The Akron Zoo has decided to plug back in its holiday light displays after a 16-year absence.
The new holiday light event — dubbed Wild Lights — will run weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas week.
Zoo officials say nearly the entire zoo will come to life at night with thousands of lights, lighted wildlife figures and traditional holiday scenes.
There will be a unique nightly light show with an animal focus near the zoo’s carousel.
At Santa Land, visitors will be able to meet Santa and have their pictures taken.
There will be a s’mores station along with up-close animal encounters.
The zoo previously hosted Holidays Lights from 1987 to 2000 and put up around a half million lights.
Officials say more than 300,000 people visited the zoo during the 14 years it hosted the previous event.
“We are excited to bring this event back to our community and foster memorable experiences for families, as well as educate and inspire people to take an active role in conservation,” said Doug Piekarz, the zoo’s president and CEO. “We are fulfilling the request from our community to bring this event back, some of whom came as kids and now wish to bring their kids to Wild Lights.”
The Wild Lights display will be open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 25-27 and Dec. 2-4, Dec. 9-11, Dec. 16-18, Dec. 22-23 and Dec. 27-30. It will also be open Dec. 26.
The lights will start at the entrance with varying themes that will include a traditional holiday display in the zoo’s Mike & Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge section and a Candy Land theme in Frontier Town.
Admission for Wild Lights will be $15 for adults and $10 for children. The price for zoo members will be $12 for adults and $9 for children.
A discounted admission and early entrance at 5 p.m. will be offered for those who purchase tickets in advance. The presale general admission will be $12 for adults and $9 for children. Zoo member advance-purchase tickets will be $9 for adults and $8 for children.
The zoo will be closed during the day on the nights it hosts Wild Lights.
Zoo spokesman David Barnhardt said the zoo plans to set aside space for companies to rent to hold private parties during the Wild Lights.
Barnhardt said companies can have a large private party on off nights and have the run of the zoo and the light display or rent out a smaller space when Wild Lights is open to the general public.
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.