ZooLights Is Free on Some Mondays. The Catch Is How You Book.
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
The priciest way into ZooLights this year is a ticket bought on the night you decide to go. A fixed-date ticket bought ahead costs $7 to $12, and the same ticket bought on the day of your visit costs $20. Living a short walk from the zoo's Clark Street gates doesn't change that math.
ZooLights opens to the public on Friday, November 20, and runs through Sunday, January 3, 2027, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. with last entry at 8 p.m. Across those six weeks, buying on the day costs more than buying ahead. The free nights come out on a weekly release clock, and they stop before the two holiday weeks.
Lincoln Park Zoo's ZooLights page lists four ways in for a regular night:
| Ticket | Price | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Free Admission Monday | $0 | Reservation required, released one week ahead at 11 a.m. CT |
| Fixed Date, bought in advance | $7 to $12, depending on date | No date changes or transfers |
| Fixed Date, bought same day | $20 | Same rules as advance |
| Flexible Admission | $20 | Any regular night, excludes ticketed special events |
A flexible ticket costs exactly as much as a same-day fixed-date ticket. You pay that $20 for the right to pick your night later. The zoo pitches it as a way to "avoid sellouts and bad weather," and that matters because ZooLights goes on in rain, snow or shine unless the zoo posts otherwise.
Waiting has other risks too. Tickets are nonrefundable, and a fixed-date ticket can't be moved to another night. If plans fall apart, you can forward it to a friend or family member, but resale is prohibited. The zoo also says it "highly encourage[s]" buying in advance, and only a limited number of tickets may be sold at the gates. Every person in your group needs a ticket, children included.
Zoo members have a separate supply. Depending on membership level, members get two to eight free fixed-date tickets, plus a Member Preview Night on Thursday, November 19, the evening before the public opening.
ZooLights is free on four Mondays this season: November 23 and 30, and December 7 and 14. Free doesn't mean walk-up. According to the zoo's announcement, every guest still needs a ticket, infants included. Free tickets are released one week in advance at 11 a.m. CT. Working back from each Monday, here is when each batch goes live:
The first release is Monday, November 16, four days before the public opening. From then on, each free Monday doubles as release day for the next one. If you're at the lights on November 23, the reservations for November 30 opened that morning.
A free night is still a full ZooLights night. Regular hours and ticketed attractions apply, and food and drinks are for sale.
The free Mondays stop after December 14. There's no free admission on December 21 or 28, the two Mondays that fall in the holiday weeks. If you're planning a visit with relatives in town for Christmas or New Year's, you'll need a paid ticket for those nights, whether advance fixed-date, same-day or flexible, unless you're using one of the free fixed-date tickets that come with a zoo membership.
Tuesdays change in those weeks too. ZooLights is normally closed on Tuesdays, but it opens on December 22 and 29. Here is the full list of nights it is dark:
ZooLights is open on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Some of the extras end early as well. Strolling carolers come out on Sundays through December 21, and Santa is at the zoo through December 23. Block Club Chicago's preview reports that Santa's North Pole setup is at the Pepper Family Wildlife Center and that the Grinch is among the seasonal characters this year. Ice carvers work on Friday and Saturday nights. The only nights with free admission, carolers and Santa all on the calendar fall between November 23 and December 14.
A handful of evenings are ticketed separately, and flexible tickets don't cover them.
Admission covers the more than 3 million lights, the light tunnel, the narrated light show on the South Lawn, the ornament scavenger hunt and the indoor self-guided tours. Rides are paid separately. Most attractions take one $4.50 ticket per guest, while the Ferris wheel and Gorilla Trek take two, for $9. A family of four that comes on a free Monday and rides the Ferris wheel spends $36 on that one ride, more than four advance tickets at the $7 rate.
The rides are also where you'll find the skyline. The zoo's page bills the Ferris wheel as a ride above the lights with a view of the Chicago skyline. Hot chocolate, churros, mulled wine and fire-pit s'mores are sold around the grounds, and the Light Lounge has glowing furniture where you can warm up between loops.
The neighborhood's own holiday dates fall during the ZooLights run, and a few line up with the zoo calendar.
On Saturday, November 21, the morning after public opening, the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free Holiday Family Photoshoot and Give Back from 10 a.m. to noon at west elm's Lincoln Park store. Registration is required in advance.
On Saturday, November 28, two days after Thanksgiving, the Sustainable Makers' Market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr. Admission is $10 to $17 and includes the museum. The museum is a short walk up Cannon from the zoo, so you can do the market in the morning and the lights after 4:30.
On Sunday, December 6, the Clark Street Cookie Crawl runs from 1 to 3:30 p.m. along Clark between Fullerton and Diversey, with carolers, hot chocolate and Santa photos. The Chamber hasn't named the participating businesses yet. The Charlie Brown jazz tribute is at the zoo that same day, so you can fill a whole Sunday afternoon and evening within a few blocks.
Zoo parking is limited and paid, and it isn't included with admission. The zoo warns about congestion and recommends public transit or rideshare, with rideshare pickup and drop-off at the West Gate. According to the zoo's hours and location page, CTA buses 22, 36, 151 and 156 run along the zoo's western edge. The Brown and Purple Line stop at Armitage and the Red Line stop at Fullerton are each about a mile away.
You can book a ZooLights night for $7, and you can book a free Monday the moment the 11 a.m. release opens. If you're looking for an apartment within walking distance of the zoo's Clark Street gates before the season ends, The Michael Scavo Group will put together a tailored list of Lincoln Park buildings and set up tours that work around your free-Monday plans. Find Your Apartment.
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