Holiday Magic at the Brookfield Zoo is Chicagoland’s largest lights festival with over 1,000,000 twinkling lights, caroling to the animals, light shows, Santa and Mrs. Claus, 41 foot talking tree, skating rink, carolers, ice carvers. FREE for members, Tickets are $21.95 for adults, seniors $14.95 and kids 3 to 11 are $15.95- one dollar less on line.
Saturdays & Sundays: December 22-23, and 26 to 31.
10am to 9pm- festivities begin at 4pm
Nightly Activities
Holly Jolly Theater – Swan Pavilion
• Stop by to see nightly entertainment of singers, dancers, carolers (see entertainment list below)
Ice Carver – Dolphin Pavilion – 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 pm
Magician – Bison Pavilion – 4:30 – 8:30 pm
41-foot “Talking Tree” – North Plaza
20-foot Lit Orb (Photo Op) – North Mall (south of Carousel)
Larger than Life Light Displays
- • Reindeer – East Mall
- • Bear – North Mall
- • Bison and Giraffe – South Mall
- • Light Display – West Mall
- Singing to the Animals
• Reindeer – Hamill Family Wild Encounters – 5:30 pm
• Big Cats – Big Cats – 6:30 pm
• Bears – Great Bear Wilderness – 7:30 pm
Dolphins in Action – Seven Seas – 6:00 pm (fee required)
Zoo Chats
• Crocodiles – The Swamp – 5:00 pm
• Reptiles – Feathers and Scales – 5:30 pm
• Bears – Great Bear Wilderness – 6:00 pm
• Lemurs – Hamill Family Play Zoo – 6:30 pm
• Rhinoceroses – Pachyderms – 7:00 pm
• Big Cats – Big Cats – 7:30 pm
“Rudolph Rides the Rails” Model Railroad – LGB Model Railroad Club – BZ Red Hots/Riverside Room – 4:00 to 8:30 pm
Cookie and Cupcake Decorating – BZ Red Hots (fee required)
Exhibits (Open until 8:00 pm)
• Australia House
• Big Cats
• Camel Yard
• Desert’s Edge
• Feathers and Scales
• Great Bear Wilderness
• Hamill Family Play Zoo
• Hamill Family Wild Encounters
• Pachyderms
• Regenstein Wolf Woods
• Reptiles and Birds
• Seven Seas (Underwater Viewing)
• Clouded Leopard Rain Forest
• The Living Coast
• The Swamp
• Tropic World
Holly Jolly Theater Entertainment
Saturday, December 22
5:00 p.m. – Mundelein Dance Company
6:00 p.m. – Those Funny Little People
7:00 p.m. – Rock Academy
8:00 p.m. – Twirling Bears & Bearettes
Sunday, December 23
5:00 p.m. – Dance Dimensions
6:00 p.m. – Those Funny Little People
7:00 p.m. – Connections Studio
8:00 p.m. – VeVe’s Dance Company