Glowfari offers a family-friendly holiday outing in Oakland.
Oakland Zoo
For the last six years, the Oakland Zoo has hosted hundreds of large animal-shaped lanterns, each handmade, hand-painted, and adorned with countless LED lights. Glowfari, on view most evenings through January 25, has become a beloved winter tradition for kids and adults alike around the East Bay.
With a timed-entry ticket, guests can explore this season’s brand-new lanterns, which are designed by zoo staff and divided into five major sections for the 2025–26 show, exploring the African savanna, bugs, coral reefs, reptiles, and local wildlife. Oakland Zoo CEO Nik Dehejia calls the event a “choose-your-own adventure” experience. “[In guests, we see] wonder, excitement, [and] even squeals as they’re turning the corner,” he says. “We increasingly need more joy and fun and the ability to make different memories, and that’s what Glowfari does.”
Though its live animal residents aren’t visible during Glowfari, the zoo’s eateries are open, and kids can enjoy the Rides Area. Glowfari also features a strong emphasis on wildlife conservation that echoes the zoo’s mission. “Our vision is about creating a flourishing planet where people and wildlife thrive together,” says Dehejia. “We want to connect people to animals, first and foremost, and then we want them to understand how can they be part of saving [them].”
All guests are welcome at Glowfari—and are invited to return time and time again. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re 3 or 93 years old, you can come with your friends, your family, [or] on a date in the evening for Glowfari and enjoy it,” says Dehejia. “It really is for everybody, and that’s the joy of what the zoo brings people.” oaklandzoo.org.