{"id":48943,"date":"2025-11-12T01:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T01:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/48943\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T01:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T01:42:10","slug":"oakland-zoos-glowfari-raised-its-prices-due-to-trumps-tariffs-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/48943\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland Zoo’s Glowfari raised its prices due to Trump’s tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Glowfari has returned to the Oakland Zoo, but ticket prices are higher this year and President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs are to blame,\u00a0Oakland Zoo CEO Nik Dehejia told KTVU.<\/a><\/p>\n

He said the LED lanterns, which are hand-crafted in China and imported months in advance, cost an additional $100,000 this year.<\/p>\n

Reached Tuesday via email, Dehejia told the Bay Area News Group, \u201cAcross the economy, businesses are undergoing a shift in how they react to and manage the current marketplace. Whether it\u2019s a restaurant, a small business owner, or a non-profit like the Oakland Zoo, we\u2019ve all faced increased operating expenses over the last five years. With costs rising, it\u2019s essential that we find ways to generate revenue to cover our expenses and fulfill our mission to the community. Glowfari also brings much-needed joy and fun to the Bay Area, giving people a chance to connect with each other during the holiday season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dehejia said the zoo absorbed most of the expenses, but ticket prices are slightly higher.<\/p>\n

While some lanterns return from year to year, the zoo also commissions new lanterns for new exhibits each year<\/a>. This year\u2019s theme is \u201cThe Future of Oakland.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough prices have increased slightly this year, the experience remains a good value, the CEO said. \u201cEach year, the zoo introduces fresh themes that offer magical experiences while upholding the tradition many have enjoyed over the past five years. A key highlight of this year\u2019s event is the \u2018Future of Oakland\u2019 section, which reimagines the town we love as a glowing oasis for wildlife (with a wildlife crossing near iconic Oakland landmarks), and underscores the importance of coexistence with animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some lanterns are as big as 25 feet tall and 65 feet long. More than 100 artisans in China spend about 50 days working on the lanterns. The work is done through Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., a Chinese company that makes lanterns used in zoo festivals across the United States.<\/p>\n

First, painters sketch creatures based on the theme. Metal workers then weld the 3D shapes, electricians write the LED bulbs and the frames are wrapped in a fabric skin. Artists finish them up with color and detail until the final products are packed and shipped across the Pacific Ocean. The zoo starts unloading and installing them up each August in preparation of a November opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, it\u2019s a revenue share agreement with the company, so we\u2019re not purchasing everything up front,\u201d Dehejia told the Bay Area News Group last year.<\/a><\/p>\n

The zoo brings in much of its revenue through Glowfari, an event that welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually since it started six years ago.<\/p>\n

Due to high demand, the ticket prices change daily based on demand and how far in advance you plan ahead. Zoo members, children and seniors get 10% off.<\/p>\n

Glowfari began last week and will run through Jan. 25.<\/p>\n

Details: Glowfari will run from 4:30-9 p.m. daily through Jan. 25 at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. Glowfari is closed on Nov. 10, 11, 17, 18 and 27, Dec. 24 and 25, and Jan. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20. Glowfari tickets are on a plan-ahead pricing plan; buy early for a discount. There\u2019s also a 10% discount for zoo members, children and seniors. Find more information at www.oaklandzoo.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"QuwaggaQuwagga are seen in the Land of Extinction exhibit during the Glowfari lantern festival at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland on Feb. 9, 2023. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Glowfari has returned to the Oakland Zoo, but ticket prices are higher this year and President Donald Trump\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3573,383,30815,972,143,145,144,12294,2803,3429,1519,13473],"class_list":["post-48943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-china","tag-economy","tag-glowfari","tag-local","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-oakland-zoo","tag-president-donald-trump","tag-tariffs","tag-trump","tag-zoo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}