L.A. Zoo Lights Returns to Griffith Park. Which Night You Pick Matters More Than You'd Think.
When is the best night to see L.A. Zoo Lights? For anyone in Los Feliz, where the zoo is a short drive up the park, the honest answer is earlier than you'd guess. The 2026 season opens tomorrow, Friday, November 20, and runs through January 10, and the Los Angeles Zoo's Zoo Lights FAQ sets out a pricing calendar in which the cheaper nights are almost all used up by December 10.
From December 11 through New Year's Day, every night the event is open is a holiday-peak night. The winter break is the time most families have free, and it is also the most expensive stretch of the season. The quieter, cheaper nights come before it, along with most of Santa's appearances.
The zoo sorts the season's 38 open nights into three price tiers. Here are the non-member and member prices, as listed since October 16:
| Tier | 2026–27 dates | Non-member adult / child | Member adult / child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Weekdays | Nov 23–25; Dec 2, 3, 8–10 | $29 / $19 | $24 / $14 |
| Value Weekends | Nov 20–22; Dec 4–6; Jan 2, 3, 8–10 | $32 / $22 | $27 / $17 |
| Holiday Peak | Nov 27–29; Dec 11–13, 17–23, 26–30; Jan 1 | $35 / $25 | $30 / $20 |
Adults are 13 and up and children are 2 through 12. Children younger than two get in free and don't need a ticket, and the service fee is included in the price.
The gap between tiers looks small per ticket. For two adults and two kids without a membership, a value weekday comes to $96 and a peak night comes to $120. With a membership, the same family pays $76 on a value weekday. Across the season there are 8 value-weekday nights, 11 value-weekend nights and 19 peak nights.
Only five value nights fall after December 10, and none of them is in December. They are the January weekends of January 2 and 3 and January 8 through 10, after the holidays end. The season does end on value pricing, but by then the décor in most houses on the block has already come down.
The closures shape the calendar as much as the prices do. The FAQ lists 14 closed dates. Laid out against the 2026 calendar, they fall like this:
Most of these are early-week dates. The one that matters most is the three-night break from December 14 to 16, which falls between the December 11–13 peak weekend and the seven straight peak nights from December 17 to 23. If you are planning a mid-December weeknight visit, those three nights are off the table, and every open night on either side of them is peak-priced.
The cheapest stretch is the opening week. Monday through Wednesday, November 23 to 25, are value weekdays sitting right before Thanksgiving, with the event closed on the holiday itself and peak pricing starting that Friday.
Santa appears on select nights only, and the schedule mostly follows the weekends: November 20–22, November 27–29, December 4–6, December 8, December 11–13, December 17 and December 18–23. Santa photos cost extra.
Set that schedule against the price table and the cheapest Santa nights stand out. They are the value weekends of November 20–22 and December 4–6, plus Tuesday, December 8, the only value-weekday night with Santa. Every Santa night from December 11 on is a peak night.
December 8 is also Sensory-Inclusive Night, when no flash photography is used and re-entry is allowed, which no other night offers. Thursday, December 17, is Pride Night.
All three tiers get the same event. Knowing what that event is helps explain why so many families treat it as a short outing.
The 2026 displays follow a nature theme. The zoo describes "a vibrant world of plants, pollinators, and breathtaking displays celebrating the wonders of nature past and present," with oversized birds, butterflies, insects, flowers, marine creatures and Ice Age giants built from sculptural lights. Returning favorites include the interactive elements, the carousel, s'mores, churros and hot cocoa. Beer, wine and spiked hot cocoa are sold to guests 21 and over every night, with cash bars Friday through Sunday.
Some things are left out at night:
The zoo estimates most guests take 60 to 90 minutes to walk the route. The artificial-ice rink needs its own ticket. It runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in 30-minute timed sessions, and skate rental is included. So the evening is an outdoor walk of an hour or two, plus a skate if you book one, and it costs $6 more per person on a peak night than on a value weeknight.
The zoo's homepage lists event hours of 6 to 10 p.m., and the box office is open from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. on event nights. Parking is free. Tickets are sold for one of two entry times, which the zoo uses to manage capacity in the parking lot and inside the grounds. Metro Bus 296 stops at the zoo, according to the zoo's directions page.
Between the 6 p.m. start and a 60- to 90-minute walk, a weeknight visit can be over well before 10 p.m.
The same holiday dates affect the other end of Griffith Park. According to the Griffith Observatory calendar, the Observatory is closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, and on Christmas Day. It keeps shortened hours of 12 to 5 p.m. on December 24 and December 31, and it closes every Monday.
On December 24 and December 31, both change their schedules at once. The Observatory closes early and Zoo Lights doesn't open at all. Christmas Day and Thanksgiving close both completely.
Saturday, December 19, offers a free alternative to a peak night. The Observatory holds a free public star party that day, with telescope viewing from 2 to 9:45 p.m. Zoo Lights is open that night too, at the $35 adult peak price.
At Longfellow + Leach, we pay attention to how Griffith Park's calendar shapes the season for neighbors from Los Feliz Village to the hills above. If you are thinking about listing a home near the park this winter, we would be glad to talk through timing around the holidays. Ask us for a Complimentary Valuation & Design Plan.
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