Every lantern on the paths at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo this fall is being shown for the first time anywhere. GLOW Wild, the zoo's evening lantern walk in Bridgeport, opened on October 1 with a completely new set, and it has about five weeks left: the last night is Sunday, December 20, 2026.

The zoo says none of this year's lanterns has been displayed anywhere else before. For residents across Fairfield County who have walked the event in earlier years, that means nothing on the route repeats.

What is on the paths

Most of the lanterns are animals, arranged as diorama-style scenes that move through habitats from Africa to the Arctic and from the equator to the poles. One piece breaks from the theme on purpose: a dragon, added as a fantasy element among the wildlife.

This year also adds effects the event did not have before. The zoo describes new immersive lighting, and its chief executive, Dr. Jim Wharton, has said the additions of movement and sound give the zoo another way to bring animals to life after dark. The semiconductor company ASML is the 2026 Community Impact Sponsor.

When it runs

GLOW Wild runs Thursday through Sunday evenings, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., through December 20. The next run of nights is Thursday, November 19, through Sunday, November 22, and December has three more Thursday to Sunday runs, ending on the 20th.

The zoo itself keeps a shorter holiday schedule that week. It closes early, at noon, on Wednesday, November 25, and is closed all day on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26. Check the GLOW Wild page before planning a visit that week.

What it costs

Tickets are timed entry and are sold online at beardsleyzoo.org/glow-wild, with a higher price at the gate:

  • Adults 12 and up: $25 online, $27 at the gate
  • Children 11 and under: $23 online, $25 at the gate
  • Adults 65 and up: $15 online, $17 at the gate
  • Children 2 and under: free

Wheelchairs and strollers can be rented on site, and groups can book through the website or by phone.

Also at the zoo this week

Daytime visitors have another reason to go on Thursday, November 19: the zoo marks World Anteater Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., built around its three giant anteaters, including Kayapo, the young anteater born to parents Pana and EO. The same evening, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the zoo holds a teen volunteer open house in the Hansen Building for its Conservation Discovery Corps and Zoo Career Explorers programs; a second session is Thursday, December 3. Registration is encouraged.

About the zoo

Beardsley is Connecticut's only zoo and is marking 102 years. It keeps about 350 animals, most of them from North America, South America and northern Asia, among them red pandas, Andean bears, maned wolves, Mexican gray wolves and American red wolves, along with a spider monkey habitat and a new prairie dog exhibit. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

How to go

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is at 1875 Noble Avenue in Bridgeport. Daytime hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with the last ticket sold at 3 p.m. GLOW Wild runs Thursday to Sunday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., through December 20, 2026. Questions go to the zoo at 203-394-6565 or info@beardsleyzoo.org.

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