This is our 3rd time attending Oakland Zoo’s annual winter event, which goes from December to January. I wrote about our 2nd trip we took there in 2022. You can check it out here if you’d like. It seems to get more elaborate each year with different themes and it’s a nice way to spend an evening out during winter break and you can get your steps in too.
The zoo opens in the early evening around 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. with major parts of it transformed into specific worlds lit up in bright twinkling lights of statues, structures, plant life, and animals. This time we got an early reservation, so we parked on the lower part of the zoo and this made for a better walking visit since we could walk from the bottom to the top, instead of getting into the main entrance, which is in the middle and you need to walk up and down both sides of the zoo to see everything.
The first world you encounter at the zoo is the farm. It reminded me of Thanksgiving and being in a video game world.
When you walk up the pathway, you enter Egypt with its pyramids, animals, and more lights!
Walk up from Egypt and you will get to the main entrance site where you find the gift shop and another cafe. Keep walking from there and then you get to the gondola site. where everything turns into dinosaurs, with music played in the Jurassic Park movie.
Fern light structures lit up the path to the line for the gondola. I regret not taking pictures of it, but my people were getting irritated with me asking them to be in so many pictures. I had to politely refrain.
The upper part theme was dinosaurs. If both kiddos were still fanatic about 🦕 🦖 like they were a few years ago, they might have gone crazier with delight. It was mostly nostalgic for all of us: remembering how they loved, learned about, and mimicked dinosaur behavior for many years of their early childhoods.
I found this picture of the kiddos at our first Glowfari event in 2019:
It was a fun evening of walking around and looking at lights. I like to look at old pictures and compare to the current ones to see how much we have all grown and be thankful of having these experiences together. We are done with Christmas lights this year…and now we are looking forward to January. It’s been a good month for us and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I hope you all have a wonderful last weekend of December and you get to savor the last few days before we launch into 2025! Much love ~Esther
41 responses to “Glowfari 2024: Oakland Zoo”
The farm is my favorite, especially the sunflower and the cow!
The farm felt like you entered a video game farmland, and the place was so visually appealing and comforting. I can see why it would be your favorite. I should’ve taken a close-up photo of the figures to show the material they used. It’s thick colored cloth wrapped over the wire foundation. (I’m not sure if I’m articulating it well). People’s creativity astounds me!
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This is a fun post Esther and what an elaborate fest this is. Early on in the post I saw the dinosaurs in a picture and thought “the kids must’ve loved this” only to learn that they have moved on from dinosaurs Oh well. There was lots to see and I’m happy for you that everyone consented to a nice family photo, even though you couldn’t persuade them to pose for more..
Can you imagine how the kids would’ve went crazy if they were in their dino phase?! I was surprised that they remembered the names of many of the dinosaur figures, so I think this might be a good jumping point to review the dino books.
I’m glad they did let me take some photos…I took my selfie stick too but it’s too bulky.
Thank you for your sweet comment!
Yes They’d have gone crazy back then – better than that traveling show that I sent you the link for to visit in your car during the first or second year of COVID. 🙂 Always glad to put a smile on your face Esther!
The drive thru was awesome and the kids had a lot of fun. It was entertaining in its own way and a special treat during Covid to do something fun. People came up with interesting ways to entertain without visitors getting out of the car and practicing safe social distancing.
Some enterprising businessman made kids’ hearts soar to see dinosaurs and made himself very rich as well. I hope we never have to go through another pandemic – please be careful with this Norovirus that is making the rounds right now … they say as a result of people being together over the holidays.
It was entertaining and cars were lined up to get in! I hope we never have another pandemic. The covid -19 was a crazy one to experience and so much heartache and disruptions and chaos.
Have you ever gotten Norovirus? It is so unpleasant. We all got it in winter of 2017 and it was miserable. I didn’t even know what it was until the cardiologist told us that it was norovirus after Ellis had to go to the hospital. That’s when I figured out we all had it because we had similar symptoms. It was AWFUL! Please stay well and healthy this new year.
I just read a long thread on Twitter about how norovirus is spreading like wildfire after the holidays and just how sick you can get … scary sick, like influenza on steroids. I hope you don’t get it again – stay healthy and get a much-needed break from the hospital. Why do we have these things? I am still masked up no matter where I go since I’m alone … this norovirus, like Covid, making you so sick so I always think “would I be sick enough to not be able to take care of myself i.e. fix a meal, etc. until I got over that bug?” I’m probably overcautious TBH.
I still see people wearing masks and at the hospital and doctor’s office, you are required to wear a mask. Yes, please, stay masked up and wash your hands frequently. Better to be safe than sorry! I worry about that too for you. Thank goodness you’ve been healthy and well…you are soo good about taking care of your health and taking your vitamins and getting vaccinations.
Yes, I even wear the mask to the Park, Winter especially which is a pain with glasses fogging up, as you well know for your colder California days. I’m trying to get more sleep and have been better at that the last few years and existing on five hours of sleep a night to stay caught up here. And yes, always a multiple vitamin and the cod liver oil and vaccinations.
California gets cold too! It’s been getting chillier and feels like winter. Hope your winter doesn’t get too crazy like previous years.
I take a multivitamin, omega 3, and coq10.
I am shutting down now and going down to put in a small load of clothes again – all the cupboard doors are open for heat to go to the pipes and all the taps are on a slow drip. This is about the 5th day now and another 10 they say … right now the “real feel” is 5. That’s a shame about California being so cold and winter-like. One thing you could always count on was warm Winters. Not now unfortunately!
That’s a lot of attention to detail to prepare your house for the cold! You know what you’re doing.
Yep, it was warm leading up to this colder weather. But it’s nothing compared to yours.
We have had this unrelenting wind for which seems like months now. This afternoon we lost power twice, the second time a little longer. I don’t know what happened. I got the generator in 2022, so I did not panic because it is so cold outside, but my furnace and fridge were on at the time … so off and on twice when each were running made me think “please don’t either of you break.” Thursday will be brutal, -10 “real feel”. I’ve been diligently doing the work to keep the pipes warm for days on end. I had new house insulation put in the entire house in 2017 … quite honestly, I don’t know where they put it as it is very cold near the outside walls and through the house. I was told it would be toasty, especially in the kitchen which is over the crawlspace and I had them fill the crawlspace up entirely as I never used it. Not toasty!
Wow, Linda, you put up so much with the winter weather! Every winter I am amazed at how you keep it all running at home with the pipes and the power outages. I’m glad you got the generator…one less thing to worry about. Cold weather requires a lot of house upkeep, as I’m learning from you. Geesh, it is getting frigid for you.
It is supposed to be like another 10 days – they keep saying that every day … “another 10 days” and I read something about climate change and the high winds in California with the fires … they said that climate change is causing higher winds than normal. I kept telling myself that I never remembered having day after day, week after week of these high winds and it happened in Summer too. Sometimes I’d drive to a big park, on a supposedly calm day and I’d no sooner get there than the high winds started. I knew it wasn’t my imagination. If you get cold enough there, be sure to open your cabinet doors where they are pipes near an outside wall and keep a small drip going. We had this happen once, maybe twice a Winter … the new normal for Winter.
The weather is out of control! Today was like a mild winter day and we didn’t even need a jacket. It’s January!
Thanks for your tips! I know you know your stuff about keeping the house pipes running in cold weather.
I hope it doesn’t get that cold there that you need all those tips! Crazy weather everywhere it seems … our new norm. Sigh.
I don’t think it will get that cold here, thankfully! The weather is getting out of control and the seasons are extreme. Our temperature tomorrow is 71. What about last summer? The heat was unbearable.
I remember you mentioning your never-ending heat and how miserable it was. This erratic weather is just not normal. I am old enough to remember four distinct seasons but that hasn’t happened in awhile. I didn’t really notice it much until I started walking. I remember the year Marge died and her birthday would have beens on December 3rd and I saw Jeff outside and he was in a tee-shirt. I was carrying my jacket as it was balmy out … the first week of December! That sticks in my mind as I went over to speak to him about his mom. That was 2017. I hope this third bout of very cold weather we have had will zap those ticks so we don’t contend with as many this Summer. Our snow began in earnest mid-afternoon, just as predicted – now maybe we will have three to four inches of the white stuff.
It’s still in the high 60s. How is this winter?!
Please stay safe and well in the snow…you and your house!
The weather everywhere is crazy. We are getting more snow tonight, not much, but some and we had freezing rain this afternoon – that alone might do me in as to walking as we’re getting very cold weather Tuesday and Wednesday on top of any ice. Glad I have nowhere I need to go. Good time to hunker down and get the decluttering done!
Yikes, you have cold weather!! Yes, please stay safe and warm. Walking on slippery grounds is unsafe. You know me and how I feel about falling on slippery surfaces!
Hope the decluttering goes well…one small corner, shelf, or drawer at a time.
And I heard today that we’re getting more freezing rain (tomorrow), plus some snow, then plunging into the Deep Freeze starting Sunday, even colder than these last four separate bouts of cold. Well, I guess (and hope) the ticks will bite the dust over the Winter.
Wow, what an awesome winter event, Esther! I would love to go if it was closer by. I like the Egypt theme. I can believe that you’d get your steps in with the walking and looking at the details.💖
It’s a fun event to look forward to during the winter holiday. We were sad to have missed last year but Ellis was in the hospital too often last winter and we just couldn’t make it out. So we were determined to get back there this year. lol
Your granddaughters would really enjoy it and have fun looking at all the lights. There were so many strollers and wagons with little kids in them.
The Egypt theme was expansive and they played Egyptian music on the speakers.
I’m glad you made it this year, Esther! I’m sure my grandkids would love that. We have some Christmas lights. One is driving through and the other one is in a community where the houses decorate their home in themes.
Driving around to look at Christmas lights is one of our holiday traditions!
Looks like a very special place!
It’s a fun and special place for us to visit in winter! I like to compare pictures from previous years and see how much the kids have grown.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas and happy new year!
What fun
It was nice to revisit! The weather wasn’t as cold as previous years either.
My favorite photo here is of the dramatic faces of your family being eaten by that dinosaur! Esther, how could you just stand there taking pictures? Why aren’t you saving them? Esther, I hope you know that I’m teasing you. Looks like everyone was having lots of fun on this outing!!
I know…how insensitive of me to just watch and take pictures?! I should’ve jumped in and wrestled that dino down with my hulk strength. lol
It was a fun time to walk around and hang out together. It was much better than previous years when it was freezing cold.
How fun 🤩
The light sculptures are beautiful
It was fun and even better that it wasn’t freezing cold! This winter is not as chilly as it was in previous years…although the summer was atrociously hot.
There was lots to see and I’m happy for you that everyone consented to a nice family photo,. So beautiful farm. I like. Enjoyed.
Hahahah, my family gets tired of me always asking to take a picture of them.
Why they’re tired. ?