‘A magical experience:’ How the Oakland Zoo’s Glowfari became a stunning attraction for 150,000 visitors each year

When the sun sets on the Oakland Zoo this month, a new set of animals will come to life.

Filled with thousands of LED lights, these illuminated lantern creatures — some as large as 25 feet tall and 65 feet long– will set the imagination on fire. It’s all part of the Oakland Zoo’s Glowfari, and its fifth year promises to be even more extravagant and interactive than before.

“With Glowfari, we tapped into something that was never before seen in the Bay Area,” says zoo president Nik Dehejia. “To see the zoo at night in a very different way, it’s a magical experience.”

It takes a year to produce each year’s illuminated menagerie, from idea generation to arrival at the Port of Oakland. If you’ve strolled the winding paths of the zoo in the last few weeks, you may have already spotted creatures getting ready for their closeups — this year’s Glowfari opens Nov. 8.

The zoo staff dreams up several themes each year, matching them with different areas of the zoo — California coastline fauna, for example, Madagascar flora, deep sea creatures, North American forest animals, alligator-filled swamps and a set of dinosaurs that proved so popular, they’re back for an encore.

Those fantastical creatures come to life at a warehouse in China, where 100 artisans spend about 50 days turning dreams to reality. Painters sketch creatures to fit each theme and its link to the zoo’s conservation efforts.

The glowing lanterns are pretty, to be sure, but the zoo didn’t just want animal-shaped lanterns. They wanted to connect with visitors in a more profound way.

“At one level, (Glowfari’s) just about coming at night, having fun with your friends and family, having hot chocolate, enjoying what you’re seeing at the zoo,” Dehejia says. “But for those who want to dive deeper, each area has a conservation connection.”

Back in China, metal workers weld immense 3D shapes, so electricians can wire in LED bulbs, before the frames are wrapped in a fabric skin. Then the artists return to add color and details that turn a simple shape into an alligator, a woolly mammoth or exotic bird that looks real enough to come alive, Jumanji-style.

“Thankfully, it’s a revenue share agreement with the company, so we’re not purchasing everything up front,” Dehejia says.

The enormous pieces of art are placed in shipping containers, 20 or 30 at a time, for the 50-day journey across the Pacific Ocean. Shipments begin arriving at the Port of Oakland in August. Once the shipments clear customs, a specialized production company takes the hand-off for the final countdown, installing power cables and prepping the lanterns for their debut. By October, gigantic octopi and fleets of penguins begin quietly appearing on the zoo grounds.

With more than 150,000 visitors each year, Glowfari has become a marquee event for the animal park, which uses the two-month festival to generate a healthy portion of the zoo’s $31 million operating budget and support its conservation efforts.

The zoo has rescued 30 mountain lions, as well as other creatures, thanks to Glowfari funds. It’s not just a priority for the zoo; it’s important to its visitors, too, Dehejia says.

“We’re doing the right thing in how we operate,” he says, “how we care for our animals, how we talk about habitats and climate. Our work around rescuing and caring for species is so important. We know the younger generation and people early in their careers want to come support a zoo that reflects their values and what they believe in.”

Glowfari isn’t the Oakland Zoo’s first foray into holiday events, of course. Its ZooLights delighted visitors for more than 20 years, but over time, the decorations had become outdated, and everything seemed to be Christmas-themed.

The zoo was looking for something fresh and new — “larger than life,” says zoo marketing manager Isabella Linares — when a staffer met Tianyu Art & Culture’s Jessie Li at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in 2020. The Chicago-based company had just started working with another zoo — and Oakland was game.

Since then, the concept has spread to dozens of zoos, including Seattle’s Woodland Park, the Los Angeles Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo and beyond. “But Oakland,” Li says, “was one of the earliest.”

Glowfari’s Oakland debut in late 2020 was an instant success, selling out so swiftly, the zoo has since moved to a rolling ticket release. This year, tickets for the first four weeks dropped on Oct. 22, with an additional 2,500 tickets released at 9 a.m. daily for dates 28 days out.

This year’s Glowfari, which runs through Jan. 26, will include all sorts of new displays —  everything from pollinators to high-elevation animals, South American wildlife, exotic birds and Nile Valley creatures. A section devoted to farm animals will include a 26-foot tall, illuminated walk-through barn. And the dinosaurs are not only back — they’ll be more interactive than ever.

In fact, expect to see more interactive everything.

“Glowfari is one of our longest festivals, and it’s one of our most important festivals,” says Li. “This year, we added a lot more movements in each lantern area. Before, the lanterns lit up, and you’d walk through and take pictures. Based on our research, people like to see more movement and motion from the lanterns.”

In a nutshell, she says, visitors like surprises — lots of them. So look out for giant alpacas and llamas that might come to life, birds that talk and special effects everywhere.

“We changed lighting techniques to make the color more vivid,” Li says. “We added more interactive lanterns (so) visitors can have fun with them. You speak to a parakeet, and it speaks to you and repeats your words. There’s a drum — hit it and it triggers movements. There’s a stepping board (that) triggers lighting. There are swings and seesaws, lantern versions of ‘whack a mole,’ rooms with hanging lights and mirrors that make you feel like you’re in a different world.”

The goal, Dehejia says, is to delight everyone, no matter their age.

“It’s not just for little kids. It’s for grown ups as well,” he says. “What I love about it is seeing people smiling and happy. We need more fun and joy in our world. That’s what the zoo has always been providing.”

The one thing you won’t find at Glowfari are live animals. The zoo’s residents will be safely secured in their night quarters.

“We’re particularly conscious of noise for some animals,” Dehejia says. “We’ve learned how to ensure we have the sound from our music at a certain decibel level, so it doesn’t affect animals. We work closely with our animal care teams, so where we shine lights, we ensure we’re doing it with great care to the needs of the animals.”

Details: Glowfari will run from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily from Nov. 8 to Jan. 26 at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Road in Oakland. Santa will be on hand on Sundays in November and daily Dec. 1-23. Glowfari tickets are $39, or buy early for a discount. There’s also a 10% discount for zoo members, children and seniors. Find more information at www.oaklandzoo.org.