See Dublin Zoo in a new light!

Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo

See Dublin Zoo in a New Light!

• Wild Lights is a magical night-time spectacular event, featuring giant colourful lanterns and illuminated animal sculptures inspired by wildlife.
• Wild Lights promises to be a truly unforgettable experience where friends, families and groups can come together during the festive period.
• Tickets on Sale from September 15^th 2017 only at dublinzoo.ie
• Wild Lights opens on Friday 3^rd November 2017 and runs until Sunday 7^th January 2018.

Wild Lights is a magical night-time event, 5pm – 9pm, featuring giant colourful lanterns and illuminated animal sculptures, inspired by wildlife.

Visitors to this must-see event will follow the enchanted trail, where they will discover the dazzling array of beautifully crafted enormous silk lanterns. They will then be wowed by the Chinese performers and crafts while enjoying Chinese foods and warm drinks.

The production of Wild Lights will feature: 12,000 meters of silk, 19,000 bulbs, 5,000 meters of LED lights, 48,000 glass bottles and 215,000 pieces of porcelain weighing 9.5 tonnes. Visitors will marvel at the lanterns which will include a pride of lions, orangutans, tigers, giraffes, monkeys and much more! Other highlights include a 16-metre high porcelain elephant tower and a 30-meter long Chinese dragon.  Everything will be handmade specifically for Dublin Zoo.

Lighting up the skyline of Dublin, this awe-inspiring festival of lights promises to be an unforgettable experience where friends, families and groups can come together during the festive period.

Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public on September 15^th at 9am and are only available from www.dublinzoo.ie. Annual pass holders can exclusively avail of two days early booking on

September 13^th and 14^th.

Opening details

Wild Lights opens on Friday 3^rd November 2017 and runs until Sunday 7^th January 2018. Throughout November, Wild Lights will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. Opening times will be extended to seven days a week for December, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day. The night time spectacular will then run from December 27^th right through to January 7^th. See notes to editor for more details.*

Tickets

Admission to Wild Lights will be €20 for adults and €15 euro for children. Special rates of €18 euro for adults and €12 euro for children are available for annual pass holders. Children under the age of three go free. Tickets on sale from September 15^th and are only available at www.dublinzoo.ie .

Speaking about Wild Lights, Leo Oosterweghel, Director of Dublin Zoo, said:

I am very excited to announce that Dublin Zoo will host Wild Lights for the first time ever! This is going to be a really special and unique event for visitors to enjoy this festive season. At Dublin Zoo, we constantly strive to offer new and memorable experiences for our visitors. Wild Lights is the first of its kind event in Ireland!

Wild Lights is brought to you in partnership with The Vya Creative Lantern Company and DDM Entertainment and Events Inc.

Ends

 *Further information

Wild Lights opens on Friday 3^rd November 2017 and runs until Sunday 7^th January 2018. Please see days available on selected months:

November: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday

December: Every day (Monday – Sunday). However, it will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day

January: Monday 1^st January – Sunday 8^th January

 What time does the event start and finish?

Admission to Wild Lights is from 5pm - 9pm. Last entry to the event is strictly 8pm.

 How long will the event last and what is included?

The route is approximately a two kilometre long loop and will take around 2.5 – 3 hours to complete.

You will see stunning lantern displays throughout the route, some of which are huge impressive structures and some of which as smaller animal lanterns, all beautifully hand-crafted by Chinese artists using traditional techniques. There will also be short performances by Chinese acrobats and artists, all included in the ticket price. Optional extras are the marketplace selling speciality gifts crafted by Chinese artists, as well as Wild Lights goodies, and food and drink stalls along the route.

 Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo is a not for profit organisation, registered charity number CHY 2964. Since Dublin Zoo first opened its doors in 1830, its 28 hectares has been transformed with the support of the Irish public and now attracts over 1 million visitors a year. All funds received by Dublin Zoo including gate takings, donations and sponsorships are directly invested into the day to day management, running and up keep of Dublin Zoo’s animals, their habitats and conservation projects. Modern Zoos, like Dublin Zoo, adhere to strict codes of practice in animal welfare laid down by European and Global Associations. Animals at Dublin Zoo therefore live enriched lives in natural social groups in order to encourage breeding and raising young.

Dublin Zoo is managed by caring, qualified and accredited zoo professionals who devote their lives to the welfare of animals at Dublin Zoo. Dublin Zoo works in partnership with zoos worldwide to conserve bio-diversity on earth and financially supports a variety of conservation projects supporting gorillas, tigers, giraffes and penguins among others. Dublin Zoo also supports a range of Irish conservation projects.

Dublin Zoo is easily accessible by bus, LUAS, and train and is open every day with the exception of Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day (26th December).  Admission prices and opening times can all be found on the website.  Dublin Zoo is accessible by the less-abled and manual wheel chairs are available on request.