Massive lantern festival arrives to Kansas City Zoo: When to go, how to get tickets
A silk lantern festival thought to be the largest of its kind in the Midwest opens in Kansas City on Thursday. GloWild is a nighttime spectacle featuring intricate lanterns depicting wildlife, plants, Kansas City landmarks and Asian cultural symbols.
The exhibit will run every evening aside from Mondays and Tuesdays beginning on Sept. 1 and ending on Dec. 11 at the Kansas City Zoo, located at 6800 Zoo Drive. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming festival.
What will I see at the festival?
The approximately one-mile route through the zoo will feature dozens of glowing lanterns. It takes around an hour and a half to see them all.
Lantern exhibits will include an underwater tableau complete with jellyfish and a sea turtle, a variety of large animals from the African savannah, an elaborate glowing dragon and more.
Are special tickets required?
Yes. Visitors will need to purchase a timed ticket for the event. The lantern festival is not included in regular zoo admission, but buying a ticket to visit the zoo during its normal hours is not required before buying a lantern festival ticket. You can buy your tickets to the lantern festival on the Kansas City’s Zoo’s website. Ticket prices are divided into “peak” and “off-peak” times.
Peak times: most Friday and Saturday evenings, Monday Sept. 5, and the full week of Thanksgiving: Nov. 21-26. Tickets are $25 for visitors ages 12-54 and $23 for children, seniors and military members.
Off-peak times: Most Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, plus the first two Fridays of the exhibit: Sept. 2 and 9. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for children, seniors and military members.
You can also purchase family tickets in groups of four, unlimited pass tickets for multiple visits and group tickets for a variable price. Tickets are rain or shine, and rescheduling a ticket costs $5. Unlike regular zoo tickets, no discount is available to residents of Jackson County.
Is the exhibit wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The paths through the zoo are paved and accessible to wheelchairs, strollers, motorized scooters and wagons. All these mobility devices will be available to rent at the zoo entrance, just like during regular zoo hours.
What time is the festival open?
The festival is being held in the evening so you can get the maximum effect of the glowing lanterns after dark. Timed tickets are available every 15 minutes between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Sunset times in Kansas City are shifting earlier– here’s a look at when they fall during the upcoming months:
Sept. 1: 7:48 p.m.
Oct. 1: 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 1: 6:17 p.m.
Dec. 1: 4:56 p.m. (after daylight saving time)
Do you have more questions about family-friendly activities to do this fall in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
Editor’s note: This story was corrected to reflect that the peak time price for seniors and children is $23 not $13.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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