Brookfield Zoo Chicago will be lighting up the night and stepping back in time this spring.
“Glow Wild: A Lantern Festival of Hope,” which opened recently and runs through mid-May, invites visitors to wander among glowing animal lanterns after dark. Then, starting in late May, the “Dinos!” exhibit will allow visitors to stroll alongside 35 towering, life-size dinosaur figures placed throughout the zoo.
“Glow Wild” is the zoo’s first large-scale lantern experience, produced in collaboration with Hanart Culture, an outside company that produces entertainment events rooted in Chinese tradition. The event mixes the zoo’s live animals with illuminated, life-size models of wildlife from around the world.
Split into “portals,” each part of the zoo represents a different ecosystem or animal group. Those entering through the North Gate will encounter a savannah scene with glowing elephants, giraffes and lions. As visitors move throughout the zoo, they will see North American wildlife and sections devoted to reptiles and primates. In the South Mall, guests will go “under the sea” to discover marine life and coral reefs that glow in the dark.
The west side of the zoo is devoted to mythical creatures, featuring unicorns and a smoke-breathing dragon. Andrea Rodgers, the zoo’s senior vice president of guest experience and operations, said this was important to include because it teaches the history and cultural ties these creatures share with real animals.
Each illuminated display includes educational information about the animals, highlighting conservation efforts for endangered species.
“Not only are (visitors) getting just a stunning visual experience,” Rodgers said, “they’re also learning about the extension of these animals in the real world and the threats and the challenges they face.”
One of the zoo’s primary focuses is the pangolin, the world’s most trafficked mammal. Signs alongside the pangolin lanterns explain their endangerment as well as why people in the Chicago area should care.
Further educational programming can be found in the “Hub of Hope,” in the zoo’s northeast pavilions. The space will host performances and demonstrations from community organizations, including lion dances by the Chicago Chinese Cultural Center, Native American storytelling from the Trickster Cultural Center and folklórico dance from the National Museum of Mexican Art.
The East Mall will have a variety of activities, including glowing swings and interactive light floors. At the Lantern Lounge, guests can rent a heated, igloo-style dome for 90 minutes with food and drinks.
The zoo will offer sensory-friendly nights March 26, April 16 and May 7. The music volume will be turned down and the movement-based visual stimuli will be lowered for those who may be overwhelmed by the experience.
Soon after the lantern experience closes, “Dinos!” will debut on May 22. Towering over walkways and soaring overhead, a life-size cast of prehistoric giants will take over the grounds — from a pterosaur perched for flight to a sprawling brontosaurus and a fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex.
“I think part of the reason why the public loves dinos so much is that you can’t even imagine that something existed at that scale,” Rodgers said.
Guests can walk through a dinosaur ribcage tunnel, follow the winding Dino Trail and climb on a giant fossil. In excavation areas, kids can get their hands dirty digging for fossils and bones. “Dinos!” will run through Oct. 25 and will be included with regular admission to the zoo.
While the zoo has featured this dinosaur experience in years past, this year includes some new events. The Dino Dash Fun Run on May 30 invites participants to run, jog or walk two miles “like a dinosaur,” with costumes encouraged. Dinos After Dark on July 11 will be a ticketed pajama party for visitors to see the zoo and dinosaur experience at night, with milk and cookies for sale. For those looking to get up close and personal, a virtual reality T. rex experience features VR goggles that let you experience what it would be like to stand right next to the towering predator in its ancient world.
“It’s a fun way to talk about the evolution of animals and how their behaviors and instincts relate to wildlife that we know today,” Rodgers said.
If you go
“Glow Wild: A Lantern Festival of Hope” is open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays until May 10 at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, 8400 31st St., Brookfield; advance tickets (from $9.95 for children and $19.95 for adults) are required and include parking at the North Gate and unlimited rides on the carousel and Ferris wheel; 708-688-8000 and www.brookfieldzoo.org
