Wild Lights will run from Thursday 6th November 2025 to Friday 31st January 2026. 

• Thursday to Sunday nights from 6th-23rd of November 

• 7 days a week from the 22nd of November through to the 31st of December, excluding the 23rd to the 26th of December, when it will be closed for our Christmas holidays 

• Thursday to Saturday nights in January from January 1st to 31st 

Please view the booking page for Wild Lights to view date and time slots available. 

Santa’s Grotto opens on November 22nd and will run until December 22nd. A visit to Santa’s Grotto can be purchased as part of our winter bundle offers. You have two bundles to choose from: 

• A visit to Santa’s Grotto plus a trip to Dublin Zoo  

• A visit to Santa’s Grotto while attending Wild Lights on the same evening  

Please view the booking page for Winter at Dublin Zoo to view the remaining bundles available to purchase (that include Santa). 

Your Santa’s Grotto ticket has a specific time slot. You must arrive at the grotto at the exact time on your ticket. This helps reduce queues and keep the experience magical for everyone.

Late arrivals cannot be admitted to Santa’s Grotto, so please allow plenty of time to get to the grotto from the entrance.

You will be permitted entry to Dublin Zoo before your Grotto time slot if you wish to explore before visiting Santa.

Daytime Entry & Santa’s Grotto: You may arrive at Dublin Zoo anytime from 9:30am.

Wild Lights & Santa’s Grotto: You may arrive at Dublin Zoo anytime from 5:00pm.

This year, due to popular demand, Wild Lights will be extended across the month of January to help beat the January blues! Previously Wild Lights finished by the first week of January. 

Santa will arrive to Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo earlier this year, 7 nights a week from the 24th of November until the 22nd of December. 

From the 6th of November 2025 to the 31st of January 2026, Wild Lights opens from 5pm to 9pm (last entry every evening is at 8pm sharp).  

Santa experiences during Wild Lights finish at 8pm. 

Yes, a sensory-friendly evening will take place on the 1st of December 2025, and the tickets for this event are available here.

Yes. Gentle lights, fewer crowds, the same festive sparkle. Our sensory-friendly Wild Lights evening takes place on December 1st, 2025, and visitors can enjoy a quieter and calmer atmosphere with limited capacity (fewer people in attendance). For more information and to book tickets for the sensory-friendly evening, please visit the event page here.

Sensory-Friendly Zoo-liday Cheer with Santa

For families who prefer a calmer atmosphere, our sensory-friendly Santa bundle offers a magical morning visit to Dublin Zoo (instead of Wild Lights) with a gentler and music-free Santa’s Grotto experience. Designed with reduced noise, limited capacity, and thoughtful lighting, this bundle ensures every child has a chance to meet Santa in a peaceful setting.

You’ll enjoy the full Dublin Zoo and Santa’s Grotto experiences – just with a little more space and quiet. It’s all the festive magic, at your family’s pace.

These ‘Sensory-Friendly Zoo-liday Cheer with Santa’ bundles are available on weekend mornings throughout the season. Places are limited, so early booking is advised. Please view the sensory-friendly Santa’s Grotto experience tickets here.

No, only the Winter Bundles include Santa’s Grotto visits, you can purchase standard Wild Lights tickets if you aren’t planning a visit to Santa’s Grotto.  

All Santa visits are part of our Winter Bundle experiences, so you can choose from: 

• A visit to Santa’s Grotto plus a trip to Dublin Zoo  

• A visit to Santa’s Grotto while attending Wild Lights on the same evening  

Please view the booking page for Winter at Dublin Zoo to view the remaining bundles available to purchase (that include Santa). 

Sensory-Friendly Zoo-liday Cheer with Santa

Yes. For families who prefer a calmer atmosphere, our sensory-friendly Santa bundle offers a magical morning visit to Dublin Zoo (instead of Wild Lights) with a gentler and music-free Santa’s Grotto experience. Designed with reduced noise, limited capacity, and thoughtful lighting, this bundle ensures every child has a chance to meet Santa in a peaceful setting.

You’ll enjoy the full Dublin Zoo and Santa’s Grotto experiences – just with a little more space and quiet. It’s all the festive magic, at your family’s pace.

These ‘Sensory-Friendly Zoo-liday Cheer with Santa’ bundles are available on weekend mornings throughout the season. Places are limited, so early booking is advised. Please view the sensory-friendly Santa’s Grotto experience tickets here.

No – once inside, you can enjoy the experience at your own pace until closing. 
Just be sure to arrive before final entry time. 

It’s unlikely that you will see any ‘real’ animals! Most animals will be inside their warm indoor habitats during evening hours. 

No. A Wild Lights ticket is valid for the evening event only and does not include daytime Zoo admission. 

There are five products available:

1. Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo: Step inside The Wild Kaleidoscope at Dublin Zoo

Wild Lights, Ireland’s most dazzling festival of colour and light, returns on 6 November 2025. Tickets are selling fast – don’t miss your chance to experience the magic! The Wild Kaleidoscope at Dublin Zoo invites you to explore 13 kaleidoscopic zones of light and colour – some glowing in a single brilliant hue, others bursting to life with every shade of the rainbow. Each zone is alive with radiant animals, dazzling habitats, and hidden wonders. And just like a kaleidoscope, no two visits are ever the same.

Discover the secrets of survival hidden in nature’s kaleidoscope. Why are flamingos pink? Why are some animals stripy, others spotted, or perfectly camouflaged? Do animals see colour as we do?

Winter Glow Village: New to Wild Lights this year – a charming Christmas food market filled with festive flavours, mulled wine, and sweet treats under the stars. Standard entry tickets valid for any Wild Lights dates available on our booking page here.

2. Santa’s Grotto Experiences at Dublin Zoo:

A very limited number of Santa’s Grotto experiences remain – don’t miss your chance to make magical memories this Christmas! Whether by day with your favourite animals or by night under the glow of Wild Lights, Santa is waiting to welcome you. Buy Santa’s Grotto Experiences Tickets online – Dublin Zoo

3. Sensory-Friendly Winter Offerings:

Sensory-Friendly Night at Wild Lights – December 1st, 2025 Join us on December 1st for a quieter and calmer sensory-friendly evening of Wild Lights, perfect for families who prefer a calmer atmosphere, Buy Wild Lights Sensory-Friendly Evening (Single Tickets) Tickets online – Dublin Zoo

Sensory-Friendly Zoo-liday Cheer with Santa

For families who prefer a calmer atmosphere, our sensory-friendly Santa bundle offers a magical morning visit to Dublin Zoo (instead of Wild Lights) with a gentler and music-free Santa’s Grotto experience. Designed with reduced noise, limited capacity, and thoughtful lighting, this bundle ensures every child has a chance to meet Santa in a peaceful setting.

You’ll enjoy the full Dublin Zoo and Santa’s Grotto experiences – just with a little more space and quiet. It’s all the festive magic, at your family’s pace.

These ‘Sensory-Friendly Zoo-liday Cheer with Santa’ bundles are available on weekend mornings throughout the season. Places are limited, so early booking is advised. Please view the sensory-friendly Santa’s Grotto experience tickets here.

Please view the booking page of each product to view the discounts available for senior citizens and carers.

We appreciate the importance of accessibility and affordability for all our visitors. We are committed to continue to provide lower-cost and free entry options for carers , and carer entry to regular daytime visits to Dublin Zoo remains free of charge when accompanying a visitor with additional needs.

Additional large-scale events like Wild Lights and Santa’s Grotto require significant resources to produce and have a limited capacity, and as a not-for-profit organisation we are reliant on the support of our visitors to be in a position to offer these wonderful experiences.

We’ve worked hard to keep the carer ticket price as low as possible, capping them at €9.50 which represents less than half the cost of a standard adult ticket for Wild Lights and Winter Bundles. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you this winter.

While Santa and Wild Lights are not included as standard Annual Pass benefits, discounts are offered across all Wild Lights tickets and Winter Bundles to our Annual Pass holders.  

Yes. Sensory-friendly Santa visits are available at 10am on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with reduced capacity (max 16 people per slot). 

We don’t offer additional needs tickets for Wild Lights and/or Santa’s Grotto, however a discounted entry rate is available for carers accompanying someone with additional needs. Tickets must be purchased online, subject to availability, and you must bring a relevant form of ID and/or documentation. Examples include: a Family Carers Ireland card, AsIAm membership card or similar, proof of being in receipt of carers allowance, Consultant/Doctor Letter, Staff ID/Letter (HSE/Employed Carer etc), DLA/PIP Letter or similar (NI), copy of Diagnosis Letter.

If you have booked a carer ticket, please bring a relevant form of ID and/or documentation, such as a Family Carers Ireland card, AsIAm membership card or similar, proof of being in receipt of carers allowance, Consultant/Doctor Letter, Staff ID/Letter (HSE/Employed Carer etc), DLA/PIP Letter or similar (NI), copy of Diagnosis Letter. You will be asked at checkout to confirm the type of carer ID you will have with you.

Yes. It’s a family-friendly, multi-generational experience enjoyed by children, adults, couples, and groups alike. 

Absolutely! What’s more romantic than a stroll around a winter wonderland lit by the light of hundreds of beautiful lanterns? Not to mention the other surprises we have in store for our visitors!  

Yes, the route has been planned with accessibility in mind. 

Yes, there will be a wide array of food and beverage options on offer at Wild Lights for you to enjoy, so feel free to arrive hungry and enjoy the offerings during your visit! 

Yes. Mobility scooters are available to rent for €25 per scooter from the Visitor Operations desk at the main entrance. The scooters are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis and they are non-refundable. This price does not include your event entry. 

No. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are not permitted at Wild Lights. 

No. Pets are not allowed inside the Zoo or Wild Lights. 

NO WHEELS ALLOWED* 

To ensure a safe and enjoyable visit for all visitors, scooters*, bicycles, rollerblades and skateboards are not permitted inside Dublin Zoo.  

*This policy does not apply to mobility scooters used as a mobility aid. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. 

Dress for the season – this is an outdoor winter event, so please wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear. 

Yes. Lockers are available at the entrance (€5 per use, key-operated). 

Yes. All bags will be searched on entry.
Only small bags (max A4 size: 21cm x 29.7cm) are allowed. 

Exceptions apply for medical needs and children’s items, but all bags are subject to search. 

Yes. Alcohol and drugs are strictly prohibited.  

While alcoholic beverages such as mulled wine may be available to enjoy in designated food and beverage locations at Wild Lights, the consumption of alcoholic beverages not purchased on-site is prohibited, and the consumption of any alcoholic beverage outside of the food and beverage zone is prohibited.

Dublin Zoo reserves the right to refuse admission or remove anyone interfering with the event or entering restricted areas. 

Yes, the main Dublin Zoo gift shop will be open during Wild Lights. 

No, unfortunately we do not offer a discount for Fota Wildlife Park’s annual pass holders.

No, Tesco tokens, SSE discount codes, and day entry voucher codes cannot be used in conjunction with Wild Lights or Santa’s Grotto.

Wild Lights and Santa’s Grotto are date and time specific events.  However, Dublin Zoo offers customers who have purchased tickets for ‘Day Entry & Santa’s Grotto (Bundle)’, ‘Day Entry & Sensory-Friendly Santa’s Grotto (Bundle)’, ‘Wild Lights (Single Tickets)’, and ‘Wild Lights & Santa’s Grotto (Bundle)’ the option to change the date of their booking up to 7 days before their original visit date, subject to a change fee if applicable (€5 per ticket if the booking is not part of an account, see order confirmation email for more information).

If you wish to change your booking date there are two options:

1. If you set up an online ticketing account through the Dublin Zoo website when you made your booking (or were signed into a pre-existing account when placing your order) you can change your date free of charge up to 7 days before the date of the original ticket to another available date with sufficient capacity.
2. If you do not have an online ticketing account then you can email the customer service team to change your booking date. This can be done up to 7 days before the original date booked. To use this option there is an admin fee of €5 per ticket, payable immediately. If you wish to avail of this option, please email [email protected] or [email protected] with your booking reference, the date you would like to change to, the name and email address you used to book and a contact phone number to arrange payment of the admin fee.

There is no option to change the date of your booking if it is less than 7 days from the visit date originally booked.

Children and visitors under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times and teenagers may be required to show ID.

Children aged 1yrs old up to and including 15yrs old can use a Child ticket. Visitors aged 16yrs and over must use an Adult ticket, or a Student ticket if applicable.

Infants under 1yrs of age can visit Wild Lights for free but they must have a valid ticket, this can be booked free of charge on our website.  Infant tickets for Santa’s Grotto are not free.

Wild Lights is a date and time specific event. Tickets are valid for the chosen date and time of booking ONLY. Tickets are strictly non-refundable, as per our terms and conditions.

Dublin Zoo is situated in Phoenix Park in the city of Dublin. The city is easily accessible from all over Ireland by car, bus and train.

Dublin Bus is the easiest and most extensive travel network in Dublin.

Please double-check bus timetables before you depart as each line does not run all day.

The bus routes that stop closest to Dublin Zoo are: 26, 68, 69, 46A, C5, C6

There is no designated parking for Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park and parking will be on a first-come basis, but below are our suggested parking based on your time slot:

You can view the parking in more detail on this map.

• 5-6pm: Park on the Upper North road, Garda Headquarters and Married Quarters
• 6-7pm: Park on Lords Walk car park and Citadel Pond
• 7-8pm: North Road

Dublin Zoo has a strict no refunds policy for Wild Lights tickets, as per our terms and conditions, apart from in the event of a venue closure actioned by Dublin Zoo.

Dublin Zoo accepts no responsibility for a customer’s inability to attend Wild Lights due to any external factor including but not exclusive to traffic restrictions, illness, weather conditions etc.

Dublin Zoo reserves the right to change or update event timings and content up to and on the day of the event.

Dublin Zoo reserves the right to cancel any nights of the Wild Lights event for any reason deemed necessary for the safety and well-being of our visitors, staff, and animals. This includes unsafe weather conditions.

In the event of a cancellation of Wild Lights by Dublin Zoo management, customers will be notified at the earliest possible convenience by email to the email address used to make the booking. It is the responsibility of customers to check for any email updates before arriving at the venue, and to make sure their email address is correctly entered at time of purchase. In the event of a cancellation by Dublin Zoo, customers will receive a full refund to the card used for payment within 15 working days of the cancelled event date. Refunds will be processed automatically and you do not need to contact Dublin Zoo. A change of date is not possible.