoo and it's programs never cease to amaze my family. We've been members for years and have finally made it to the Zoo Lights extravaganza! We didn't know what to expect and as always we go in with no itinerary. It was fun and exciting for the kids. The gondolas were lit up and I'm sure Santa himself would've wanted to check it out. There were lights synced to music and that added some extra flare to the night. We stayed there the longest cause the kids tried singing along and made their own versions of the classic Christmas songs. The reptile exhibit was my favorite stop. The frogs are out in full force and it's quite a sight to see them up close and singing the night away. The night we went there was a Santa Clause in his workshop. There were two elves helping him and if you use your cell phone camera pictures were no charge! SCORE!!! We were happy and pleasantly surprised. It opened at 5:30pm and we were only trying it out but it was so cool for the adults that we stayed until 8:30ish. Needless to say, we will try and make this a Castillo Clan tradition from now on. I can't say how obtaining tickets works since my wife hooked it up. Lastly, bring your own snacks cause it gets pricey! One thing I will also mention is that the kitchen staff is obviously working hard but they should show some type of holiday cheer. They seem miserable and it's sad as hell to go to a place and see everyone trying to be the Grinch. I wonder if Zoo officials will read this. Thanks for reading this and Merry Christmas to all and I hope 2019 treats everyone better than 2018!!!!! read more

Fantastic night walking through the zoo with amazing animals create by hand and lit from within. My family LOVED IT and we are all adults! You have to see it to believe it. It was much bigger than I anticipated. There are rides for the little ones and the fabulous gondola ride for all. Highly recommend! And Santa at the end! read more

See all

If you enjoy paying money to wait in lines of all kinds for hours on end only to see lights that barely rival those that your next door neighbor put up, then this place is for you. We attended the Zoo Lights event last night and here are some of the lines we waited in: 1. Line to get into the parking lot: ~15 min. They don't charge for parking which is a plus. However, there is only one way into the park so the bottleneck can get pretty severe. 2. Line to get into the Zoo: ~40 min. We didn't purchase tickets ahead of time, but even the people who did were forced to wait in this line. Some people were understandably annoyed and I completely agree with them. There is no reason they should have had to wait in the ticket booth line. It also didn't help that one employee was telling people with tickets that they could skip the line, while several employees at the gate were then telling those people to go back in line. 3. Walking around the inside of the zoo was basically like being in a line. The place was so crowded that we couldn't really walk freely anywhere. 4. Line for the gondola: ~30 min. This was the one line the was *almost* worth it. We had a really great view of the city from the gondola although it was fleeting as the entire trip last four minutes (about 30 seconds of that is spent turning around though). Because the lines were so long, they were packing the cars full and we shared a gondola with a family who had some noisy toddlers. It definitely detracted from the experience. These were the lines we waited in, but there were also lines for the train (~20 min), the bathroom (~5 min), Santa (~15 min), food (~10-15 min), and pretty much anything else you might want to do in the park. The Christmas light/laser light show was not very impressive either. Instead of trying to make a coherent story or musical medley, they simply put two second clips of every Christmas song you've ever heard and turned on a different set of lights to accompany it. My wife overheard one of the zoo employees in the bathroom talking about how that night they had over 4,000 people attend. That's $40k in revenue from tickets alone. When you add food and merchandise, you are probably looking at anywhere from $80k-$100k. For that amount of money, I expect something much better than this. read more

Incredible Oakland Zoo GlowFari light show. Went 12/6/22. It's like Meow Wolf on steroids. They added so much light installation that the exhibit practically covers the entire zoo including up the hill via gondola to the bear/buffalo Landing where more installations are shown. Some of these pieces are 60 feet long, the average between 15 to 20 feet. With families and kids enjoying the light exhibit, you really feel like Christmas. Some installations are so big you can walk through them. Totally worth it. I read some reviews dating back to 2017 and 2018 saying that the exhibit was sparse. Well, not anymore. The zoo added so much stuff the light show was practically everywhere and incredibly humongous in size. Ate great ribs at the Landing Cafe. Here are some pics we took. For $24 bucks adult ticket, this is the best show you will ever see. Meow Wolf which we paid $45 a ticket was an incredible show but Glowfari is a titan in scale, atmosphere, and enjoyment. read more

See all

I've had Zoo Lights on my radar for several years and finally made my way there on the second Friday of December. Around 7 pm, the parking lot was pretty packed and we snagged one of the few last available spaces. Staff did a great job of moving the ticketing line along and adults are $10 each, with free parking at the upper lot of the zoo. Many areas are closed off and the lights displays are pretty consolidated-some walking but nothing too strenuous. As others have mentioned some of the pathways were dimly lit and hard to see down-a mini flashlight is recommended. One of the highlights for me (and probably the best part) was riding the new gondola. The new ride is enclosed and goes further and higher up the hill than the previous "sky-fari" ride. That was included with admission and totally worth the price alone. The ride up seeing all of the bay at night was quite spectacular. You also get a view of the entire zoo lights display from up high. The kid's area with rides was open, including the Outback train. I do wish the train was included with the price of admission but it was an extra $3.50 per person to ride. I get they need to make money and happy to support the zoo, but maybe consider at least adding that to the admission price since the displays themselves take an hour or less to walk through. The train takes you through areas of the zoo & light displays you wouldn't see from just walking around. I'm glad I paid extra to ride the train when all is said and done. Dress warm-it's cold up in the hills and arrive early for parking. Overall it was a fun atmosphere and I am hoping they add extra displays as they are going through their expansion as a whole. Still, well worth it and would go back. read more

It seems like this event is more of a work-in-progress toward building up for something bigger and better for the following year. Not as much things to look at or interact with for the price, but that is okay. If anything, at least it helps the zoo, and that is all that matters. I do recommend bringing a flashlight or some portable light source, as most of the pathways are either poorly-lit or not lit up at all. I saw six separate incidents of someone falling down or stumble the time I was there, so it is obvious that this is a problem - and if rain occurs on one of the nights, it is going to get uglier. I also recommend dressing warmly, as it does gets frigid out there. The layout is very spread out from one side of the park to the other, which is where the rides are. Between the park entrance to the key areas of interest, you will see sporadic lit up cutouts of elephants, rhino, giraffes, birds etc... I know people want to see animals, reindeer, and all that jazz, which do not exist. The only accessible animal exhibit that is open is the reptile/amphibian building. On the way to the reptile house, they have a very large open field with quite a bit of projection effects and light up figures of animals etc... that are in-sync with playing snippets of various Christmas songs. It runs on a cycle, so it plays for a few minutes, and then stops for a while (they do announce when the next show is so you can pace yourself to view it). The gondolas were closed the day I went because of high winds, so that is something that unfortunately was not viewed. People seemed to concentrate a bit more toward the Adventure Landing area, which is where the Christmas train, more lights, and the rest of the rides are. There was a long line for the train, and everything else was a walk-on. The only two places open for food and snacks were the restaurant at the very entrance of the park, and one of the places inside where the rides are. I didn't see any "special" Christmas menu out for either place. Looked like they served either hamburgers, a slice of pizza etc... Overall, it is more geared toward younger kids, and if you want to spend about about an hour out-of-the-house. I think I got a little bit spoiled on the Zoo Lights at the Los Angeles Zoo, which I used to live just a ten minute walk away from for years. They displayed things on a much grander scale, more interactive exhibits, special menus, and unique displays for the same admission price. Nothing against the Oakland Zoo, but I'd recommend whoever is in-charge of this event to take a look at what they do at the LA Zoo's event for expanding on future ideas. It could definitely help bring in more people and interest to this event for next time. read more

Decided to come see Christmas lights. It was about $10 per person, free for kids under two years old. When I first got there the outside seemed a bit impressive at first, but inside was pretty lacking. The lights were too scattered everywhere and the laser light show they had was a bit underwhelming. It was just okay. It was nice to see some animals like the huge turtles. The gadala ride was pretty cool though. The line moved quickly and the ride was nice. You got to see all the city lights from up top and it was really cute how each car was lined with Christmas lights so it felt pretty festive as each car passed one another. The rides had a lot of people and the lines were pretty long so we skipped those things like the runaway train and merry go round. I don't think I would come back next yr. read more

We have not lived here for very long, so we had not seen the actual zoo before, and thought this would be a good preview. It is okay. The gondola ride is basically worth the cost. Something that you should know -- there is a whole section with rides and stuff that you do NOT need to pay entrance to ZooLights for. I highly recommend you just do that and not pay entrance to the whole thing unless the gondola ride is really what you are going for. To get to the unpaid part, when you get to the entrance to zoo lights, where the ticket booths are, turn right. There is a gate. Go through it. The rides there and stuff all charge tickets. That was a big shocker to me, as we had just paid $40 for our family to get in, and then we had to pay another $15 for all of us to go on the train. I wish we would have just skipped the $40 and paid for the train. You basically get to see everything from the train. It goes through the Kangaroo enclosure, which was really neat. You could see the kangaroos. That is the only animal we saw the whole time we were there though. The line for the train was long. I see why though, and it was worth it. read more

Zoo Lights - View from the gondolas - Festivals Near Me - Oakland, California

We were there twice, before the gondola being built and afterwards. Both times were very exciting for little kids for the winter celebration. We were there by 7p this year and parking lot was just about full. We brought our meals to eat in the car to avoid the over crowdedness in the restaurant at the main entrance. It works pretty well for a weekday evening celebration, past kids bed time but no melt down moments. read more

Was actually pretty nice! If you want a picture with Santa, I recommend not going the last hour because he left at 8 instead of staying till 9. However, I went the last hour which made it feel like we had the zoo to ourselves. No lines and barely any people. Would recommend it! Just obviously don't go expecting something too crazy. read more

Went to the zoo and being told the Gondola and train didn't open that day. Be sure to check with the zoo before you go.

For years I had heard how great this event is, and finally got the chance to go. I am so disappointed! The lights were really nothing special. The winter wonderland was ok, but really just soap bubbles made to look like snow. Nothing different about the gondola or train rides. The lights looked like something out of the 80's. Perhaps this is only good for preschool aged children. read more