TOLEDO, Ohio, November 16, 2022: The Toledo Zoo Lights Before Christmas presented by KeyBank opened with a tree lighting ceremony on November 18, 2022, and will run through December 31, 2022.

For 37 years, The Toledo Zoo Lights Before Christmas presented by KeyBank has been a staple holiday tradition in northwest Ohio. In 2021, the Toledo Zoo was voted second for USA TODAY 10Best Zoo Lights and this year’s edition is sure to be even more spectacular.

The Toledo Zoo is honored to be nominated yet again for the 10 Best Lights and urges the community to vote at 10best.com.

The tree-lighting ceremony is the kickoff of the six-week-long event which features over one million lights, 200+ illuminated animal images, an ice slide, and photo ops with Santa in the Arctic Encounter. There will also be various holiday concessions, including the return of the Yuletide Food & Spirits tent, located on the historic side of the Zoo, featuring freshly prepared seasonal sandwiches, soups, appetizers, and desserts as well as holiday cocktails and seasonal beers.

“Every year, our dedicated staff works to create an even more spectacular and award-winning holiday lights event for visitors of all ages to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming our guests to make memories and creating unique experiences they won’t find anywhere else,” said Shayla Moriarty, chief of staff and senior vice president of the Toledo Zoo.

Reservations are required for members and non-members and are released one week at a time. Tickets can be purchased at toledozoo.org/lights.