Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights 2026: Dates and Prices

Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights runs on 28 nights from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. A date-specific adult ticket is $37.95, an any-night adult ticket is $42.95, and on three Deal Days in December the adult price is $29.95. No tickets are sold at the gate. On 8 November 2026 we priced a family of four, and a Deal Day saves $32.

What we priced and compared on 8 November 2026

We added up the zoo's published ticket prices for two adults and two children aged 3 to 12, and the cost of each way to get there.

• Pick a Deal Day if your dates are open. The discount is $8 on every ticket, which is 21% off the adult price.
• Upgrade a date-specific ticket to any-night for $5, or $13 for a Deal Day ticket, if you may change your night. Sales are final, and the zoo does not allow rescheduling.
• Take the subway. It costs $12 against $22 for the lot, and parking is not guaranteed.
• The BxM11 fare is $7.25 on the MTA's fare page. The zoo's page still says $6.75.

So our pick is a Deal Day night and the 2 train: a family of four pays $89.80 for tickets and $12 for two adults on the subway.

Dates and hours

The 2026 to 2027 open nights, from the zoo's FAQ:

• November: 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 November 2026.

• December: 3 to 6, 10 to 13, 17 to 23, and 26 to 31 December 2026.

• January: 2 and 3 January 2027.

Hours: Holiday Lights runs 1 to 9 p.m., with open arrival from 1 to 8 p.m. and last entry at 8 p.m. Lights and lantern trails open at 4:30 p.m. Most animal exhibits close at 4 p.m. World of Darkness and World of Reptiles stay open to 8:30 p.m., and the Children's Zoo farmyard is open 3 to 8:30 p.m. for Holiday Lights ticket holders. Only the Bronx River and Southern Boulevard gates are open. The Asia and Fordham Road gates are closed

Note: Member preview nights are 19 and 20 November 2026, and both are sold out

Address: 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460

Daytime park hours on these days are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the last daytime ticket is sold at noon. A 2-in-1 ticket covers an afternoon from 1 p.m. and the evening lights. Our zoo lights guide lists the same dates next to seven other big US zoos.

So, up to 13 December Holiday Lights opens only Thursday to Sunday, and from 17 December it opens most nights. It is closed on 24 and 25 December and 1 January.

Tickets and prices

Price: Date-specific: adult (13 and over) $37.95, senior (65 and over) $32.95, child (3 to 12) $22.95. Deal Days (3, 10 and 17 December): adult $29.95, senior $24.95, child $14.95. Any-night: adult $42.95, senior $37.95, child $27.95. Children 2 and under are free. Everyone 3 and older needs a ticket. Sales are final and non-refundable

Note: No tickets are sold on site. Tickets are bought online in advance, and members need one too

Note: Active military and veterans get one free date-specific ticket and 50% off for up to three guests. NYC college students get 30% off date-specific tickets

The zoo's ticket page shows the $29.95 adult price as a discount on $37.95, and the FAQ ties $29.95 to the three Deal Days.

So, a Deal Day saves an adult $8 against a regular set-date ticket.

Timed tickets

Note: Tickets are open arrival from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., not timed. The sensory-friendly night is 3 December 2026, with some program changes. On other nights the zoo offers a KultureCity sensory bag and a quiet area from 5 to 8 p.m. Holiday Lights is a rain or shine event, and the Zoo Shuttle does not run

So, arrive any time from 1 p.m. and stay until 9 p.m.

Parking

Price: $22 per car, or $24 for a bus (Southern Blvd only). Weekend Preferred Parking at Fountain Circle is $30. Parking is first come, first served and not guaranteed, with lots at the Southern Blvd and Bronx River Parkway entrances

So, if you drive, the zoo suggests the Southern Boulevard lot. On a busy weekend night we would take the 2 train instead.

Getting there by subway, bus and Metro-North

Note: Subway: the step-free route is the 2 train to Pelham Parkway, which has three elevators to the street. Walk west to the Bronx River entrance, Gate B. The zoo also lists the 2 or 5 train to West Farms Sq-E Tremont Av or E 180 St

Price: Express bus: the BxM11 stops along Madison Avenue between 26th and 99th Streets and goes to Gate B. For the ride back, board at the BxM11 sign just outside Gate B. The zoo's page still says $6.75 each way, and the MTA lists express buses at $7.25. Subway and local bus rides are $3

Note: Local buses: the Bx9 or Bx19 to 183rd Street and Southern Blvd (Gate C, the Southern Blvd entrance). The Bx12 or Bx22 to Fordham Road and Southern Blvd, then walk five blocks south to 183rd Street. Metro-North: Harlem line to Fordham, then the Bx9 bus east to 183rd Street and Southern Blvd. The zoo sells a Getaway Package with discounted rail fare and admission

The gates for Holiday Lights, from the zoo's two pages:

• Gate B, Bronx River: open. The 2 train and the BxM11 lead here.

• Gate C, Southern Boulevard: open. The Bx9 and Bx19 lead here.

• Gate A, Asia: closed for Holiday Lights. The Q44 bus from Queens leads here, so skip it at night.

For a taxi or shared ride, use the Southern Boulevard pedestrian entrance between 183rd and 185th Streets. Check the MTA trip planner for your ride back after 9 p.m.

So, take the 2 train to Pelham Parkway, or the BxM11 from Madison Avenue, and use Gate B.

Pair it with a New York trip

If you are staying in the city, these two guides cover other holiday plans in New York, with dates and the subway stops for each one.

Sources

Sources: Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights page, FAQ, tickets page, transit page and getting here page, the MTA fares page and the NYC Tourism 2026 holiday release, checked 5 to 8 Nov 2026; family totals and per-ticket savings are our own arithmetic on the zoo's prices.