ZooLights opens Thursday, Nov. 19, at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. It runs 5 to 9 p.m. on select nights through Jan. 3. It replaces IllumiNature, the handmade-lantern show the zoo ran last season. Tickets cost less this year, the season is shorter, and the nights the zoo dropped are almost all midweek.
Every Friday and Saturday from Nov. 20 through Jan. 2 is a ZooLights night except Christmas Day. The dark nights fall in runs of Mondays through Thursdays. The two dog-friendly Sniffari Nights land on two of those dark dates. So the cheaper ticket comes with fewer weeknights to use it on, and planning a visit starts with the calendar.
Last season's lanterns against this season's lights
IllumiNature's 2025 season was built around hundreds of handmade nature, interactive and cultural lanterns. YourCentralValley reported in November 2025 that the show also added giant interactive Chinese-zodiac sculptures. This year the ZooLights page promises thousands of lights, Santa's workshop and a new projection and special-effects show called Snowball and Flurry, with snow, lasers, fog and bubbles. A new Holiday Express train runs through the zoo. Train tickets cost extra and are sold at the event.
Here is how the two seasons compare, using the zoo's October 2025 IllumiNature release and the current ZooLights page.
| IllumiNature, 2025 season | ZooLights, 2026 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled dates | 49, Nov. 20 to Jan. 31 | 32, Nov. 19 to Jan. 3 |
| Hours | 5 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Non-member adult, November and December | $25 | $19 |
| Member adult, November and December | $23 | $17 |
| Child, ages 2 to 11, non-member | $19 | $14 |
| Sniffari Nights | One, Dec. 9 | Two, Nov. 29 and Dec. 10 |
The 49 dates from last season include two member-only preview nights and a Sniffari Night. Nine of the dates fell in the week of Jan. 2 to 10, and the season had three more weekends after that. This year the lights go dark after Sunday, Jan. 3. Last season, January tickets were cheaper than December ones, at $20 for a non-member adult. This year's $19 is a single price for the whole run, so it is lower than last season's January rate too.
For two adults and two children ages 2 to 11 without a membership, ZooLights costs $66 at the gate. The same family would have paid $88 on a November or December night last season. Members pay $60 this year, compared with $84 last season.
The weeknights are where the season got shorter
Plotted by week, the 2026 schedule shows where the dates fell out. "Lights" means a regular ZooLights night. "Dark" means no regular ZooLights night. "Sniffari" marks the two dog nights, which fall outside the regular calendar.
| Week of | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16 | 19 Lights | 20 Lights | 21 Lights | 22 Lights | |||
| Nov. 23 | 23 Lights | 24 Lights | 25 Lights | 26 Dark | 27 Lights | 28 Lights | 29 Sniffari |
| Nov. 30 | 30 Dark | 1 Dark | 2 Dark | 3 Lights | 4 Lights | 5 Lights | 6 Lights |
| Dec. 7 | 7 Dark | 8 Dark | 9 Dark | 10 Sniffari | 11 Lights | 12 Lights | 13 Lights |
| Dec. 14 | 14 Dark | 15 Dark | 16 Lights | 17 Lights | 18 Lights | 19 Lights | 20 Lights |
| Dec. 21 | 21 Lights | 22 Lights | 23 Lights | 24 Dark | 25 Dark | 26 Lights | 27 Lights |
| Dec. 28 | 28 Lights | 29 Lights | 30 Lights | 31 Dark | Jan. 1 Lights | Jan. 2 Lights | Jan. 3 Lights |
The dark nights are Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, plus three midweek runs. Those are Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, Dec. 7 through 10, and Dec. 14 and 15. In the two weeks after Thanksgiving, ZooLights is open Thursday through Sunday only.
The open weeknights are mostly in Thanksgiving week and the two weeks around Christmas. Monday, Nov. 23 through Wednesday, Nov. 25 are all open. So are Dec. 16 through 23 and Dec. 28 through 30.
The zoo recommends buying tickets online in advance because ZooLights may sell out. It also recommends arriving early for parking and the shortest lines to see Santa. With fewer midweek dates available, those weeknights are the best chance at an earlier spot in the Santa line.
Santa's last night is Dec. 23
The ZooLights page says Santa flies away after Dec. 23. Photos at Santa's workshop are sold the night of your visit. That splits the season in two. The 24 regular nights from Nov. 19 through Dec. 23 have Santa. The eight nights from Dec. 26 through Jan. 3 have the lights, Snowball and Flurry and the train, but no Santa visits.
For families who mainly want a Santa photo, the realistic windows are Thanksgiving week, the Thursday-through-Sunday blocks in early December and the final stretch from Dec. 16 to 23. For out-of-town guests arriving after Christmas, those eight nights are the only ZooLights dates left.
Two add-ons sell separately. VIP igloos can be reserved online for a group to sit in with hot cocoa or cocktails, and the zoo limits how many are available each night. The ZooLights Family Overnight runs from 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Families sleep in the zoo's indoor classrooms and bring their own blankets and pillows. The night includes a pizza dinner, a scavenger hunt and a meet-and-greet with an animal ambassador. In the morning, guests go behind the scenes at Stingray Bay and the zoo's Animal Nutrition Center, then have regular zoo admission for the rest of Saturday. The overnight is for ages 5 and up, with at least one adult for every three children.
Two dark nights are for dogs
Sniffari Night: ZooLights Edition happens twice, on Sunday, Nov. 29 and Thursday, Dec. 10. Both nights run 5 to 8 p.m., an hour shorter than a regular ZooLights night. Both dates are off the regular ZooLights calendar, so leashed dogs and their owners see the lights and visit Santa on nights without the regular ZooLights crowd. Guests without dogs are welcome too.
People pay the regular ZooLights prices, and each dog costs $25 whether or not you are a member. The zoo's rules are specific:
- One dog ticket per adult ticket, and each dog needs a designated adult with it at all times.
- Dogs must be up to date on vaccinations, including canine parvovirus and rabies.
- Leashes must be non-retractable and no longer than 6 feet, and they stay attached even when a dog rides in a stroller or carrier.
- Dogs only. No other pets.
- Sniffari tickets are final sale, non-transferable and good only for the date purchased.
Sniffari tickets do not include daytime admission. Dogs other than service animals are not allowed in the zoo between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Last season, Tuesday, Dec. 9 was the only dog night. This year there is one before December starts and one in the middle of the month, so a dog owner can choose between a Sunday and a Thursday.
The $5 at the gate goes to the city
The ZooLights ticket does not cover parking. Roeding Park charges every car, and the fee goes to the City of Fresno, not the zoo. On the city's parks page, the entrance fee for Roeding, Woodward Park and the Regional Sports Complex is $5 per vehicle. It is $3 with a driver or passenger age 65 or older, and $7 on holidays. The fee is waived for vehicles with a valid disabled person placard or decal, a California Gold Star license plate, or an active-duty U.S. military member or family member with proper ID inside.
The tollbooths are gone. GV Wire reported in 2021 that the city was replacing staffed booths with kiosks and license-plate readers. According to the zoo, Roeding now has 11 kiosks. They take exact cash or a card, and cards carry a $0.40 convenience fee. You can also pay through the ParkMobile app. On a busy evening, exact cash or the app skips the $0.40 fee.
For anyone who uses Roeding or Woodward often, the annual pass may cost less than paying at each visit:
- Standard annual pass: $50 at the Roeding or Woodward kiosks. It covers Woodward Park, Roeding Park and the Regional Sports Complex, and it pays for itself after ten $5 visits.
- Seniors age 62 and older: $35 for City of Fresno seniors.
- Income-qualified pass: $25 for residents who meet PG&E's FERA income guidelines. City residents in PG&E's CARE or FERA family assistance programs can provide qualifying information to get a discounted pass.
Earlier annual-pass holders were carried over into the new system. Roeding Park itself is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., which covers the full ZooLights window.
There are two ways in. The zoo suggests using the Olive Avenue entrance when traffic backs up at the Belmont Avenue entrance. The zoo's address is 894 W. Belmont Ave. The zoo also stays open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for general admission on ZooLights days. Daytime tickets are separate from the evening event, so one long day can cover both. Strollers, wheelchairs and electric scooters can be rented at the Safari Trading Co. gift shop on a first-come, first-served basis.
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