Christmas for the Animals + Zoo Lights!
Schedule
Sun Dec 21 2025 at 10:00 am to 08:00 pm
UTC-09:00Location
4731 O'Malley Rd, Anchorage, AK, United States, Alaska 99507 | Anchorage, AK
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Join us Sunday, December 21st for this annual tradition dating back to the zoo's early days!Christmas for the Animals on December 21st: 10am-5pm for event activities and stocking stuffing for zoo animal food donations. Be sure to bring your food donations before 5pm. Zoo Lights will be 5-8pm.
Entry:
~ Zoo members: You will have free access to Christmas for the Animals and Zoo Lights on this day! We appreciate your support as a zoo member.
~ Non-members: 🥶 COLD WEATHER DEAL 🥶 FREE ZOO ENTRY this Sunday 12/21 at our annual Christmas for the Animals event IF you bring a bag or sled full of food donations to stuff the animal stockings! If you arrive at 5pm or later, entry will be Zoo Lights rates ($25/person ages 3+). Now is a GREAT time to become a zoo member, too!
Description:
Christmas for the Animals is our longest-running Alaska Zoo tradition, dating back to the 1970’s. We gather to enjoy a bonfire, photos with Santa, holiday activities, and most important - visitors bring food donations to stuff large stockings at all of the animal habitats. Bring a sled, load it up with food items from our animal donation list and stuff stockings to support the animals.
This event is truly a Christmas for the Animals celebration as we ask visitors to bring frozen fish, frozen meat, produce and other items from our donation list. Bring your donations on a sled, then take them to the large stockings hung with care at the animal habitats. Stuff their stockings and wish them a happy holiday. Large or heavy donation items can be dropped off in a cart near the admissions entrance. Volunteers will stop picking up donations and stockings will come down at 5pm. Please bring your donations by 5pm.
Partner:
Best Beginnings will be hosting a candy cane scavenger hunt with prizes and Storytime with Santa.
Timeline:
~ 10am-5pm: Trendy Eats food truck behind Greenhouse, with seating and warm ups for guests in the Greenhouse.
~ 1-3pm: Petting Zoo.
~ 2-4pm: Photos with Santa in the Discovery Center.
~ 2pm & 4pm: Santa Storytime in the Discovery Center.
~ 10am-8pm: Bonfire by old admissions.
~ 10am-5pm: Visitors stuff the stockings for animals at their habitats.
~ 1-5pm: Candy Cane Scavenger Hunt hosted by Best Beginnings.
~ 5-8pm: Zoo Lights brought to you by ConocoPhillips Alaska, GCI and Morgan Stanley
~ The Kape Espresso Tayo Zoo Coffee Shop will be open for business.
~ The Zoo Gift Shop will be open for shopping outside of the zoo entrance. Zoo members have the usual 10% off with their membership and we are a donation location for new toy donations for Toys for Tots! Buy a new toy or gift in our shop, support the zoo and drop it off in the donation bin for kids in need.
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Where is it happening?
4731 O'Malley Rd, Anchorage, AK, United States, Alaska 99507Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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