The dates, the clock and the two entry prices
ZooLights runs Nov. 20, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008. The gates run 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Last entry falls 30 minutes before close.
General admission is $10. Adults-Only Night admission is $19. Member Nights on Tuesday, Dec. 8, and Wednesday, Dec. 9, are free for members, who may reserve up to six tickets and pay $10 for each additional one.
Tickets are sold for a stated date and a stated time. The Zoo's Terms of Sale make every order valid only for the visitor, the guest, the date and the time on the order, and the event page states that capacity is limited. A ticket bought through a third-party seller can be voided at the gate.
Format one: a group order of 50 tickets or more
Group sales start at 50 tickets. The inquiry form lists Corporate among the group types, beside Community Group, School Group, Tour Group and Other. Group orders run on 26 select nights, first come, first served, and the page states that group nights fill up fast. The form asks whether the group arrives together or in smaller waves, the estimated arrival time, and whether bus parking is needed.
At the general rate, 50 tickets cost $500. A 120-person company night costs $1,200, and every guest holds the same admission as a retail buyer.
Format two: the Conservation Pavilion
The indoor Conservation Pavilion holds 120 guests seated or 200 standing, and it takes a maximum of 300 with the adjacent outdoor patio included. The room has vaulted ceilings, large windows, private restrooms and audiovisual equipment.
The rental package covers the space for the evening plus ZooLights admission for every guest. The Zoo quotes the rental rate through its Events Team and publishes no figure for it. That quotation is the one unknown in the format, because the admission side is already settled: 120 guests at the general $10 rate is $1,200 of admission inside the package.
The seated capacity of 120 and the 50-ticket group floor set the choice. A team between 50 and 120 can take a group order on a public night or a private room. A team below 50 buys retail tickets.
The Adults-Only Night on Dec. 16
Wednesday, Dec. 16, runs 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for guests 21 and over. The $19 ticket includes one adult beverage, and specialty snacks and drinks are sold separately.
Member Nights and Adults-Only Night carry after-hours access to selected animal houses. On other ZooLights nights the indoor houses close and most outdoor animals rest, because the event is built on lights and lanterns.
For 120 guests the Adults-Only Night costs $2,280 in admission, which is $1,080 more than the same headcount at the general rate. A team of 20 sits under the 50-ticket floor, so it buys at the published price: $380 for 20 Adults-Only tickets, or $200 at the general rate.
Parking, buses and the arrival window
ZooLights parking passes cost $30 in advance and $40 on the day, and the Zoo recommends buying online. Drivers enter at the main vehicle entrance, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Daytime and member parking passes do not work for ZooLights.
Bus parking costs $120 a bus, capped at two buses and 120 riders per order, and buses must arrive between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Two buses plus six advance parking passes come to $420 on top of admission. That puts 120 guests at $13.50 a head on a general night and $22.50 a head on Adults-Only Night.
The December programme
Live music and holiday trivia fill selected December nights. Carolers work the property each Saturday in December, and each week dresses in a different decade. The trivia game runs 60 minutes in two 30-minute segments in the Visitor Center Auditorium, played in teams: Dec. 6 takes the 1950s, Dec. 13 the 1960s, Dec. 20 the 1970s and 1980s, Dec. 21 the 1990s and Dec. 22 the 2000s.
Animal lanterns and the live entertainment carry an included marker on the activities tab. The winter maze, the National Zoo Choo Choo and the Conservation Carousel cost $6 each, and festive glasses cost $3 a pair or $1 with an in-park attraction. Those sell on site, and the carousel runs weather permitting.
Terms that land on a company booking
Tickets are nonrefundable. Exchanges are allowed up to 48 hours before the event date and depend on availability. Children 3 and older need a ticket, and children 2 and under enter free. The Zoo asks every member of a party to enter together so staff can scan the tickets once.
Rooms for a team that travels in
The Zoo publishes no hotel partner and no room rate for ZooLights. The District's transient accommodations tax stands at 15.95 percent through Sept. 30, 2027, per the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which covers every ZooLights night in the run.
Room nights follow from the bed count. 120 guests in 60 double rooms is 60 room nights for a single night and 120 room nights across two. A team that stays two nights pays the tax on both. Bookmyteam.org takes a group request against a room count and a date set, and each property quotes the nightly rate, the cut-off and the cancellation terms in writing.
Four items to confirm before the deposit
The pavilion rental fee, the deposit and cancellation terms attached to that rental, the arrival slot for a group that comes by Metro rather than by bus, and whether the trivia game carries its own ticket. The Zoo's Visitor Services line is 202-633-2614, and the group sales inquiry form reaches the Events Team.
