Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium opens its 39th annual Zoolights on Friday, Nov. 27. For the first time, the route passes giant wooden trolls by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. The trolls are on loan, and so is the low weeknight price. Before Dec. 11, three seasonal details overlap: the trolls, the $16 Monday through Thursday tickets, and a regional holiday calendar with little else on it. After that, each one changes.
There are eight nights in that early window, and they are the easiest ones to plan around.
Three trolls, borrowed through January
The trolls belong to TROLLS: A Field Study, a traveling exhibition produced by Imagine. It opened Oct. 15 at both Point Defiance and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville. The zoo announced the exhibition in June and said the two Parks Tacoma sister parks are the first in the Pacific Northwest to host these trolls. There are 12 sculptures in all, made from fallen branches, scrap wood, pallets and twigs. The exhibition runs through Jan. 24.
Tacoma Weekly reported in October that four of the trolls are at the zoo: Birch, Boge, Poppy and Larke. Northwest Trek has the other eight, including Taks, the group's leader, and Anja, who stands near the park entrance. One of the zoo's trolls can be seen from outside the entry gates, and the trolls cost nothing beyond regular admission. Zoo spokesperson Tessa Miller told Tacoma Weekly the timing was fortunate: "it was just the perfect timing that there was an opening for the trolls to come at this time. And so we just jumped right on it."
During Zoolights, the zoo's season announcement says Boge, Poppy and Birch will be viewable after dark. Larke will not. To see all four, the zoo suggests coming back during regular daytime hours.
So the trolls appear at one Zoolights season only. They join the route's regular displays: the glowing Narrows Bridges, the Flame Tree, the Seahawks tree, the tunnel of lights and the Sasquatch that visitors hunt for each year.
The price changes on Dec. 14
Zoolights tickets are timed and sold online only. The pricing has two tiers, and the cutoff falls halfway through the season.
| Dates | Monday–Thursday | Friday–Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 27–Dec. 13 | $16 general, $8 members | $22 general, $11 members |
| Dec. 14–Jan. 3 | $22 general, $11 members | $22 general, $11 members |
Children 2 and under are free all season. Parking is free at the zoo. Zoolights runs nightly from 4:30 to 10 p.m. and is closed Dec. 24 and 25.
The season opens on the day after Thanksgiving, which is a Friday, so the first $16 night is Monday, Nov. 30. The last one is Thursday, Dec. 10. That leaves eight discounted nights:
- Monday, Nov. 30, through Thursday, Dec. 3
- Monday, Dec. 7, through Thursday, Dec. 10
Two of those Mondays also carry a smaller discount. Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 are the zoo's Scouts Nights, when scouts and scout leaders can buy tickets for $14.
From Dec. 14 on, every night costs the same $22 as a Saturday. The zoo also warns that popular dates can sell out quickly and encourages visitors to plan ahead.
The aquariums are closed during Zoolights, and the animals are asleep and out of view. At night, the trolls and the lights are the whole show.
Dog Nights fall on both sides of the price change
If the outing includes a dog, the same mid-December split applies. Dog Nights are limited-capacity, advance-ticket evenings, and each ticket covers one dog and one adult.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1; Wednesday, Dec. 2; Tuesday, Dec. 8; Wednesday, Dec. 9: $31 general, $28 members
- Tuesday, Dec. 15; Sunday, Jan. 3: $42 general, $36 members
All four of the lower-priced Dog Nights fall inside the same early window as the $16 weeknights. A dog owner who books one of them avoids both the higher price and the busy December weekends.
For a smaller-scale visit, Groovy Goats: Zoolights Edition is a 30-minute private, holiday-themed encounter with the zoo's goats, and participants get to feed them a peppermint treat. Through Dec. 20 it runs Friday through Sunday at 4:40 and 5:15 p.m. From Dec. 21 to Jan. 3 it runs daily at the same times, except Dec. 24 and 25. The price includes Zoolights admission: $55 general and $40 for members, or $35 and $25 for children 2 and under. Every participant needs a ticket, infants included.
Dec. 11–13 is when everything happens at once
The early weeknights look even better next to the weekend that follows. On Dec. 11, 12 and 13, many of the region's holiday traditions happen within about 48 hours of each other.
The center of that weekend is downtown Tacoma. Tacoma City Ballet's The Nutcracker, in its 71st season, opens at the Pantages Theater. The Downtown Tacoma Holiday Market is scheduled for the same weekend in Theater Square. Last year the market ran for one afternoon, Dec. 13, 2025. This year the organizers have expanded it to two days of local makers, gifts and seasonal treats, timed to the ballet's opening.
Across the Narrows, Gig Harbor holds its biggest night on the water that Saturday. Here is the weekend in order:
- Friday, Dec. 11, 3–7 p.m.: Downtown Tacoma Holiday Market opens at Theater Square.
- Friday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.: The Nutcracker opens at the Pantages.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, noon–2:30 p.m.: Free photos with Santa on the Gig Harbor waterfront. Bring your own device, and well-behaved pets are welcome.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 1–6 p.m.: The holiday market's second day.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m.: The Nutcracker matinee.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, about 5–7 p.m.: The Gig Harbor Yacht Club's Lighted Boat Parade. The Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance lists Skansie Brothers Park, Jerisich Dock, Ancich Waterfront Park and the Bogue Viewing Platform as viewing spots.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, noon–2:30 p.m.: A second day of Santa photos in Gig Harbor.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m.: Another Nutcracker matinee.
On top of all that, Zoolights is open every one of those nights at the $22 weekend price. For a family that wants the ballet, the market, the boat parade and the zoo, the practical answer is to move Zoolights to the week before, when tickets cost $6 less per adult and nothing else is competing for the evening. The Nutcracker also has later matinees on Dec. 19 and 20 at 2 p.m. for anyone who would rather keep Dec. 12 for the waterfront. The Pantages offers optional Premium Experience passes with dedicated entry, a complimentary beverage, a keepsake poster and a reserved-parking option.
The season's other fixed date comes earlier. Saturday, Nov. 28, two days into Zoolights, is the 81st annual Tacoma Holiday Tree Lighting outside the Pantages at 5 p.m. That afternoon at 3 p.m., the Tacoma Concert Band plays Sounds of the Season, with free tickets for ages 18 and under through the box office.
Into January, the lights shift downtown and the trolls stay
Zoolights closes Jan. 3, but the zoo has one more evening on its calendar after that. A Sensory-Friendly Night on Saturday, Jan. 9, features adjusted lighting and reduced music. Tickets are $16 general and $8 for members, and timed online tickets are required.
Downtown, the free Tacoma Light Trail light-art festival opens Dec. 31, while Zoolights is still running, and continues through Jan. 17. That is six days longer than last season, which ended Jan. 11.
The trolls stay longest. TROLLS: A Field Study runs through Jan. 24, three weeks after Zoolights ends. In January, the zoo is the place to see Larke, the one Point Defiance troll that is not on the Zoolights route, along with the other three in daylight. Northwest Trek's eight trolls are on a self-guided route, except Valle, who can be seen only from the park's tram tour, wild drive tour or keeper adventure tour.
So for the full set: Zoolights on a weeknight between Nov. 30 and Dec. 10 for three trolls under the lights at $16, then a daytime visit before Jan. 24 for the fourth.
When family visits for the holidays, the evening plans often matter as much as the house. If you're hosting relatives this December, or helping someone decide whether South Puget Sound could be home, Native Real Estate would be glad to help you plan a visit that shows the region at its best. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready to talk.
