Zoo Lights 35 Saves Its New Theme Nights for Its Cheapest Dates

Zoo Lights turns 35 this season. Its new additions, the Gothmas and Dickens theme nights, are scheduled for the zoo's discounted Value Nights, which mostly fall early in the week. On the far side of City Park, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is running its after-hours winter show by closing several galleries in the afternoon. For anyone in Park Hill who can walk or make a short drive to the park, this year's holiday season is easier to plan by calendar than by event.

Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance runs Zoo Lights 35 on select nights from November 23 through January 3. Hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and the zoo is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The zoo bills it as 80 acres and three million lights. For the anniversary, it is bringing back historic light displays from the Wild Lights years, adding vintage-inspired merchandise and bringing back the Zoo Lights Market.

The New Nights Sit on the Value Calendar

Prices this year are set by date. Standard nights cost $29.95 for adults and seniors and $22.95 for youth. Value Nights drop to $25.95 and $18.95. Children 2 and under are free on every night, and members save 10% on top of either tier.

Here are the Value Nights: November 29 through December 2, December 6, December 8–9, December 13–16 and January 2–3. The zoo calls this season's three theme nights new for the 35th year, and two of them fall on those dates.

Five of the eight theme nights carry Value pricing. All of them fall Monday through Wednesday, so the gates close at 9 p.m. The zoo describes Gothmas as "two Zoo Lights nights void of traditional holiday cheer, for those who refuse to celebrate," and Dickens Nights invite guests to come in holiday pajamas. Summer in December, which the zoo pitches as a celebration of "the sunnier solstice," is the only theme set that falls in the standard-price week between Christmas and New Year's.

The two 21+ evenings are priced separately on the zoo's Adult Night page. A ticket includes one complimentary canned drink, with nonalcoholic and gluten-free options. The December 7 night pairs the Gothmas theme with punk music. The January 1 night is a classic Zoo Lights evening without kids. Neither date appears on the general-admission price list, which sets them apart from the regular family schedule.

What the Calendar Is Worth to a Household

Price differences per ticket look small until you multiply them across a group. Here is a household of two adults and two kids old enough to need youth tickets, priced from the zoo's published rates:

A member family picking a Dickens Night over a Saturday in mid-December pays $25 less than a non-member family on a standard night. They also see a theme the zoo is running for the first time this year.

The upgrades mostly follow the busier calendar. The Zoo Lights Bundle costs $28.65 to $44.95 and is sold every night. It includes admission, a souvenir cup of hot cocoa and two vouchers for the Conservation Carousel or the Denver Zoo Railroad, and quantities are limited each night. Zoo Lights VIP is $125 and only available December 18, 20–23 and 26–27. It adds a giraffe feeding, complimentary valet parking, a heated tent with a charcuterie buffet and one drink from the VIP bar. A private heated patio for up to 10 guests costs $1,000 for 90 minutes and is sold every night.

Across the Park, the Museum Gives Up Its Afternoons

At the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Magical Winter Nights runs November 25, 2026, through January 2, 2027. It is a self-guided evening that takes 45 to 75 minutes. Each ticket includes admission to Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, and members save $5 per ticket. The museum also schedules 21+ nights within the run.

To make room for the evening show, the museum is changing its daytime hours. According to its visitor notice, these changes are in effect by the time this post publishes:

• The Northern & Rare Birds and Birds of the Americas halls have been closed all day since November 9.
• The Explore Colorado and South America halls have closed at 3 p.m. daily since November 10.
• All levels of the West Atrium have closed at 3 p.m. daily since November 18.

All three changes last through January 2, 2027. The museum is a regular after-school stop for many families, and from now through the first weekend of January, a 3:30 p.m. visit includes less of the building than it did in October. Morning or early-afternoon visits still cover more of the museum, at least outside the two bird halls.

Two Shows, Two Parking Plans

The two holiday shows draw crowds to opposite ends of the same park, and each venue publishes its own instructions.

At the zoo, the Know Before You Go page says parking is free and first come, first served, in the four-level garage and the lot east of the main entrance. It recommends allowing extra time, and attendants direct cars on busy nights. Every guest needs a timed ticket on their phone. You can enter any time after your selected time, and on busier nights a second east entrance or the Pink Entrance may open.

At the museum, Magical Winter Nights guests enter on the west side of the building, facing City Park. Free parking is in the north lot and the underground garage, and the museum notes that both can fill quickly.

The two calendars overlap from November 25 to January 2. During that stretch, both venues fill their lots on the same evenings, starting around the same dinner hour, and Zoo Lights gates open at 4:30 p.m. For Park Hill households, the Value Nights do double duty here too. A Monday through Wednesday at the zoo means a 9 p.m. close and a calendar slot the zoo has already priced as a slower night. That is a better bet for the garage than a Friday or Saturday in the week before Christmas.

A Saturday That Starts on Kearney Street

The neighborhood's own holiday event happens a few blocks from the park on December 5. The Art Garage and the Kearney Street Merchants are hosting Holidays on Kearney St. on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Kearney Street in Park Hill. The afternoon includes holiday art activities and a holiday art market.

December 5 is also a standard-price Zoo Lights Saturday with a 10 p.m. close, and the gates open at 4:30 p.m., half an hour before the Kearney Street event wraps up. A household can plan the afternoon on Kearney and the evening at the zoo with one timed ticket. The next night, Sunday, December 6, is a Value Night. For anyone in Park Hill whose weekend is open, that makes a Sunday visit cheaper than the Saturday rush.

If you're thinking about how close-in neighborhoods like Park Hill feel through the holiday season, I'm always glad to talk it over. Christine Nicholson spends these weeks in the same places you do, and I'm happy to share what I know about life near City Park. Let's Connect.