ZooLights: Holiday Magic in the Heart of D.C.
A million twinkling lights and hand-painted wildlife lantern scenes give the Smithsonian's National Zoo a proper glow up.
“There are over a million individual LED lights on the trees in the park,” says Andrew Rondinone of the ZooLights exhibit (de)lighting up the National Zoo over the holiday season. “It’s just a massive, massive operation.”
Rondinone, head of Special Events at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, confides the “dirty secret of the Christmas industry is that some venues that do displays like this just cut [the strands] off the trees at the end of the year. We obviously are an environmentally-focused organization. We’re not going to be doing that. We very carefully remove them from the trees to save the lights and use them again the next year.”
Over time, ZooLights has evolved from a flat, 2D light exhibit to one boasting sumptuously elaborate 3D displays. The event’s hand-painted silk lanterns are frequently the shape of wildlife — gorillas, gators, serpents, a dazzling array of jellyfish — and sometimes boast moving elements, like the drag-inspired octopus that alluringly blinks its eyes.
“We work with a phenomenal company, and they do such a great job with the detail, making sure the animals look realistic and not super-hokey,” says Rondinone. “They’re all pretty biologically correct.”
The formerly free event now costs a reasonable $6 per person, and reservations must be made in advance. The charge, a necessity to keep ZooLights running, hasn’t deterred tens of thousands of locals from partaking. “It helps us cover the cost of the event and raise a bit of money for the conservation efforts the zoo does,” says Rondinone.
Rondinone believes ZooLights has endured because “everyone can use the holiday cheer, and I think we’re seeing fewer things like this in our world. I just want people to come here, relax, and have a good night. Get a drink, walk around, see some displays. We’re not trying to sell you something on every corner. It’s not a super-commercial affair. It’s a come, make memories, take some photos, bring the family night. A lot of people make this part of their annual tradition.”
ZooLights continues Dec. 26–30, and Jan 3–4, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 5 to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets and parking passes are available for pre-purchase online. Visit www.nationalzoo.si.edu.
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