Magical, bright, and ethereal, the Little Rock Zoo brings a majestic, mystical world to Arkansas this holiday season with its third lantern festival.
GloWILD, a larger-than-life lantern festival, features handcrafted silk lanterns with 50,000 LED lights by Tianyu Arts & Culture.
GloWILD opened on Nov. 16 and will continue until Jan. 7, from 5-9 p.m. on select nights.
In previous years, the event has seen 30,000 people over 48 nights. This year alone, the event has seen over 1,500 people in a single night and is on track to meet, if not exceed its previous record.
Production for the lantern festival started in the winter of 2021 when the Little Rock Zoo wanted to refresh their Halloween event Boo at the Zoo, which went on for nearly 30 years.
Joy Matlock, the director of marketing and development at the Little Rock Zoo, said they wanted to create an event that would revitalize and re-imagine Boo at the Zoo, but also last throughout the holiday season.
The senior leadership team visited the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky and The Buffalo Zoo in New York to see their lantern festivals before deciding to bring one to Little Rock. They signed a contract in the summer of 2021 with Tianyu Arts & Culture, started to build in October 2021, and held the first GloWILD in November 2021.
The first theme was marine animals, the second theme was dinosaurs and this year’s theme is mystical creatures.
Matlock said they asked Tianyu for larger lanterns this year and wanted something that would take attendees’ breath away. Matlock said Tianyu exceeded their expectations.
The festival has an array of lanterns, ranging from dragons and other mystical creatures to pandas, monkeys and even Chinese zodiac animals.
The lanterns stand 20 feet tall. One lantern stands two stories tall, and another stretches almost 130 feet across the middle of the zoo.
The zoo also had lanterns with bubbles and interactive games built inside.
“We hope that it’s a continued way that people decide to celebrate the holidays, no matter what holiday it is for their family. We want it to become a family tradition,” Matlock said.
“We want them to be transported to another world … We want people to feel once they’ve hit the ground here at The Little Rock Zoo to feel that they are no longer in Little Rock, to feel they are no longer in their everyday life. To forget the work day, to forget the grocery store, to forget all the things, the classes they had to go through that day and just be in the moment.”
Matlock also said GloWILD is a festival for everyone. “It’s for [ages] zero to 99. College students can come and enjoy themselves just as much as anybody else.”
“It’s a way that you can come back and maybe remember being a child or take a break from what’s going on in your everyday.”
The Little Rock Zoo also has special GloWILD nights.
Thurs. Dec. 7, is a sensory-friendly night. According to their site, this night is designed for guests with sensory sensitivities and their families. It features a quieter atmosphere, limited flashing lights and designated quiet areas.
Sunday, Dec. 31, is a New Year’s Eve party, included with the GloWILD admission.
GloWILD is open now until Jan. 7, from 5-9 p.m.
Admission for zoo members is $17 — Family Four Pack is $60. Non-member tickets are $20 — Family Four Pack $65, and kids three years and younger are free. Parking is also free during GloWILD. Tickets can be purchased online or at the admissions gate.
For additional information, visit littlerockzoo.com.