Margarita Madness At The Purple People Bridge : May 17th

Take a Walk on the Holiday Wild Side at the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights

Get ready for millions of holiday lights, Fiona fairies, s'mores, train rides and more.

Nov 15, 2023 at 12:41 pm

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Photo: Hailey Bollinger

PNC Festival of Lights

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden will once again light up the night this holiday season with the annual Festival of Lights.

The 41st annual PNC Festival of Lights will run Nov. 17-Jan. 7 and will be open nightly, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The zoo opens at 10 a.m. every day, with festival activities starting at 4 p.m., so you can come early to see the animals and stay late for the lights.

Shillito's Elves Will Return to Downtown Cincinnati for the Holiday Season: You'll be able to see the elves hard at work until Tuesday, Jan. 2.

At the Festival of Lights, guests can enjoy over 4 million LED lights, a light show on Swan Lake, costumed characters, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, train rides on the North Polar Express, a blacklight puppet show, an immersive “Under the Sea” area and more. There will also be five Fiona fairies hidden throughout Fairyland for visitors to find, as well as plenty of delicious holiday treats like hot chocolate, roasted nuts and s’mores.

New additions this year include new lanterns in the “Under the Sea” display, light-up cotton candy and a 5-foot star for the Vine Street Village tree. You can now also be a part of the Swan Lake Wild Lights show by downloading the CUE Live app, which syncs your phone’s flashlight to the show. (Note from the zoo: The lake show and CUE app will have a strobing light effect. This show could be disruptive to those with sensitivity to light or those who have epilepsy.)

The zoo will also host its special “Happy Zoo Year” celebration to ring in the new year on Dec. 31.

Kings Island's WinterFest Returns This Holiday Season Merrier and Brighter Than Ever: WinterFest will feature over 7 million LED lights, live holiday shows and more than 20 rides.

Festival of Lights will run from 4-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale. More info: cincinnatizoo.org.

Slideshow

15 Ways to Have a Day Straight Out of a Hallmark Christmas Movie in Cincinnati

Support a small business while shopping at local holiday marketsWith some hard work and just a dash of Christmas magic, you can be the protagonist who saves the day and a struggling small business – or you can just do your part to support small businesses by shopping local for your holiday gifts. We have a handy gift guide you can use, or you can visit one of the holiday markets happening around the city. The Servatii Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt pops up at Smale Riverfront Park every week with local vendors, and City Flea is hosting a weekend-long holiday market Dec.16-17 at Washington Park.

Go ice skating at Fountain Square, Summit Park or Fifty West BrewingNothing screams wholesome Winter Wonderland more than people lacing up their skates for a glide on the ice. At Fountain Square, you can twirl underneath the glow of the Christmas tree – or drive bumper cars – after doing some holiday shopping in the many small businesses in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine and visiting the Shillito’s Elves in their new home at the Foundry. Summit Park in Blue Ash has their Warm 98.5 rink set up underneath a color glass canopy, and the four on-site restaurants have plenty of food, hot chocolate and DORA drinks for sale. And Fifty West Brewing has brought back their ice rink, along with fire pits, heated tents and hot drinks to keep you warm after a spin on the ice with that cute baker you just met.

Pick out a Christmas tree at a local market or farmThe visual centerpiece of any good Hallmark holiday movie is the meticulously decorated Christmas tree decked out in lots of colorful lights, ornaments and garland. And if your childhood crush who grew up next door to you and is back for the holidays can come over and help you decorate it — even better. Find a list of places where you can grab a tree, some hot chocolate and maybe even pet a reindeer here.

Visit a small town, like Lebanon or Metamora, and revel in the Christmas aestheticThere are lots of charming small towns close to Cincinnati that go all out for the holidays. Lebanon is known for its distinct Hallmark-movie vibe this time of year. Metamora, Indiana, breaks out tons of lights and decorations for its annual Old Fashion Christmas Walk, and Historic Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio, lights up with millions of bulbs each year.

Go sledding, glow snow tubing or tobogganingThis one requires some participation from Mother Nature, but you can always dream of a white Christmas. If it does happen to snow, some popular sledding hills include Embshoff Woods in Delhi, Stanberry Park in Mt. Washington, Devou Park in Covington, Harbin Park in Fairfield and Mt. Storm Park in Clifton. If you’d rather hit the slopes or careen downhill on an inner tube, you can take a trip out to Perfect North in Lawrenceburg for skiing, snow tubing and warming up with a treat in the lodge. You can also plan a holiday road trip to Mansfield for after-dark glow snow tubing. Just make sure to load your road trip playlist with lots of holiday carols and songs.

Take a wintry hike at the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve and other scenic trailsHiking is a great way to help you reflect and think things over. Do you want to quit your job in the big city to open a coffee shop in a small town? Do you want to leave your aloof, corporate-y significant other for the humble, kind and attractive veterinarian? Probably! But you can decide on the trail. Hamilton County’s Great Parks has 78 miles of trails throughout its 17 parks, including nature trails ranging from just the 0.15-mile Woodlot Trail at Winton Woods to the 2.1-mile Timberlakes Trail at Miami Whitewater Forest. Cincinnati Parks also boasts some amazing nature trails at French Park, California Woods and Ault Park. And in Delhi is the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve that offers stunning views of the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky. Find more stunning hike suggestions here.

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About The Author

Katherine Barrier

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she oversees the digital and social media strategies, edits web and print content and writes for the dining and arts...