Philadelphia Zoo Lights Up Main Plaza With Blue Lights To Thank Healthcare Heroes
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Philadelphia Zoo has lit up three of the enormous 80-foot-tall trees at the Main Plaza with dazzling blue lights to thank the frontline. The new light display on the trees and front entrance buildings at 34th and Girard are illuminated with the goal of ringing in the holidays while also thanking healthcare workers and first responders during the global pandemic. By lighting up the front plaza in blue, the Zoo is extending its wishes for a peaceful holiday and its appreciation for the thousands of citizens throughout the greater Philadelphia region for their kindness, dedication, and courage during an exceptionally challenging year.
“It has been a difficult time for so many, with people across the region and across the world being so deeply affected,” says Vikram H. Dewan, Philadelphia Zoo’s President & CEO. “We wanted to show our appreciation to those who have been working tirelessly since the first Pandemic hit,” says Dewan. “We also wanted to share something beautiful with our neighbors, daily commuters, passersby, and zoo supporters. This light display enables us to do both…even if it’s just a small, yet heartfelt, token of our appreciation,” says Dewan.
In a typical year, the Zoo would be set to host LumiNature, a fantastical holiday light show that was only just unveiled for the first-time last winter, but with Covid 19 cases peaking across the region, the Zoo team decided to table the special feature experience until November 2021. “We truly want these incredibly lit blue trees to put smiles on people’s faces. This holiday season might feel a little different for many of us, but if the Zoo can symbolize the region’s appreciation for those who have shown such commitment during these hard times while also providing a beam of beauty for all that pass by, then we are thrilled,” says Amy Shearer, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer. “The idea was spurred on by one of our longtime Board members, Jody McNeil Lewis, who encouraged us to think differently about sharing some splendor with our neighbors while at the same time offering a gift of gratitude, even if LumiNature couldn’t be a reality this year,” Shearer continued.
Featuring 50,000 LED lights wrapped around three 80-foot-tall London Plane trees. The Zoo’s sapphire light display is sure to brighten an early morning commute or an evening stroll for anyone passing by.
For those that don’t regularly travel by the Zoo but want to enjoy the display, the Zoo invites you to visit www.PhiladelphiaZoo.org/lights to see a live camera feed from now through early January --picture quality will be best during dawn, dusk, and darkness.
ABOUT PHILADELPHIA ZOO:
Animals are on the move like never before at Philadelphia Zoo with Zoo360, a first-in-the-world system of see-through trails passing through treetops, crossing over pathways and connecting habitats, giving animals like amazing big cats, majestic primates and marvelous meerkats the opportunities to travel and explore. Visit our young western lowland gorillas, giraffes, hippos, white rhino, zebras, red pandas, Amur tigers and more at America’s first Zoo. Explore our 42-acre Victorian garden and enjoy award-winning exhibits like Big Cat Falls, PECO Primate Reserve, McNeil Avian Center and KidZooU, a wildlife academy that offers dynamic displays, rare breeds and hands-on experiences. Philadelphia Zoo is the second highest ticketed attraction in Philadelphia, one of the region's foremost conservation organizations and home to nearly 1,300 animals, many rare and endangered. By connecting people with wildlife, Philadelphia Zoo creates joyful discovery and inspires action for animals and habitats. The Zoo welcomed more than 1.25 million visitors last year. Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Philadelphia Zoo is a non-smoking facility.
For more information on, as or to purchase and print tickets online, visit us at www.PhiladelphiaZoo.org. Facebook: PhiladelphiaZoo; Instagram: @philadelphiazoo; Twitter: @phillyzoo.
