PHILADELPHIA ZOO Lights Up the Holidays with More that a Million Shimmering Lights

Philadelphia Zoo's dazzling winter light show experience is back! LumiNature returns for another season of breathtaking sights, sounds and surprises from Thursday, November 17, 2022 to Saturday, January 7, 2023. With more than a million twinkling lights across 14 one-of-a-kind artistically illuminated zones, LumiNature is sure to wow adults and children alike as they take a magical journey celebrating the wonder of wildlife and the beauty of our planet during the holiday season. Highlights will include a brand new Penguin Prismatic show featuring a 40 ft. tall penguin, plus a new coral and under the sea holiday tree, a new 15 foot tall glowing blue gorilla, 100 ft-long aquarium tunnel, enormous jellyfish, a 21-feet tall brilliant colored snake, hundreds of illuminated penguins, giant cat eyes glowing in the dark of night, a 22-feet-tall Butterfly Tree, a Wilderness Express Train, and a 25-foot tree made entirely of lit flamingo lawn ornaments.

LumiNature is a nighttime experience, with timed entrance tickets available every half hour from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. All guests must pre-purchase timed-tickets at philadelphiazoo.org/luminature. New this year, for a limited time only, purchase any-time tickets for just $33 for the ultimate flexibility. Prices vary by visit date. Tickets for adults ages 12+ are $25 to $28, children ages 2-11 are $20 to $23, and children under 2 years old are free. Zoo members receive discounted tickets. For tickets and membership information, visit www.philadelphiazoo.org/luminature. Philadelphia Zoo is located at 3400 W. Girard. Parking is available in nearby Zoo parking lots for an additional cost.

"This year's LumiNature is like no other," said Philadelphia Zoo Chief Experience and Marketing Officer Amy Shearer. "Because the holidays are an important time to come together and reconnect with those important to us, creating an experience that celebrates and honors such precious time together has been our design inspiration. We have great new areas to explore coupled with some big fan favorites, all geared toward inspiring every age...from grandparents, to parents, to kids and grandkids."

LumiNature is a full-scale nighttime holiday light show and extravaganza that takes over the entire footprint of the Philadelphia Zoo after hours. Dancing lights, sounds and media throughout the Zoo will create magical illusions of big cats and peacocks coming to life; flamingos flocking on a 25-foot-tall tree; and hundreds of penguins hosting an outdoor party of their very own. LumiNature is designed to inspire a sense of wonder and connection as all these elements come together in this first-of-its-kind experience - available nowhere else in America. LumiNature was designed exclusively and proudly for Philadelphia Zoo.

LumiNature first debuted in November of 2019, and represented the first evening and holiday program in Philadelphia Zoo's long history. The inaugural event drew tens of thousands of enchanted visitors. While plans were in the works for a sparkling return in 2020, the Zoo took a one year break during the pandemic. In 2021, the Zoo broke records with all the holiday visitors and tickets are already on sale for the new holiday season.

LumiNature is now back and even more beautiful and brilliant than before. Offering new and additional areas of sparkle, LumiNature returns with larger displays, more immersive experiences, more open-space and more wattage. A break-down of the experiences and zones is as follows:

* New this year, guests will experience the magical Penguin Prismatic show featuring a 40 ft. tall penguin glowing with 40,000 lights which unveil surprising designs in a stunning fashion. Surrounded by a colony of colorful penguins reflecting on the Zoo's Bird Lake, this show will give a whole new perspective on how fun it is to be a penguin.

* New this year, step into the heart of Africa as you wander the savanna and witness animals wandering their grasslands through imaginative video projection on striking rock walls in Twilight Savanna. Oh, and be sure to be on the lookout for a 15 ft. tall blue gorilla that caps off the experience!

* New this year, guests will marvel at the new finale showstopper, Animale Fantasia, where enchanting animal animations awaken the child in all of us through cinematic storytelling and projection artistry. Cave-like screens situated on a field of lights choreographed to captivating music bring animal dreams to life!

LumiNature also brings back fan favorites with added excitement; including:

* Welcome to LumiNature will showcase cascading blue and white meteor light showers welcoming guests from 34th street to Girard and past the Zoo to the parking garage area. On the Zoo's main plaza, five 80-foot-tall London Plane trees will be wrapped in stunning new multicolor lights creating a fun and festive atmosphere for everyone, living, visiting or passing through the area. Each year they will change colors and design - look for a new version of Miracle on 34th Street for 2022.

* Tis the SEAson, dive under the sea and adventure through a 100 ft. long tunnel filled with 4,000 lights with shimmering scenes right out of the ocean, an ultraviolent coral rock reef, dozens of enormous jellyfish and a 20 ft. tree decorated as a coral reef come to life.

* Whistle-Stop Wonder will invite children to ride the brand-new Wilderness Express Train around Impala Fountain to a backdrop of 100,000 lights sparkling through the trees while adults enjoy delicious hot cocoa, seasonal treats, and watch unique light artists perform visually-stunning routines.

* Winter of Love features the Zoo's iconic 25 ft. tall pink flamingo tree made entirely of lit lawn flamingos and where guests can feel the groovy vibes with a funky light display, cozy bean bag chairs and more.

* Glow with the Flow awaits guests with the bright, beautiful setting of lit orbs, giant illuminated flowers and a massive array of strands of lights overhead.

* Flutter Flair features a stunning 22-feet-tall Butterfly Tree that welcomes visitors through the magical land of the butterfly. Featuring five oversized whimsical Monarch Pavilions and beautifully-winged artistic performers, Flutter Flair offers guests the opportunity to snap a beautiful photo and offers wishes for a tremendous holiday season.

* Arctic Passage comes to life via an oversized, Earth- shaped 3D screen showing programmed lights, music, sound effects and color, all under a canopy of glowing lights. Snap a photo with 8- feet- tall moving and glowing animal backdrops while enjoying lite fare and beverages at Bites Under the Lights, a newly-enhanced eating and chill destination.

* Snake Awake invites visitors to slither through brilliant purples, blues and greens as a giant snake slithers along beside them.

* Big Cat Stalk will have visitors meandering through a path of tall illuminated 'grass,' with the stalking eyes of frisky felines appearing and disappearing.

Don't forget to grab a hot apple cider or hot chocolate, both available to be spiked! If you're looking for a snack try our warm pretzels and a winter- themed beer; at Sweet Whimsicality, make your own s'mores over an open fire underneath brilliantly lit orbs and sparkling trees, and snack on other sweet treats and hot cocoa as you watch a mystifying bubble performer; at Arctic Passage, witness an enormous, earth sphere covered in 3D screens bringing the story of animals that live around the globe to life via programmed lights, music, sound effects and color, all under a canopy of glowing lights; at Flutter Flair, witness the breathtaking beauty of a 22 ft. tall Butterfly Tree surrounded by a magical collection of oversized, whimsical monarchs and beautifully-winged artistic performers; at Our Neck of the Woods, help celebrate our neighborhood and cast a vote for your favorite tree decorated by our community partners; Other favorites, like Flamingo Fancy, Snake Awake, and Big Cat Stalk and return for 2022.

LumiNature by the numbers will feature:

* Over a million lights and 10+ miles of power cord

* New coral and under the sea-inspired holiday tree

* New 15 foot tall glowing blue gorilla

* New limited amount of anytime tickets

* Over 500 illuminated flamingos and 200 illuminated penguins

* Pretty in pink 25 feet tall flamingo holiday tree
* 100 ft-long aquarium tunnel with enormous jellyfish
* 22-feet-tall Butterfly Tree
* 21-feet tall brilliant colored snake
* Cascading blue and white meteor light showers
* Giant cat eyes glowing in the dark of night

LumiNature will be open from Thursday, November 17th to Saturday, January 7th. LumiNature is a nighttime experience, with timed entrance tickets available every half hour from 5:00pm to 8:00pm for arrival, with the experience closing last call at 10:00pm for those that arrived by 8:00pm.

LumiNature tickets now on sale. Guests should pre-purchase timed-tickets making reservations at www.PhiladelphiaZoo.org. Prices vary by visit date. Tickets for adults ages 12+ are $25 to $28, children ages 2-11 are $20 to $23, and children under 2 years old are free. Philadelphia Zoo Members enjoy discounts on LumiNature tickets.

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA ZOO:

Animals are on the move like never before at Philadelphia Zoo with Zoo360, a first-in-the-world system of see-through trails passing through treetops, crossing over pathways and connecting habitats, giving animals like amazing big cats, majestic primates and marvelous meerkats the opportunities to travel and explore. Visit our new Ankole cattle, western lowland gorillas, hippos, white rhino, zebras, red pandas, Amur tigers and more at America's first Zoo. Explore our 42-acre garden and enjoy award-winning exhibits like Big Cat Falls, PECO Primate Reserve, McNeil Avian Center, KidZooU, and African Plains, where you can come face to face with the world's tallest animal at our new Giraffe Encounter experience. Philadelphia Zoo is one of the region's foremost conservation organizations and home to nearly 1,700 animals, many rare and endangered. By connecting people with wildlife, Philadelphia Zoo creates joyful discovery and inspires action for animals and habitats. Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Philadelphia Zoo is a non-smoking facility. For more information, visit philadelphiazoo.org. Facebook: PhiladelphiaZoo; Instagram: @philadelphiazoo; Twitter: @phillyzoo.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia Zoo

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