A canceled lantern festival and its replacement
Nashville Zoo called off Zoolumination for 2026. The zoo cites visa problems affecting its event partner. In its place the zoo built Glow Wild, a holiday light show with glowing wildlife displays, festive scenes and an 85-foot synchronized Christmas tree.
The show runs nightly from Nov. 13, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the grounds close at 9 p.m. The window holds 52 nights.
The zoo's hours page lists three closure dates inside that window: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Confirm the night with the zoo before booking a stay.
Two products, priced per person
Platinum Pass sells for $39 per person and carries unlimited visits across the whole run. Single-Night Admission sells for $27 per person and works only on the night selected. Children under age 2 enter free on both products. The zoo also requires a ticket for every guest, infants included.
Two discounts attach to the products. Members take $5 off each single-night ticket, which prices a member night at $22. Platinum Pass holders park free. Every other guest pays $10.
The one-night answer
One general-admission night costs $27 for the ticket and $10 for parking, so $37 at the gate. The Platinum Pass costs $39. On a single visit the pass runs $2 above the single-night route.
The two-night answer
Two single nights cost $54 in tickets and $20 in parking, $74 total. The pass covers both nights and the lot for $39. A two-night stay saves $35 and turns the second evening into a repeat visit at no added ticket cost.
Members reach the same answer one step later. Two member nights cost $44, and the pass saves $5. Three member nights cost $66, and the pass saves $27.
What the pass covers inside the gate
Glow Wild opens select animal exhibits late. The Sumatran tiger, the Andean bear and the flamingos stay up until 8:30 p.m. Unseen New World runs all night except on select weekend nights set aside for Night Owls. Food and drink service runs until around 8 p.m. nightly, so the meal belongs early in the evening.
Santa visits nightly from Nov. 27 through Dec. 24 at the Holiday Square on Festival Field. The Smashville Ice Rink, presented by the Nashville Predators, sells separately at $12 for non-members and $10 for members. A rink ticket buys a 45-minute session with skate rentals. The rink may close when the temperature rises above 50 degrees, and the zoo refunds skating tickets for that night.
Shaping a two-night stay around the clock
A 5 p.m. gate and a 9 p.m. close set the shape of the evening. Check in during the afternoon, park once, and be at the entrance when gates open. The pass holder who arrives at 5 p.m. gets four hours and pays the $10 fee once.
The zoo names weekday evenings as the quieter stretch. Families looking to avoid large crowds may find a quieter experience by arriving when gates open at 5 pm on weekday evenings, and a Sunday-to-Thursday stay keeps both visits inside that window.
Date changes and the weather rule
The event runs rain, snow or shine, and the zoo issues no refunds or rainchecks. Single-night tickets transfer between people. A date change depends on availability, and a ticket cannot move to a sold-out night. A used single-night ticket cannot be credited toward a Platinum Pass, so the buy-up decision happens before the first visit.
Advance sales run online only. Gate sales open on the night of the event.
Groups of 20 or more
The zoo invites groups of 20 or more to email its Group Sales department for discounted tickets. The zoo publishes no group rate, so the request starts with a quote. The standard ladder prices 20 single-night tickets at $540 and 20 passes at $780.
The booking order
Nashville Zoo sits at 3777 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211, phone 615-833-1534. Count the nights first. One night buys a $27 single ticket and $10 parking. Two nights or more buy the $39 pass, and the stay should place the guest at the gate at 5 p.m. on both evenings.