Tonight is ZooLights' member preview, and the public run opens tomorrow, Friday, November 20. The Conservatory's winter show, "Frosty and Bright," opens next Wednesday, November 25. Both close on Sunday, January 3, 2027. ZooLights is free on Mondays with a reservation, and the Conservatory is closed every Monday. Several Tuesdays shut both. Wednesday through Sunday are the only days when the greenhouse closes at 4:30 p.m. and the lights come on at 4:30 p.m.
| Day | ZooLights, 4:30 to 9 p.m. | Conservatory, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Free with reservation Nov. 23 and 30, Dec. 7 and 14. Paid on Dec. 21 and 28 | Closed |
| Tuesday | Sensory-Friendly Night Nov. 24. Closed Dec. 1, 8 and 15 | Closed |
| Wednesday to Sunday | Open, except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day | Open from Nov. 25, timed tickets |
Each free Monday opens the booking window for the next one
The Lincoln Park Zoo's ZooLights page lists four free admission Mondays this season: November 23, November 30, December 7 and December 14. Free tickets are released one week before each date at 11 a.m. CT. So each free Monday morning is also when the next one becomes available.
- Monday, November 16, 11 a.m.: tickets for November 23 were released. That window has already passed.
- Monday, November 23, 11 a.m.: tickets for November 30 are released, the same day as the first free night.
- Monday, November 30, 11 a.m.: tickets for December 7 are released.
- Monday, December 7, 11 a.m.: tickets for December 14, the last free night, are released.
The two Mondays after that, December 21 and 28, are regular paid nights. The zoo lists both as exceptions to free Mondays. In the last two weeks of the season, a Monday visit needs a paid ticket.
None of these Mondays includes the flowers. The Lincoln Park Conservancy's ticket page lists the Conservatory as closed Mondays and Tuesdays for the whole run. If you use a free Monday, it's an evening trip to see the lights only.
Three December Tuesdays when both are closed
The zoo closes ZooLights on Tuesday, December 1, Tuesday, December 8 and Tuesday, December 15. The Conservatory is closed on Tuesdays, so on those three dates neither the lights nor the flowers are open. Earlier in the season, Tuesday, November 24, is Sensory-Friendly Night, one of the zoo's dates reserved for a separately ticketed event. Late in the month, December 22 and 29 are ordinary ZooLights nights, but the greenhouse is still closed.
So the Monday and Tuesday schedules shape much of the season. Mondays work for budget plans and Tuesdays mostly don't work at all. That leaves five days a week for anyone who wants an afternoon of flowers followed by an evening of lights.
Wednesday through Sunday, the Conservatory closes at 4:30 and ZooLights opens at 4:30
The Conservatory's last hour and ZooLights' first hour meet at 4:30 p.m. The Conservatory is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Every visit needs a timed-entry ticket, and the Conservancy asks visitors to arrive no more than 30 minutes after their ticket's start time. Admission is free with a ticket. Suggested donations are $10 per adult and $5 per child, and there's a pay-what-you-can option. ZooLights runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m., and the last entry is at 8.
The first day both are open is Wednesday, November 25, when the flower show opens. The next day is Thanksgiving, when ZooLights is closed. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are also closed. ZooLights stays open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
For timing, book a Conservatory ticket for mid-afternoon. Then either take your coffee break between the two or arrive at ZooLights when it opens and leave before the 8 p.m. last-entry rush. The Conservancy doesn't allow food or open drinks inside the greenhouse, so finish your coffee before you go in.
The break between them is on Fullerton Parkway
If you drive, the zoo directs ZooLights visitors to its paid lot on Cannon Drive. The lot entrance is at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive, at 2400 N. Cannon Drive, the same address the zoo gives for the East Gate. According to the zoo's hours and location page, the first half hour is free, then parking costs $35 to $45 per day including parking taxes, and prices may change. When the lot fills, staff close it temporarily and reopen it once there's room. At those rates, staying parked through both visits costs the same daily rate as one visit, which argues for doing both on the same day.
Farther west on the same parkway, at Clark Street, is the neighborhood's newest place to spend the time between the two. Block Club Chicago reported that Piccadilly Market opened in September at 444 W. Fullerton Pkwy., longtime home of Emilio's Tapas. The 5,200-square-foot space combines an all-day sandwich café, a coffee program, a wine shop, a bar and lounge, and an 80-person outdoor courtyard called Piccadilly Square. Owner Aaron Zacharias, who also runs The Northman Beer & Cider Garden and The Bar on Buena, told Block Club the goal is "to create a third space that engages the community in so many new and exciting ways."
The kitchen is run by Mark Mendez, formerly chef and owner of the West Loop Spanish wine bar Vera. His menu includes house-made English muffins and breakfast sandwiches, focaccia, Roman-style pizza, and rotating cheese and charcuterie. The bar pours three wines and five beers or ciders on draft. Suppliers include Metric Coffee and Publican Quality Bread, and Phase Three Brewing is making a beer specifically for the market. The market follows the original Piccadilly on Lawrence Avenue in Lincoln Square, a second-location pattern we described in our summer look at Lincoln Park's restaurant openings.
For a sit-down dinner after the lights, Eater Chicago's openings roundup lists Osteria Gilberto, a 56-seat modern Italian restaurant that opened October 8 at 1224 W. Webster Ave.
There's also food inside the gates. The zoo's ZooLights announcement lists a holiday pop-up bar with festive cocktails and hot drinks, fire pits for s'mores, hot cocoa and snack stations, a waffle station, mozzarella sticks, pizza bagels, conchas and sweet nachos. The Light Lounge at Foreman Pavilion will also serve food and drinks. The event page adds fresh churros. The zoo describes this year's displays as themed zones "blending the new and nostalgic."
Event nights don't follow the weekday pattern
ZooLights' special-event calendar works differently from its weekly schedule. Flexible tickets aren't valid on ticketed special-event nights.
- Thursday, November 19: Member Preview Night, 4:30 to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 24: Sensory-Friendly Night, 4:30 to 9 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 2: Ugly Sweater Night.
- Sunday, December 6: the Chris White Trio's tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas. There's a matinee in Pepper Family Wildlife Center that includes ZooLights entry, plus a kid-friendly evening show and a new 18-and-over evening show at Café Brauer.
- Wednesday, December 9: Nutcracker Night.
- Thursday, December 10: Adults Night Out: Sugar and Spice, 21 and over, 6:30 to 10 p.m., tickets from $20.
- Wednesday, December 16: Green Night.
- Thursday, December 31: New Year's Eve with hourly countdowns, 4:30 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, January 2: New Year's ReZoolutions, 2 to 4 p.m., new this season.
Two of these events start in daylight. The December 6 matinee includes Santa and Snoopy, a complimentary hot chocolate and cookie bar, and entry to ZooLights. ReZoolutions includes yoga, sound meditation, nonalcoholic beverage samples for guests 21 and over, and ZooLights access before the public opening that evening. Tickets went on sale November 9. Both dates are weekends, when the Conservatory is also open, so either one can follow a morning flower-show ticket.
Ticket prices depend on when you decide
The pricing hasn't changed from last season. The zoo's 2025 guide listed the same $7 to $12 fixed-date tickets, $20 flexible tickets and free Mondays with registration. Last season ran through January 4, 2026. This season ends one day earlier, on January 3.
Fixed-date tickets cost $7 to $12 when bought in advance, depending on the night, and $20 on the day of the visit. Flexible tickets cost $20 and work on any regular night. If you decide the same day, you'll pay $20 either way. Fixed-date tickets show an entry time, but late arrivals aren't turned away. Flexible tickets allow entry any time up to 8 p.m. Tickets are nonrefundable, and fixed-date tickets can't be moved to another night. You can forward either kind to a friend or family member, and every person needs a ticket, children included. The gates sell a limited number of same-day tickets at $20, and cash is accepted only at the East and West Gates.
So the cheapest ZooLights visit is a free Monday booked at 11 a.m. a week ahead, and it never includes the Conservatory. The cheapest visit that includes both is a weekday from Wednesday to Friday, with a $7 to $12 fixed-date ticket bought in advance and a free timed Conservatory ticket for the afternoon.
The Wednesday-to-Sunday window shapes December on this stretch of Fullerton Parkway, and Fu Group knows these blocks by the hour. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of the zoo, the Conservatory and Fullerton Parkway, schedule a private consultation and we'll walk the blocks with you.
