Holiday Magic lights festival returns to Brookfield Zoo Chicago for 45th year

Holiday Magic returns to Brookfield Zoo Chicago on Nov. 21, marking the festival’s 45th year.The event runs through Jan. 3, 2027, on select dates.The festival, one of Chicagoland’s longest-running holiday lights festival, will run for an extended 32 nights, with three additional dates added this year that give guests opportunities to visit in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, according to a news release. The festival features more than 3.5 million lights, along with bigger displays and festive experiences. This season, Holiday Magic is also connected to an upcoming holiday movie, “Christmas at the Zoo,” which will be available on streaming services Nov. 10.“For 45 years, Holiday Magic has been an iconic part of how Chicagoans experience the holiday season,” Katie Back, associate vice president of marketing at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, said in the news release. “This year, we’re bringing even more holiday wonder to the Zoo as guests explore more than 1,000 illuminated trees, get lost i