How many free evenings does Lincoln Park have between now and New Year's? Lincoln Park Zoo's calendar shows four, plus one more on a plaza a short trip away. All five fall before the middle of December.
ZooLights Presented by Invesco and ComEd opens to the public on Friday, Nov. 20. It runs through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. each night, with last entry at 8 p.m. The zoo's ZooLights page lists every date, but it doesn't spell out how the free nights, the cheap nights and the neighborhood's own holiday events line up. They cluster. If you plan around that cluster, a December evening at the zoo can cost nothing. If you don't, it can cost $20 a person at the gate.
Each free Monday opens reservations for the next one
Admission is free on Mondays with a required reservation. December 21 and 28 are the exceptions. Reservations for each free Monday open one week ahead at 11 a.m. Central. The zoo's FAQ names four free dates: Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14.
Each free Monday is also the morning reservations open for the next one:
- Monday, Nov. 23 is free. Reservations opened Monday, Nov. 16.
- Monday, Nov. 30 is free. Reservations open at 11 a.m. on Nov. 23.
- Monday, Dec. 7 is free. Reservations open at 11 a.m. on Nov. 30.
- Monday, Dec. 14 is free and the last one of the season. Reservations open at 11 a.m. on Dec. 7.
Reservations for Nov. 23 are already open. To book the other three free nights, set an 11 a.m. reminder for Nov. 23, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. Every person in your group needs a ticket, children included.
The free Mondays aren't new. When WGN reported the 2025 season, Mondays were free with registration, released a week ahead at 11 a.m., and ZooLights was closed on Tuesdays. This year, the zoo's closure list includes only three Tuesdays: Dec. 1, 8 and 15. It also closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The 2025 season ran Nov. 21 through Jan. 4. This year's run starts and ends one day earlier.
The same night can cost $7.73 or $20
Bought in advance, Fixed Date tickets run $7 to $12 depending on the date. Bought on the day you go, they cost $20. A Flexible Admission ticket, good for any one night, also costs $20. Fixed Date tickets can't be refunded, and their dates can't be changed after purchase.
With taxes and fees included, the zoo's ticketing calendar shows $7.73 a person for opening night. The peak weekend dates show $12.89. For four people on a December Saturday, that's $51.56 bought ahead and $80 bought at the gate. On Dec. 7, the same four pay nothing. Here's how the season breaks down by night:
| Date | ZooLights status |
|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Member Preview Night only |
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 20–21 | $7.73 advance, with taxes and fees |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Free with reservation |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Sensory-Friendly Night, ticketed |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 27–28 | $12.89 advance |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Free with reservation |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Closed |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 5–6 | $12.89 advance |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Free with reservation |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Closed |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | $12.89 advance |
| Mon., Dec. 14 | Free with reservation, the last free night |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | Closed |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | $12.89 advance |
| Mon., Dec. 21 and 28 | Paid; no free admission |
| Thu.–Fri., Dec. 24–25 | Closed |
| Thu.–Fri., Dec. 31–Jan. 1 | $12.89 advance |
| Sun., Jan. 3 | $7.73 advance |
After Dec. 14, there are no free nights. Dec. 19, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 are all priced at $12.89. The two Mondays of the holiday weeks are paid nights. The cheapest dates left after mid-December are the last night of the run, Jan. 3, and any weeknight you book ahead.
Dec. 6 and 7 are the busiest two days on the Lincoln Park calendar
The first Sunday and Monday of December are when the zoo's schedule and the neighborhood's schedule overlap most.
On Sunday, Dec. 6, the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce runs the fourth annual Clark Street Cookie Crawl from 1 to 4 p.m. on Clark Street between Fullerton and Diversey. General admission is $30. A $45 ticket for guests 21 and older includes three drinks, and groups of four or more save $5 per general admission ticket. Each ticket comes with a map of participating businesses, a Cookie Crawl bag and prepackaged holiday cookies. The chamber also lists carolers, hot chocolate and photos with Santa along the route.
That same Sunday at the zoo, the Chris White Trio plays its tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas at several shows. According to the zoo's October press release, the matinee in Pepper Family Wildlife Center includes Santa and Snoopy, a hot chocolate and cookie bar, and ZooLights entry. The evening show at Café Brauer is kid-friendly, and this year a new 18+ evening show is also on the schedule. Strolling carolers are at ZooLights on Sundays through Dec. 21. If you start on Clark Street, you can do one of two things after the Crawl ends at 4:
- Take the $12.89 advance ticket for Dec. 6 and walk in when ZooLights opens at 4:30.
- Skip ZooLights that night and come back the next evening for free.
On Monday, Dec. 7, Lincoln Common holds its annual Light Up The Night holiday lighting on the plaza at 5:30 p.m. Santa is scheduled to appear, along with Alderman Timmy Knudsen and Rabbi Mendy Benhiyoun. The event is free and open to the public. Dec. 7 is also a free ZooLights Monday. The lighting starts at 5:30 and ZooLights' last entry is 8 p.m., so one evening can include both without buying a ticket for either. Just remember that the Dec. 7 zoo reservation opens Nov. 30 at 11 a.m.
The free daytime option is closed on free Mondays
The Lincoln Park Conservatory at 2391 N. Stockton Drive is the free daytime option. The Lincoln Park Conservancy's winter flower show runs Nov. 25, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is pay-what-you-can. The suggested donation is $10 for adults and $5 for children, and every visit needs a timed-entry ticket. The conservatory is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. You can book through the Lincoln Park Conservancy's visitor page.
That means the free conservatory and the free ZooLights nights never share a day. If you want both on the same day, you'll need a Wednesday through Sunday: the flower show during the day, then a paid ZooLights ticket after 4:30. Sunday, Dec. 6 fits that and the Cookie Crawl too, all in one afternoon. The conservatory's last hour overlaps with the Crawl, so arrive in the morning to fit all three.
Another daytime option is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Sustainable Makers' Market on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $10 to $17 and includes museum entry. Vendors include Restless Creatures, The Mulberry Rabbit, Sturge Stitch, Flip City / TT's Funhouse, Story Lago, ReFelt, From Odds to Ends and Wastenot Compost. Nov. 28 is a $12.89 night at ZooLights, so the market works better as a stand-alone Saturday morning than as the start of a zoo evening.
The paid nights carry the zoo's special programming
The zoo's named events skip the free Mondays. All of them fall on other nights:
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: Sensory-Friendly Night. Blinking and moving lights are static or slowed, and music is softened or turned off.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2: Ugly Sweater Night.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: Nutcracker Night, with dancers from The Joffrey Ballet's Grainger Academy inside Pepper Family Wildlife Center.
- Thursday, Dec. 10: Adults Night Out: Sugar and Spice, 6:30 to 10 p.m., for guests 21 and older. Tickets start at $20.
- Wednesday, Dec. 16: Green Night, with eco-friendly holiday tips.
- Thursday, Dec. 31: New Year's Eve at ZooLights, with a countdown every hour.
- Saturday, Jan. 2: New Year's ReZoolutions, a new event from 2 to 4 p.m. with yoga, sound meditation, nonalcoholic beverage samples for guests 21 and older, and access to ZooLights before it opens to the public. Tickets went on sale Nov. 9.
The ticketing page also lists themed zones mixing new and nostalgic displays as new this year, along with the 65-foot Ferris wheel. Rides cost extra on any night, free Mondays included. One attraction ticket is $4.50, and the Ferris wheel and Gorilla Trek take two tickets, or $9. Live ice carving happens Friday and Saturday nights, and Santa is at the zoo through Dec. 23. So a free Monday saves on admission, but the carvers and the Joffrey dancers are only there on paid nights.
Parking can cost more than admission
On a free Monday, parking is the biggest expense. The zoo lot entrance is at 2400 N. Cannon Drive. The first half hour is free, and the zoo lists a daily rate of $35 to $45, subject to change. That rate is about five times the $7.73 opening-weekend ticket. The ZooLights FAQ says staff temporarily close the lot when it fills and asks guests coming on Friday or Saturday nights to plan parking in advance.
For transit, the zoo's directions page lists CTA buses 22, 36, 151 and 156 along the zoo's west edge. The Brown and Purple Line stop at Armitage and the Red Line stop at Fullerton are each about a mile west. For anyone already on Clark Street after the Cookie Crawl, or at Lincoln Common after the lighting, the bus or a walk avoids the parking fee.
Our team at Joe Kotoch Group tracks the Lincoln Park calendar as closely as we track the local market, and Dec. 6 and 7 are already on ours. If you're planning a December around the neighborhood, or wondering what your own block will feel like next winter, Start a Strategic Conversation with us.
