LumiNature Returns to Philadelphia Zoo Starting Nov. 19 with An All-New Holiday Story

Forget toys, games, and the latest electronics. This holiday season, the wish lists at Philadelphia Zoo look a little different. LumiNature, presented by PNC Bank, returns Thursday, November 19, 2026 with an all-new interactive holiday adventure inspired by the animals who call the Zoo home. Throughout the Zoo, larger-than-life illuminated letters to Santa Claws reveal the animals’ holiday wishes, inspired by their unique personalities and favorite things. Guests can follow those wishes through 14 enchanting stops filled with one million dazzling lights, festive sounds, and interactive surprises. Upon arrival, guests will receive a Book of Wishes to reveal clues and capture discoveries throughout their journey as a holiday keepsake. LumiNature opens Thursday, November 19 and runs most nights through Saturday, January 9 from 5:00 to 9:00pm. Timed and anytime tickets are now on sale at philadelphiazoo.org. Philadelphia Zoo is located at the corner of 34th Street and Girard Avenue in Philadelphia’s historic Fairmount Park at 3400 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

“LumiNature, presented by PNC Bank, has become a holiday tradition for families throughout the Philadelphia region, and this year we’re creating even more ways to make lasting memories together,” said Philadelphia Zoo President & CEO Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman. “From unlocking surprises with your Zoo Key to meeting Santa Claws, there’s magic around every corner. In the spirit of the season, we’re inviting guests to help make wishes come true for animals here at the Zoo and around the world, bringing the joy of giving to this special holiday experience. We can’t wait to celebrate another bright and magical holiday season with you!”

“In my first year as PNC’s regional president for the market, I’m looking forward to experiencing traditions like LumiNature that bring families and our community together,” said Brian Vesey, PNC regional president for Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. “Philadelphia Zoo creates memorable experiences throughout the year, and LumiNature brings something especially fun to the holiday season.”

New for this holiday season, a very special visitor is making his way to Philadelphia Zoo! Meet Santa Claws, a lovable lion with a heart as big as his holiday spirit. As the Zoo's animals share their wishes for the things that make their lives happier, healthier, and more enriching, Santa Claws invites guests to discover how even the smallest wishes can make a meaningful difference. Along the way, guests can visit Santa Claws at his festive lodge for a memorable holiday photo (selfie style!) and a little extra magic.

Also new this year, KidZooU will be open every evening during LumiNature, featuring holiday-themed activities and special animal surprises every half hour from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m, including ambassador animal meet-and-greets, wildlife chats and additional animal enrichment sessions. Families can also bring their Zoo Keys to unlock more surprises and explore opportunities to make animal wishes come true. Returning favorites include festive food and drink, seasonal performances, and breathtaking views aboard the 110-foot-tall Philly Zoo Pherris Wheel, making its only appearance at the Zoo in 2026.

There's something about seeing Philadelphia Zoo after dark that makes even familiar places feel new. This year's LumiNature brings that experience to life with a combination of returning favorites and imaginative new displays.

Guests will encounter the 22-foot Butterfly Tree, a 20-foot illuminated banana tree at Monkey Business, and, new for this year, the magnificent 40-foot-tall penguin towering directly overhead at Bird Lake Plaza. The iconic pink flamingo tree returns, while The Enchanted Forest invites visitors into an illuminated forest filled with birds and a rather distinguished Postmaster General Owl.

Help Make Animal Wishes Come True
The holiday wishes featured throughout LumiNature also invite guests to share the spirit of giving. Philadelphia Zoo is updating its animal wish list page to create an opportunity for guests to help make an animal wish come true. Visit the Zoo’s website for more details at philadelphiazoo.org/luminature.

For guests who still have their Zoo Key, LumiNature offers another reason to bring it along! Interactive surprises await at five locations throughout the Zoo: Flutter Flair, Impala Fountain, Monkey Business, Flamingo Fancy, and The Enchanted Forest. Zoo Keys will also be available for purchase.

There's plenty to enjoy along the way, from hot chocolate and apple cider (with boozy options available) to sweet and savory holiday treats. Guests can roast s'mores, decorate cookies, or create a personalized ornament to take home. Holiday shopping and festive entertainment offer even more ways to enjoy the evening, while the SEPTA PZ Express takes guests on a ride through twinkling lights.

LumiNature is the place where magical memories are made and all visits support animal conservation around the world. Guests are encouraged to dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Highlights of this year’s event, in order of appearance, include:

The Journey of Wishes: A Story Told in Light
LumiNature returns with a new holiday story inspired by the animals of Philadelphia Zoo. Larger-than-life illuminated letters to Santa Claws invite guests to discover the animals' wishes as they make their way through a series of light displays, interactive experiences, and familiar Zoo favorites.

Flutter Flair
The evening begins beneath a spectacular 22-foot-tall Butterfly Tree, where 4,000 illuminated butterflies create a colorful welcome. Guests can use their Zoo Key to activate the display and watch the tree come to life.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR: North Pole Post Office
Oversized envelopes, overflowing mailbags, parcels, and letters set the scene at the North Pole Post Office. As guests enter, they are introduced to the animals' wishes and the Book of Wishes, which accompanies them throughout their visit. Nearby, the Impala Fountain offers another opportunity to use a Zoo Key and discover an interactive surprise.

Slither & Shimmer
Brilliant purples, blues, and greens illuminate this colorful stretch of the journey, where a giant snake featuring more than 5,000 lights takes center stage. Illuminated insects, including dragonflies, ladybugs, and grasshoppers, add to the experience.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR: Wishes from the Wild
Guests begin to understand that wishes come from every corner of the animal kingdom - from creatures who slither and crawl to those who swim, soar, climb, and roam. Be on the lookout for a giant crocodile, floating jellyfish, luminescent coral and a sea turtle tree all bathed in blue-green light. Here, guests can visit KidZooU, which will be opening nightly from 5:00 to 7:00pm and includes special animal surprises every half hour, including ambassador animal meet-and-greets, wildlife chats and additional animal enrichment sessions.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR: Monkey Business
The primates are getting into the holiday spirit! A 20-foot-tall illuminated banana tree takes center stage, surrounded by glowing vines and playful primate displays. Guests can also use their Zoo Key to activate an interactive surprise.

Silent Paws
Golden grasses, illuminated bamboo, and glowing trees create an atmosphere of mystery along the pathway. Animal footprints appear, and glimpses of eyes emerge from the shadows, offering a reminder that the wild is never quite as far away as it seems.

Penguin Passage
One of LumiNature's most recognizable displays takes on a prominent position at Bird Lake Plaza. Standing 40 feet tall and illuminated by approximately 40,000 lights, the giant penguin provides a spectacular photo opportunity and a familiar favorite for returning visitors.

The Enchanted Forest
Guests enter an illuminated forest where glowing birds, twinkling lights, and woodland details create a setting that feels a world away from the city. Watching over the scene is the Postmaster General Owl, keeping an eye on the animals' wishes as they make their way to Santa Claws. Another Zoo Key activation adds an interactive element to the experience.

Flamingo Fancy
The Zoo's iconic pink flamingo tree returns, standing 25 feet tall and featuring approximately 1,500 illuminated lawn flamingos. This colorful area also includes retro-inspired displays and a Zoo Key activation.

Starlit Savannah
The African Plains take on a different character after dark. Illuminated giraffes rise above glowing grasses, while a rhinoceros and other wildlife displays appear against a landscape that gradually transitions from the warm colors of sunset to a sky filled with stars.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR: Bear Whispers
Inspired by the Zoo's Andean and sloth bears, this winter woodland features illuminated trees, shimmering lights, and oversized paw prints along the pathway.

Santa Claws' Lodge
At the Garden Pavilion, guests finally have an opportunity to meet Santa Claws, the lion at the center of this year's holiday story. Visitors can capture a holiday photograph (selfie style!), enjoy seasonal treats and beverages, and admire (and vote for their favorite!) holiday trees decorated by neighboring West Philadelphia community groups as part of the Our Neck of the Woods display. Live musical performances will add to the atmosphere on select evenings.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR: Field of Wishes
Thousands of points of light stretch across the landscape, creating a glowing field inspired by the wishes discovered throughout the evening. The display offers a memorable transition toward the final stop on the journey.

Wishes Fulfilled
The evening concludes at the 110-foot Philly Zoo Pherris Wheel, where guests can take in sweeping views of the illuminated Zoo and the Philadelphia skyline. The Pherris Wheel provides a fitting finale to a journey centered on the animals, their wishes, and the joy of making wishes come true.

Interactive Experiences

The Book of Wishes
The Book of Wishes invites guests to follow the animals' stories throughout LumiNature, discover their wishes, and create a keepsake of the evening's discoveries.

Zoo Key Activations
Guests are encouraged to bring their Zoo Key from home or purchase one during their visit.

Interactive activations are located at five locations:
Flutter Flair
Impala Fountain
Monkey Business
Flamingo Fancy
The Enchanted Forest

Seasonal Food, Beverages, and Activities
A variety of seasonal favorites will be available throughout the Zoo, including hot chocolate and hot apple cider with an optional alcoholic addition and candy cane-shaped pretzels. Guests can also create their own popcorn candy buckets, selecting from classic, caramel, or cheddar popcorn and adding up to three candy toppings, including chocolate, gummies, and other sweet treats. Additional activities include roasting s'mores, decorating cookies, and creating personalized holiday ornaments to take home.

Rides and Holiday Shopping
The SEPTA PZ Express Kidde Train offers guests a ride through twinkling lights, adding another way to enjoy the evening. The LumiNature experience ends at the Philly Zoo Pheris Wheel, a 110-foot-tall ride with breathtaking views of the city skyline. The Zoo's gift shops will be open during LumiNature, offering holiday gifts, souvenirs, and illuminated accessories, including glowing necklaces, wands, hats, and other novelty items. Guests can also purchase Zoo Keys for use at designated interactive displays.

Special Event: LumiNature Cocktail Walk
Saturday, December 5, 2026
5:00-9:00pm 
Guests ages 21 and older can enjoy the first-ever LumiNature Cocktail Walk, featuring six tastings at six locations throughout the Zoo. The event begins at 5:00pm with the final pour at 8:45pm. LumiNature closes at 9:00pm. A valid photo ID is required. Tickets and additional information are available at phillycocktailwalk dot com.

Share Your Talent at LumiNature: Philadelphia Zoo Invites Local Performers to Join the Holiday Magic
To make this season even more magical, the Zoo is inviting choirs, singers, musicians, dancers, theater groups and other local performers to be a part of the LumiNature experience - bringing their own talents to select evenings and helping fill the Zoo with music, movement and the unmistakable joy of the season. Groups are asked to perform for approximately 30 minutes. Each performer will receive complimentary admission to experience LumiNature that evening, and friends and family will be invited to join the celebration with access to a special discounted ticket rate. Interested groups can fill out the application form at philadelphiazoo dot org/luminature-talent-application/ before the November 13 deadline.

LumiNature, presented by PNC Bank, opens Thursday, November 19, 2026, and runs most nights through Saturday, January 9, 2027, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. 

Tickets for LumiNature, presented by PNC Bank, are on sale now at the Zoo’s website.  Timed admission tickets range from $27 - $33 for adults ages 12 and older and $22–$28 for children ages 2–11. Children under 2 are admitted fr ee. Anytime Tickets are available for $34 for adults and $29 for children. Philadelphia Zoo members receive discounted admission from 10-20% depending on membership level. Admission + Pherris Wheel bundles are also available, combining LumiNature admission with a ride on the Philly Zoo Pherris Wheel. Bundles are available every operating night. Stay tuned for additional offers!

For tickets, operating dates, and additional information, visit philadelphiazoo dot org.

Philadelphia Zoo is located at 3400 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA ZOO
At Philadelphia Zoo, the Zoo moves around you! Pioneering Zoo360, a first-in-the-world system of animal exploration trails, Philadelphia Zoo has inspired more than 70 zoos around the globe to design new ways to invite animals to travel and roam through their own campuses. Passing through treetops, crossing over pathways and connecting habitats, Zoo360 provides Philadelphia Zoo’s beautiful big cats, playful lemurs, and lively monkeys innovative ways to explore and marvel at one another and our guests. Visit the all-new Carey Bear Country, home to Andean and sloth bears, meet Mommy the Galapagos tortoise and her world-famous hatchlings at the Reptile & Amphibian House, our quickly-growing orangutan infant in PECO Primate Reserve, the Ankole cattle hillside, Amur tigers at Big Cat Falls, Victorian crown pigeons at McNeil Avian Center, and hippos, zebras and white rhino throughout African Plains. Share a space with critically endangered lemurs as you wander through Lemur Island, look up as you feed the world's tallest animal at Giraffe Experience, or get up-close as you hand-serve colorful birds their meals at Wings of Asia. Philadelphia Zoo is one of the region's foremost conservation and education organizations and home to endangered, and in some cases extinct, animals in the wild. At Philadelphia Zoo, our mission is to flourish as an urban oasis where people and animals thrive, transformative memories are made, and our passion for conservation helps save wildlife. Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a non-smoking facility. For more information, visit philadelphiazoo.org. Facebook: PhiladelphiaZoo; Instagram: @philadelphiazoo; X (formerly Twitter): @phillyzoo; TikTok: @philadelphiazoo