Photo courtesy of the Birmingham Zoo
Glow Wild lanterns at the Birmingham Zoo in 2021.
The Birmingham Zoo will host its annual Glow Wild from Nov. 22, 2025, through Jan. 4, 2026. The seasonal event transforms the zoo’s pathways into illuminated trails featuring more than one million lights and roughly 100 handcrafted animal lanterns. According to Director of Marketing and Events Bill Lang, more than 60 percent of this year’s lanterns will be new additions.
A new Holiday Village will debut this season with gingerbread house lanterns, Christmas trees and a 6-and-a-half-foot menorah supported by Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood. “We will have the menorah lit each night of Hannukah,” Lang said. Another addition is a nautical theme in the predator area, where guests can walk through a massive angler fish and under a glowing underwater scene.
The zoo will offer an Adults Only Night on Dec. 4 for ages 18 and older. Lang said the goal is to provide a quieter evening for date nights and college students, noting, “We love our younger friends that come to the zoo, but we also wanted to offer something if you wanted a quieter experience. So, for those 18 and over, it is a great time to come and enjoy the event.”
Breakfast with Santa will take place Dec. 13 with seatings at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.
For more information about this year’s holiday events, visit birminghamzoo.com.
