Can’t Wait for Christmas Lights? Kansas City Zoo’s Massive New Lantern Festival is Now Open
If you love checking out holiday light displays, you don’t have to wait until December. A huge lantern festival opens tonight at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium in Missouri.
GloWild is returning for its fifth year on Sept. 11 with a completely new theme. This year’s event, called Hidden Treasure, turns a nighttime walk through the zoo into a giant treasure hunt.
Visitors will follow a mile-long path filled with huge lighted sculptures inspired by shipwrecks, buried treasure, expedition camps and overgrown jungles. Clues and artifacts are also placed throughout the route.
The displays took a lot of work to put together. More than 150 artisans used over 34 tons of steel and 89,000 feet of fabric to create them.
What You’ll See at GloWild This Year
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The one-way route takes about an hour to complete. Along the way, visitors will find plenty of places to take photos, plus food, drinks, and entertainment.
The lanterns will also change with the seasons. Visitors can expect fall and Halloween displays first, followed by winter and Christmas themes later in the year.
GloWild takes place after most of the zoo’s animals have gone to bed, so don’t expect a typical zoo visit. However, the Sobela Ocean Aquarium will be open to GloWild visitors on Wednesday nights.
There Are Extra Fall Activities Too
If you’re visiting in September or October, admission also includes the zoo’s Autumn Fest activities. Families can play cornhole, checkers and other games, ride pedal tractors, take fall photos and try seasonal treats like apple cider and caramel apple slices.
The Endangered Species Carousel is also free from 6 to 9 p.m., weather permitting. Visitors can pay extra to ride the Flying Flamingo Zipline or the KCZoo Railroad.
GloWild Runs Through December
GloWild: Hidden Treasure runs from Sept. 11 through Dec. 27 at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium. The festival generally takes place in the evenings, although visitors should check the zoo’s calendar before planning a trip, as some dates are closed or blackout dates.
General admission purchased online ranges from $22 to $24, with higher prices at the gate. Parking at the zoo is free.
