Every winter, hundreds of glowing, hand-crafted lanterns go on display at Chattanooga Zoo for their unique holiday lights celebration: the Asian Lantern Festival.
Each year of the festival showcases an entirely new assortment of never-before-seen lantern displays, and Chattanooga Zoo has announced that this year’s collection is entitled the Asian Lantern Festival: Forest of Fantasy.
Guests will take an evening tour of the Zoo as they discover nearly 50 distinct lantern scenes featuring fire-breathing dragons, gleaming fairies, giant mythical beasts, peaceful forest dwellers and even Santa Claus, enchanted snowmen and other holiday lights.
The lanterns are up to 26 feet tall, and many of the displays move, change color, expel fog, blow bubbles, play music and more. The festival also includes interactive games that encourage touching, swinging, stomping and other forms of play.
“This is our fourth time hosting the Asian Lantern Festival, and I think it’s the best collection of lanterns that we’ve had so far,” said Chattanooga Zoo's Darde Long. “It’s been so fun to watch the festival grow each year, and I think people of all ages will really be able to feel the magic.”
For some extra fun, the festival features special entertainment on certain dates only:
- November 21 and 22: The Chien Hong School of Kung Fu will perform a traditional lion dance at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each night.
- November 21 and 22: Make your own lantern from 5:30-8:30 p.m. or while supplies last. The craft is provided by Chick-fil-A, the presenting sponsor of the Asian Lantern Festival: Forest of Fantasy.
- December 12, 13, 19 and 20: Take pictures with Santa Claus in the education building until 8 p.m. Bring your own device to snap a photo!
- January 16 and 17: Elsa and Anna from “Frozen” will be in the education building from 6-9 p.m. for photos and meet and greets, courtesy of Magic Lamp Entertainment.
The Asian Lantern Festival: Forest of Fantasy kicks off the evening of November 21 and runs through January 17, 2026. The festival is open from 5:30-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday evenings, and will also be open:
- The entire week of Thanksgiving, including Thanksgiving Day (November 23-29).
- The entire week of Christmas except Christmas Day (December 21-27, excluding December 25)
- The entire week of New Year’s, including New Year’s Day (December 28 - January 3)
For Chattanooga Zoo members, festival tickets are $19 for adults and $14 for children ages 3-12. For non-members, tickets are $23.50 for adults and $17.50 for children. A special rate of $16.50 applies to groups of 15 or more. All children two years old and younger are free.
Chattanooga Zoo is also offering holiday party packages at the Asian Lantern Festival: Forest of Fantasy where up to 40 guests enjoy admission to the festival and a private event space. Additionally, on December 4 and 18 only, the Zoo is hosting Kids’ Night Out events featuring a guided tour of the festival, animal meet and greets, crafts and games. This program is open to 5-17 year olds.
The festival will also feature new Wild Burger menu items, exclusive gift shop items, limited edition souvenir cups, hot chocolate and spiked beverage options for adults.
To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.chattzoo.org/events/alf.