Zoo Night returns to The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center for two nights this year.
Reminder Publishing submitted photos
SPRINGFIELD — Looking for another way to illuminate your winter season? The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center has that covered this holiday season.
“Zoo Night at Bright Nights” is returning this year on Dec. 11 and 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., according to Sarah Tsitso, the zoo’s executive director.
On those days, the front portion of the zoo will be lit up with holiday lights, as guests can experience keeper talks, free hot cider and a chance to take a photo with Santa.
“We have all kinds of things going on for people of all ages that want to come and visit us,” said Tsitso, who explained that people will get to see all kinds of animals, such as wolves, alpacas, donkeys, sheep, pig, goats and more.
The event, while completely separate from Bright Nights, is still happening during Bright Nights in the form of an add-on experience, according to Tsitso.
“During Bright Nights, we recognize that there are a lot of people that are coming into the park that maybe don’t come at other times of the year that aren’t as familiar with what’s going on inside the park or inside the zoo,” Tsitso said. “And so, we’ve collaborated with the Spirit of Springfield team to open for two nights every year during Bright Nights.”
Paid admission to Bright Nights is required for people who want to go to Zoo Night, which means admission into Zoo Night is in addition to the cost of one’s Bright Nights ticket.
According to Tsitso, Zoo Night costs $6 for non-member adults, $4 for member adults, $1 for children ages 1-12 and free for children under one and for those with a military ID.
Tickets will be sold at the zoo gate the night of the event, and sales will end at 7 p.m. both nights.
“We want to really keep it affordable,” Tsitso said. “We understand people are already paying to come into Bright Nights, and we don’t want this to be a burden. But we do need to sort of pay our staff and make sure that we’re able to continue giving the high-level quality of care that we give to our animals year-round.”
The Zoo Night event, which has been around since a little before COVID-19, has garnered sizable turnouts over the past couple years, according to Tsitso.
She added that last year’s event brought their highest numbers ever.
“We had hundreds of people that came through for those two nights, and they really had a great time,” Tsitso said. “They were able to spend some time with Santa, they were able to visit up close and personal with some of our animals and do some activities.”
Tsitso said that although the zoo closes to the public in the beginning of November, all of the staff remain on site to take care of the animals throughout the winter, so she said it is nice to have these two days for the public to get a glimpse of the animals and their behaviors in the wintertime.
“Some of our animals prefer winter weather, and so it really is nice to be able to get guests in here to see everything that goes on when our gates are closed,” Tsitso said.
Readers can learn more about Zoo Night by visiting the zoo’s Facebook page.
