Detroit Zoo's Wild Lights returns Nov. 21 with lit-up Erb Discovery Trails and a new 21-and-over Igloo

ROYAL OAK, Mich. — The Detroit Zoo's Wild Lights returns Saturday, Nov. 21, for 30 nights of holiday lights, with more of the park lit up this year.

The dates are Nov. 21, 22 and 27-29; Dec. 4-6, 10-23 and 26-31; and Jan. 2 and 3. Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights run until 10:30 p.m. and other nights until 9 p.m., including New Year's Eve. The zoo is closed Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1.

The zoo says the route has more than 500 animal- and nature-themed displays. New this year: the eastern section of the Fred & Barbara Erb Discovery Trails is lit, with glowing swings, a light-up teeter-totter and a giant Lite-Brite-style wall. There are also new light sculptures, including a snow leopard, an Asian elephant, an orangutan, red pandas and a Bengal tiger, and a butterfly coloring exhibit at the Ford Education Center.

Adults can add access to the Igloo, a heated lounge for guests 21 and older with fire pits, two drinks, appetizers and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. It costs $23 on top of admission, or $40 as a VIP Igloo ticket that includes admission. ID is required.

General admission is $17 to $25 online, depending on the night, and $27 at the gate. Members save 10%. The Total Experience package, at $60 online, adds parking, a carousel ride, the 4D theater, a VR ride, a souvenir cocoa cup with refills and a food voucher. Parking is otherwise $8. Every guest 2 and older needs a ticket.

Santa is on hand every night through Dec. 23. The zoo collects new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots from Nov. 28 to Dec. 18 at the Zoo Shop, and takes old holiday light strings for recycling from Nov. 28 to Jan. 31.

Wild Lights covers the front half of the zoo, and most animals are off view at night, though the river otter and beaver habitats stay open. The zoo warns the flashing lights may not suit guests with light sensitivity or epilepsy. Dress in layers.

Sources:
Detroit Zoo, “Wild Lights 2026,” https://detroitzoo.org/events/wild-lights/
Photo: WMrapids, “Detroit Zoo.jpg,” Aug. 26, 2025, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detroit_Zoo.jpg

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Tags: Royal Oak · Things to Do · Detroit Zoo · Wild Lights · Holidays