For a limited time, a glowing 100-foot pink snake is one of the reptiles guests can find at the Los Angeles Zoo.
The decorative light-up snake and other similar attractions will be showcased at L.A. Zoo Lights, an event installed by Bionic League and hosted at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens from Nov. 27 to Jan. 3.
Although many of the live animals were asleep for the night, the area of Living Amphibians, Invertebrates and Reptiles, also known as the LAIR, was still open to the public. On top of the LAIR sat the giant pink snake, welcoming guests to enter the indoor exploration area and meet the creepy-crawlies within. In addition, the event featured a light show involving elephant statues, an enormous water show and light-up monkeys hanging from ropes.
The official opening ceremony for L.A. Zoo Lights on Nov. 27 included a speech by Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, a performance by Andrii Bondarenko from Cirque du Soleil’s “Kurios” and a Christmas tree designed to look like it was built by the monkeys of the zoo. With a whimsically colorful construction and a base that featured cutouts of animals, the modernist Christmas tree stood at the entrance to the park, marking the beginning of the event’s pathway.
Connie Morgan, the producer of L.A. Zoo Lights and president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, said she wanted to create an experience to pay tribute to Los Angeles’ reputation for entertainment while staying true to the zoo’s original intention as an animal conservatory. Through the light display, Morgan said she hopes to highlight that the zoo is for people of all ages.
“We are getting ever more disconnected from nature as we live in an urban area, and here’s a place where one can come for entertainment but also reflect and learn something,” Morgan said.
As the night got darker, the lighted exhibits helped guide patrons to one attraction after another. Although the light-up monkeys in the opening ceremony didn’t light up as expected, fake flamingos in the shape of music notes lit up in time with the music and 3-D projections turned simple elephant statues into jellybeans, snow globes and candy canes.
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Farther down the path, one pond hosted a symphony composed of frog croaks timed to a light show employing decoratively stacked plastic bottles. Even Santa Claus, sitting on a big winter throne, was in attendance, ready to greet children and listen to their requests.
Debra Parcheta, a zoo visitor, came from Denver to visit her daughter Carolyn in Los Angeles. After seeing multiple exhibits, they both agreed that their favorite was a light display of a giraffe riding a rollercoaster.
“This is our first day at the zoo – we’ve been here the whole day,” Debra Parcheta said. “We came to check out the animals first and (the L.A. Zoo Lights) is just an added bonus.”
Emily Marrin, the manager of marketing and communications for the Los Angeles Zoo, said the mission for L.A. Zoo Lights is one of fun and celebration.
“The message would be to come to the Los Angeles Zoo and experience it in a whole new light,” Marrin said. “It truly is a magical place at night, and we worked really hard to transform it and create this unique experience that celebrates and represents Los Angeles.”