On the evening of November 27, the first cars will turn off Butler Street onto Baker Street and pull into the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium's main lot. Each one will hold a single timed ticket, and none can be longer than 20 feet or wider than 6½ feet. Drivers have to arrive during the window printed on their ticket. The zoo says the route takes about 30 minutes, and everyone stays buckled in with the doors, hatchbacks and tailgates shut from start to finish.
The Zoo Lights Drive-Thru runs on select nights from November 27 through January 3, 5 to 10 p.m. The zoo describes its return as being "by popular demand." But the size limits come with a reason on the zoo's own event page. Minibuses and passenger vans are banned "due to space limitations on the pathway from construction," and guests are told to bring their smallest vehicle. This December's light show is laid out around a building site. And the zoo next door to Highland Park has more construction ahead of it.
A walk last winter, a drive this winter
Last season felt quite different. The zoo's November 2025 announcement for Wild Illuminations: A Holiday Lantern Experience promised new silk-and-steel lanterns and more than a million lights. It also had Santa every night from November 28 through December 23, acrobats, jugglers and musicians at set times, and rides on the Zoo train and carousel. It ran through January 11, 2026.
None of that fits a format where nobody gets out of the car. The 2026 page lists thousands of eco-friendly lights, illuminated animals, holiday scenes, Pittsburgh icons, an area for the zoo's recent babies, and a festive-music podcast to play while you drive. The one place to stop on foot is a new Hospitality Area at the Admission Plaza, reached from the parking lot. It has holiday food, retail and restrooms, and you can use it before or after your drive.
Santa has moved to daytime. Brunch with Santa runs December 5 and 6, then December 12, 13, 19 and 20, and includes zoo admission.
Six seasons, three formats
The drive-thru has a history in Highland Park, and the price is one clear way to track it.
| Season | Event | Format | Vehicle price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Zoo Lights | Drive-thru debut | $60, $40 for members |
| 2021 | Zoo Lights | Drive-thru | $50 |
| 2023 | Zoo Lights | Drive-thru plus walk-through on select weekends | $45 |
| 2024 | Wild Illuminations | Walk-through or drive-through | Not listed |
| 2025 | Wild Illuminations | Walk-through lanterns | Not listed |
| 2026 | Zoo Lights Drive-Thru | Drive-thru only | $45, $40 for members |
WTAE reported the "all-new" drive-thru in October 2020, with select nights from November 27 to January 3. That's the same calendar window as this year. KDKA's coverage that season listed $60 per vehicle and $40 for member vehicles. In 2021 it was back at $50 per vehicle, with 80 animal light displays, 30 of them new. By 2023, WPXI reported $45 for everyone in a vehicle, and select weekends had a separate walk-through.
In July 2024, WPXI described Wild Illuminations as a reimagining of both the zoo's Asian Lantern Festival and Zoo Lights. It offered both walk-through and drive-through options, plus Santa and live reindeer. For the 2025 season, the zoo's ticket page asked buyers to pick a time to walk through the zoo and see the holiday lanterns.
This year's single-night vehicle ticket costs $45, or $40 for members. That's the same as 2023 and $15 less than the 2020 debut. A $65 Flex vehicle ticket, with no discounts, works on any operating night through January 3, 2027. Single-night tickets are non-refundable, can't be transferred, and are good only for the evening you booked. The event runs rain or shine, snow or sleet. For a household with a bigger family car, the Flex ticket is a way to wait for a clear night.
The construction behind the vehicle limits
The zoo's Construction & Operations page, updated in mid-October, lists several projects going on at once.
- Giraffe Care Center. Construction around the giraffes and zebras, elephants and the Tropical Forest Complex has closed the main path between the elephants and Jambo Grill. Daytime visitors detour through the Tropical Forest Complex. The page says this affects viewing through spring 2027.
- Upper Kids Kingdom. Since September 8, boardwalk work has closed the upper half through winter. That cuts off the playgrounds and viewing of birds, wallabies, river otters and beavers. Lower Kids Kingdom, including Discover Disguises and the alpacas, is expected to stay open.
- ZooFit Path. It's closed for updates through November 2026. Use the elevator and escalator to get in and out.
The zoo broke ground on the $18 million building in February 2026 and expects it to open in spring 2027. The operations page calls it part of the zoo's master plan. Of the three projects, the giraffe work is the only one the zoo ties to a closure of its main path, which makes it the likeliest source of the tight clearances on the drive-thru route.
On a winter visit, the daytime zoo is still open around all of this. Off-season online tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for children ages 2 to 13 and $20 for seniors 60 and up. At the gate, each ticket costs $2 more. The Zoo Lights page notes that animals aren't visible in their habitats during evening hours, so a daytime visit is the only way to see them.
The next project is already on the table
The Giraffe Care Center has a successor. The Highland Park Community Council scheduled a virtual Development Activities Meeting for November 10 on the zoo's Expedition Indonesia expansion. The proposal HPCC posted has three phases:
- The Philippines. A renovation of the current exhibit called The Islands, with improved spaces for Philippine crocodiles and warty pigs, an aviary, a future home for babirusa, and an outdoor amphitheater built in the current beach area.
- Expedition Indonesia. A new public building for orangutans, siamangs, free-flight birds, fish and turtles, large bats and other Southeast Asian species, with outdoor habitats and engineered climbing structures. The current Jungle Odyssey area would be reworked for tapir, clouded leopard and tomistoma, with wider, accessible visitor paths.
- Kids Kingdom. A renovated playground with new zoo-themed equipment that meets modern safety standards.
The proposal doesn't include a construction schedule. It does touch The Islands and Jungle Odyssey. Those are the same areas the zoo used for its walk-through Jack O'Lantern Extravaganza in 2024, when thousands of pumpkins lit up both. This fall, the Living Wall path between upper Jungle Odyssey and the Aquarium was closed to install the Jack O'Lantern Extravaganza. If those areas become work zones, the zoo's walking routes for nighttime events will have to change too. A drive-through is the format that works best when walking paths are limited. HPCC's page for the meeting links to a slide preview of the proposal.
A December calendar for the zoo's neighbors
Here's what's left on the zoo's calendar from publish day on:
- November 13: Orange is for Orangutan Day, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- November 27 through January 3: Zoo Lights Drive-Thru on select nights, 5 to 10 p.m.
- December 5 and 6, 12 and 13, 19 and 20: Brunch with Santa, admission included.
- December 27: National Visit the Zoo Day, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The neighborhood has its own lighting event. Last December, HPCC's Highland Park Light-Up Night ran 5 to 7 p.m. on a Saturday. It included a parklet lighting at 5, s'mores, Women of Song carolers from 5 to 6, and holiday specials at Bryant Street businesses. HPCC lists Light-Up Night as a regular December event, along with a November Thanksgiving Food Drive and a Turkey Trot at the Reservoir.
For the drive itself, park at the main lot off Butler Street via Baker Street and come within your ticket's arrival window. Leave pets at home, since only service animals are allowed. Smoking and alcohol aren't allowed on the route. Everyone in the car needs a seat belt, because part of the trip is on a public road between the parking lot and the zoo entrance.
The zoo's master plan affects Highland Park well beyond the holidays, from a giraffe building opening next spring to a proposed amphitheater near The Islands. If you're weighing a home near the zoo and want to know what its planned projects could mean for your block, Allison Pochapin and her team can walk you through it. Schedule a consultation.