Zoo Lights at Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach are better than Artemis 1

Eddie Ritz, Palm Beach Post

December 1, 2022 at 7:40 PM·3 min read

Yes, if you were awake at 2 a.m. Nov. 16 and saw Artemis 1 finally launch. I'm sure it was impressive.

But was it as impressive as the over 1 million eco-friendly lights at Zoo Lights at the Palm Beach Zoo?

Well — considering that I know no one who watched Artemis, and there are thousands and thousands of people that have seen and/or will see Zoo Lights — I'm giving Zoo Lights the win.

On display from now through Jan. 1 on select dates, the event is back for its fourth year.

Presented by FPL SolarNow and DSF Charitable Foundation, the light displays are powered in part by two permanent solar arrays at the zoo and are shaped into animal structures including giraffes, butterflies, polar bears, crabs, ducks and alligators. The lights also will adorn some of the large banyan trees at the zoo as well as the 20-foot tall Christmas tree.

Though doing the same thing as last year would be impressive enough (it takes workers nearly two months to put up all the lights), organizers didn't rest on their laurels and have made the already impressive event even better.

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What's new this year at Zoo Lights? Snow!

Zoo Lights at the Palm Beach Zoo will feature over one million LED lights as well as games, Santa, music, adult beverages and more.

There will be snow. That's right: Snow will fall at the zoo's main fountain (which will be turned off and serve as the official North Pole for the festivities).

Also new this year will be the "Let's Jingle and Flamingle Scavenger Hunt." This seek-and-find event will lead participants on a hunt throughout the zoo. A QR code scanned after entering will provide the clues. In addition to learning about flamingos during the scavenger hunt, participants that find all the clues will be in the running to win a family membership to the zoo.

Another new feature will be the "Winter Wonderland Cool Zone." I'd love to tell you more, but zoo officials are so pumped up about this one that they wanted to keep the details under wraps so as not to spoil the surprise.

Keeping the mood extra festive, there will be a DJ at the North Pole/main fountain spinning the holiday platters that matter and more.

If you've been naughty or nice (or maybe a bit of both), Santa will be on hand to listen to your requests (or maybe you hear out regarding your excuses for being naughty) and pose for pictures through Dec. 23.

The zoo's Latitude 26 Cafe will provide food and beverage.

For those seeking a libation, several bars will be situated throughout the zoo. They will feature beer, wine and mixed drinks with a few holiday specials including the "Jingle Juice Holiday Punch," which has vodka, cranberry and orange juice, lemonade and Sierra Mist; and the "Winter Whiskey Sour" with bourbon, orange and lemon juice, simple syrup, Blue Curacao and a splash of Sierra Mist.

Though most of the animals will be in their nighthouses during the event, some are given the option to remain in their regular daily enclosures at night. Zoo officials say most prefer to call it a day and spend the evening in their nighthouses.

As in previous years, the lights are LED, which have a much longer lifespan than conventional lights, are made without toxic materials and have much lower light pollution. All these factors help save wildlife.