DC Holiday Event: Zoolights

Last Friday we checked out Zoolights for the first time. It was awesome. I’m a fan of the Trail of Lights in Austin (crossing my fingers that it will return in 2012!), and this promised to be a similar sort of event.

Zoolights did not disappoint.

Zoolights is an annual free event at the National Zoo that’s pretty much what it sounds like: Christmas lights at the zoo. We were just expecting a designated area near the entrance to the zoo with light displays set up, but as it turned out, Zoolights is a scattering of Christmas lights throughout the zoo.

Sometimes it’s trees covered in a colorful spectrum of lights.

At other times it’s lights shaped into things like chameleons eating flies, zebras grazing, or wolves howling at the moon.

And at other times it’s lit trees along a path that change colors in time with holiday music.

And yet at other times it’s an entire light display animated in time with holiday music!

I especially liked that they wrapped the elephant branch sculpture in Christmas lights.

It was awesome. I definitely recommend checking it out. And bring a mug of hot chocolate with you if you don’t want to spend money on concessions. There were also a number of kid-friendly events going on, like a model train track, gingerbread house competitions, holiday caroling, a guy dressed as a panda dancing in a snow globe, and no-ice ice skating.

Zoolights will take place from 5-9pm every Friday through Sunday evening until December 16, at which point it will take place every night from 5-9pm until January 1 (except for December 24, 25, and 30). You can find more details on the event information page.