Today we're back with another holiday update, this time from the Zoo Lights at the Los Angeles Zoo. 

In it's 4th year they've made a few changes to the event and the holiday cheer is evident all around. 

Welcome to the Zoo Lights!! 

Monkeys are awesome!! 

Some of the new lights for 2017

Yay, Reindeer!! 

Aww, they were tired. =) 

More new lights 

Two Swans a-sleeping ... 

For some reason this looked like celery to us 

The Tunnel of Lights!! Always a highlight 

These are new, snowflakes with different animals 

Flaming O's!! 

Disco Christmas!! 

The Flaming-O Musical notes. Not new, but in a new location. 

The water show was back, check out a video and slideshow of it below. It's a lot of fun 

Overall it was another great year for the Zoo Lights. It's a great family evening in Griffith Park. 

We will say though, it's probably time for them to change some things up next year. 4 years and most of the lights were the same as year 1. We'd love to see them expand this deeper into the zoo as well as it can get quite crowded. But overall a really fun family event that we look forward to every year. 

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• 2016 Holiday Event Reviews

This year the LA Zoo "Zoo Lights" is back for another year of holiday fun. If you've been to the event the last couple of years you know what this event is, just a great 90 minutes to 2 hours of Holiday Fun. 
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This year they've added some more live music and of course the amazing Reindeer. 

The LightScapes Water Show is back this year and is a lot of fun 

Overall Zoo Lights is another amazing event that keeps getting better each year. We would like to see more changed next year though as most of the props have been around for 3 years now. But overall just an incredibly fun night as always. 

​For more info on the LA Zoo lights be sure to check out all of the info here. 

Magical New Experience, Which Returns Lights to Griffith Park for First Time Since 2009, Destined To Become a Wondrous, "Don’t-Miss" Holiday Tradition

Friday, November 28, 2014, through Sunday, January 4, 2015 (except December 24 and 25)
6 to 10 pm Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

This holiday season for the very first time, the Los Angeles Zoo changes stripes from a daytime adventure to a dazzling winter wonderland known as "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS", which electrifies guests as it transforms the Zoo's enchanting environment into a series of awe-inspiring animal escapades rendered in led lights, lasers, 3D projections, spectacular sets and interactive displays.  Open nightly from Friday, November 28, 2014, to Sunday, January 4, 2015, 6 to 10 pm (except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), this magical new experience is destined to become a wondrous, "don’t-miss" holiday tradition.  "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS," bringing lights back to Griffith Park for the first time since 2009, is produced and presented by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and made possible with support from Councilmember Tom LaBonge, City of Los Angeles, 4th District.

"Griffith Park is accessible to so many residents of Los Angeles and occupies a special place in the hearts of many,” says LaBonge, one of the driving forces behind "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS" who wanted to provide Angelenos with a holiday activity to replace the beloved DWP Holiday Light Festival. ""L.A. Zoo Lights" is a new and different experience that people are going to love and cherish as they get out of their cars and walk through an amazing holiday wonderment with remarkable LED lights.”

An ideal family outing, meet-up with friends or date night, "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS"' self-guided 60- to 90-minute tour through select areas of the Zoo (while the animals themselves are asleep) introduces guests to a clever troop of animated LED "monkeys" commandeering an electrical power source hidden in an unusual holiday tree.  They swing through the entry plaza to guide an illuminated power line toward a giant electrical "outlet," attempting to plug it in.  Will they succeed?  YES!  The Zoo lights up, and guests follow the "monkeys" as they encounter an illuminated "Reggie the alligator," an origami "rhino," singing “elephants,” and a party of musical pink "flamingos" fronted by their DJ leader, to name a few.  Along the way, "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS" offers the only opportunity in Los Angeles to see real reindeer, lit by elegant "chandeliers," ("L.A. ZOO LIGHTS"' sole live animals), plus weekend-only visits with Santa Claus, perched atop a throne seemingly carved from ice, and an unexpected Hollywood ending featuring a red carpet bustling with paparazzi "animals."  Other special effects range from 3-D holiday-themed animations projected onto a group of palm trees and a "bird" who flies to a nest filled with golden disco balls, to freeway-driving "animals" on their way to the "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS" opening against a backdrop of Los Angeles landmarks and a group of giant "bullfrogs" made from 3,750 water bottles lit from within, plus much more.  Among the evening's sights are giant floating snowflakes, glittering light tunnels, animal cutouts and icicle lights.  Although the Department of Water and Power's wildly popular Holiday Light Festival is a bygone Griffith Park holiday tradition, and while "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS" is a completely different, well, animal, it pays homage to the Festival with a nostalgic nod to the past by featuring some classic pieces, including the Hollywood sign, the downtown LA skyline and City Hall.  Steaming hot chocolate and other holiday treats and goodies for sale are also part of the fun.

"L.A. ZOO LIGHTS"' techno wizardry is designed by art director Gregg Lacy and Bionic League, a live event lighting design company known for magnificent light shows for festivals, stadiums, arenas, clubs, and artists like Daft Punk, Kanye West and many others. 

Daytime visitors to the Zoo can see the reindeer during regular hours, which are 10 am to 5 pm, along with a flurry of seasonal festivities and yuletide flourishes, plus weekend visits by Santa Claus.

Cornerstone Partners for "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS" are Edison International, 99 Cents Only Stores, Service Systems America and WeMo.

 Donors include The Georgina Fredrick Children’s Foundation, The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Paramount Pictures, the Rothbart Family, the Samuels Family, the Shultz Family and the Employees of the Shultz Steel Company, Mrs. Betty L. Sinkys, Simms Family Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

The landmark Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, drawing 1.6 million visitors each year, is home to a diverse collection of 1,100 animals representing 250 different species, many of which are rare or endangered.  Its lush grounds on 113 acres feature a botanical collection comprising over 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants.  Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), whose members meet rigorous professional standards for animal welfare, the Zoo has achieved renown as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife.  Among its most popular habitats are the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles), Elephants of Asia, Campo Gorilla Reserve and Rainforest of the Americas.  The private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), which has supported the Zoo in partnership with the City of Los Angeles for more than five decades and provides funding for and operates seven essential Zoo departments, has 65,000 member households representing more than 240,000 adults and children.  As evidence of the Zoo's popularity, GLAZA attracts one of the largest membership bases of any cultural organization in Los Angeles. 

Admission to "L.A. ZOO LIGHTS" is $13 for adults/seniors and $11 for children ages 2 to 12; tickets for GLAZA members are $12 for adults/seniors and $10 for children ages 2 to 12; children under age two 2 are free.  Purchase tickets online to attend during the first two weeks (Nov 28 – Dec 11) for the online-only Early Bird Rate of $8 each.

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.  5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA  90027.  Free parking is available.  For additional information, contact (323) 644-6042 or visit www.lazoo.org 

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