Baton Rouge Zoo Welcomes the Holidays with ZooLights

November 18 2022

BATON ROUGE, La.—BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo invites the community to celebrate the holidays with ZooLights - a festive evening trail through the Zoo featuring more than 50 illuminated display sculptures of animals and traditional holiday spectacles. This year, ZooLights is presented by the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans!

The holiday tradition begins November 25 and continues through December 30. Closed only on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Admission gates open 5:30pm-8pm, grounds close at 9pm.
 

Again this year, the Zoo will be partnering with The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to bring more impact & excitement to Zoolights. Every guest presenting a non-perishable food item during the hours of Zoolights, will receive a 50% discount from the regular admission price. Regular admission prices are: $5 for adults/teens; $4 for senior citizens; $3 for children (2-12 years old) and $3 for Zoo members. These amounts will be cut in half when a non-perishable food item is presented at the time of entry & all food donations will go directly to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Last year, 6,933 pounds of food were collected during this drive. The goal is to reach 7,500 pounds this year! 

“ZooLights is a remarkable holiday tradition bringing joy to the Baton Rouge community. Joining with The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to provide food donations and replenish their provisions during the season of giving, makes perfect sense,” said Jim Fleshman, Zoo Director. “The Zoo is about families and we encourage our guests to give back and get back this holiday season through this ideal partnership.” 

“We are very thankful for this partnership with ZooLights, and we continue to see tremendous growth each year in food donations that directly assist local families struggling to put food on the table,” said Mike Manning, President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

During each evening, the Safari Post Gift Shop and Flamingo Café will remain open & feature special holiday treats and gift options. On Friday and Saturday nights, representatives from the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans will be on hand with fun activities and gifts for the kids.

Additional ZooLights Information CLICK HERE.

About BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo
BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo is a place where people connect with animals, including tigers, giraffes, rhinos and alligators. The world-class Realm of the Tiger, Flamingo Cove, Giants of the Islands, Safari Playground, L'aquarium de Louisiane, and KidsZoo exhibits offer fun and education for all ages.

About Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that addresses the issue of food insecurity and hunger. We solicit, inventory, and distribute donated products to our member agencies that directly serve people facing hard times. Our mission is to feed the hungry in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes by providing food and educational outreach through faith-based and other community partners. With community support, we have served the food insecure in our 11-parish service area for more than 35 years.