Electric Safari

Lights, Animals and Holiday Spirit!

Electric Safari at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only place in Colorado Springs where you can see over 85 one-of-a-kind light sculptures while celebrating the season with our animals at the same time!

You’ll also enjoy photos with our larger-than-life illuminated inflatable animals, located throughout the Zoo. And special for 2023, we’re adding a holiday-safari themed drone show! Electric Safari was voted 3rd Best Zoo Lights in the U.S. from 2019-2022 by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice.

This year’s event will celebrate 33 years of holiday cheer, and Santa Claus will be listening to wishes through December 23. Come celebrate the holiday season with sparkling lights, animals and fun for the whole family! (Inflatables may not be viewable when high winds or other severe weather is present.)

2023 Electric Safari Program PDF
(Shows detailed map, open animal areas, and food & beverage locations.)

Orangutan-Friendly Holiday Shopping Guide 2023

Enjoy holiday shopping for products made with sustainable palm oil to help protect wild orangutans!
Download & share our:
– Orangutan-Friendly Holiday Guide 2023
– FREE PalmOil Scan Mobile App

Activities

Special for 2023, HOLIDAY-SAFARI THEMED DRONE SHOW! (weather permitting). At 7:30 p.m. every night of Electric Safari, guests can see our drone light show from nearly anywhere in the Zoo. The show will last around 15 minutes. Prime viewing spots are Elephant Boardwalk, Lodge at Moose Lake and Giraffe Plaza.
LARGER-THAN-LIFE ILLUMINATED INFLATABLE ANIMALS (Inflatables may not be viewable when high winds or other severe weather is present.)
INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES; experiences with animals at The Loft near Rocky Mountain Wild, along with giraffe and budgie feeding opportunities.
SANTA will be available for photos and to hear wishes in the Safari Lodge from 4-8:30 p.m., nightly through Friday, Dec. 23.
SKY RIDE – tickets are available at Admissions. $3 per person, ages 2 & under FREE.
(Be in line by 7:30 p.m., last Sky Ride leaves at 8 p.m.) Weather permitting.
HOT COCOA – throughout the Zoo you’ll find stations with delicious hot cocoa available for purchase.
Be a SECRET SANTA to the Animals!
View the Electric Safari Wish List for a list of items you can bring in for the animals!
Items can be dropped off at Admissions between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. any day of the week (by 2 p.m. on holidays), and between 4 – 7:30 p.m. on Electric Safari nights.

Select animal exhibits are open, including

– Lion Relaxation Room
– Asian Highlands
– Australia Walkabout
– Elephant & Rhino Barn
– Giraffe Barn
– Hippo Building
– Rocky Mountain Wild (except grizzlies)
– The Loft
– Scutes Family Gallery
*Note: Some animal areas are closed due to the species’ sensitivities to nighttime events.

Restaurants open during Electric Safari

Food & beverage selections, plus hot cocoa at:
– Grizzly Grill
– Cozy Goat
– Pizza with a View
– Elson’s Place
– Rocky Mountain BBQ Co. (open Sat. & Sun. only; stick waffles, pretzel bites, hot cocoa & snacks)
– Dippin’ Dots (open Fri., Sat. & Sun. only, roasting s’mores & hot cocoa)
– Thundergod Gift Shop (open all nights & serving hot cocoa)

Guest Experiences

The Loft – Experience the excitement of coming face-to-face with some of our smaller animals. Bring your curiosities!
Giraffe Feeding Experience (African Rift Valley) – A guest favorite! Hand-feed our long-necked friends in the Giraffe Barn— $3 per lettuce bundle, or $5 for two. Your time in the barn will be limited to allow the maximum number of guests through while maintaining limited capacity. Be in line no later than 8 p.m.
Budgies Feeding Experience (Australia Walkabout) – Hold a specially-crafted seed stick for our colorful budgies to enjoy in the Budgie Building— $1 each. (Capacity will be limited inside the building.)

Animal Demonstrations

By day of the week, weather permitting.

Sunday

6 p.m. – Elephant Talk (Elephant Barn in Encounter Africa)
6:45 p.m. – Leopard Talk (North Leopard Yard, above Australia Walkabout)
7:15 p.m. – Hippo Talk/Feeding (Hippo Building in Water’s Edge: Africa)

Monday

6 p.m. – Otter Talk (Rocky Mountain Wild)
7 p.m. – Skunk Talk (The Loft)

Tuesday

6 p.m. – African Lion Talk (Relaxation Room in African Rift Valley)
7 p.m. – Skunk Talk (The Loft)

Wednesday

6 p.m. – Elephant Talk (Elephant Barn in Encounter Africa)
7 p.m. – Reptile Encounter (Scutes Family Gallery)

Thursday

6 p.m. – African Lion Talk (Relaxation Room in African Rift Valley)
7 p.m. – Skunk Talk (The Loft)

Friday

6 p.m. – Tiger Talk (Asian Highlands)
6:45 p.m. – Skunk Talk (The Loft)
7:15 p.m. – Hippo Talk/Feeding (Hippo Building in Water’s Edge: Africa)

Saturday

6 p.m. – Reptile Encounter (Scutes Family Gallery)
6:45 p.m. – Skunk Talk (The Loft)
7:15 p.m. – African Lion Talk (Relaxation Room in African Rift Valley)

Tickets & Cost

– Advance timed e-tickets must be purchased in advance, and are subject to selling out. All individuals visiting the Zoo must have their own advance e-ticket, including children age 2 and under.
– For dates, pricing levels and tickets, view the 2023 Electric Safari Pricing Calendar PDF
– Your ticket will indicate the earliest time you can enter the Zoo. From the ticketed time, you have a half-hour window to enter the Zoo (for example, if your ticket is for 4 p.m., you need to be in line to enter the Zoo by 4:30 p.m.). Once you’re inside, you are welcome to stay at Electric Safari until the event ends at 8:30 p.m.
– Electric Safari is an all-weather event; snow, rain or shine. Refunds are not available due to weather conditions.
– No passes or other coupons accepted. One discount per purchase; discounts cannot be combined. All discounted tickets will be honored at the gate only with proper identification.

*75¢ of each ticket is allocated to Quarters for Conservation. Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) is an exciting way that you can contribute to wildlife conservation work. Through the collection of quarters, we’ll provide funding for new and existing wildlife conservation projects. This program provides an opportunity to engage our guests in wildlife conservation in our region and around the globe.

Refund Policy:

Purchased online tickets can be refunded or exchanged up to two weeks prior to event date. (For example, tickets purchased for the night of Dec. 20 can be refunded through Dec. 6 only.) Free member tickets can be returned anytime for another member to use. Refunds for purchased tickets are not available due to weather conditions or other reason within two weeks of ticketed date. Email [email protected] for refund requests or to return free member tickets.

MILITARY DISCOUNT FOR ELECTRIC SAFARI

The military discount is offered to all active duty, veteran and retired military personnel any day of the year. Bring any of the following to validate the discount for you, your spouse and your dependents living in the same household:
– A valid military / retired military ID
– A copy of your DD214
– Your state driver’s license printed with veteran indicator or military identifier
– Your ID issued by the VA, VFW or American Legion
– A military spouse ID, if the military member is not present
This discount cannot be combined with other offers. A valid military ID is required upon admission.

SENIOR DISCOUNT FOR ELECTRIC SAFARI

Seniors must bring valid ID showing their age of 65+ to validate their discounted senior tickets at the gate.

Members

Zoo members attend Electric Safari for FREE, with reserved advance tickets*!

MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE:

*Individual Plus, Family, Grandparent and Family Plus level members are required to reserve complimentary advance tickets online. Conservator, Patron, and Patron Gold level members are not required to reserve advance tickets.
ALL named members will be required to present their valid photo IDs at the gate to confirm eligibility for the member discount.
Memberships cannot be renewed or purchased at the gate during Electric Safari hours, so be sure your membership is active before you arrive!

To Renew Your Membership Online Now

– Visit our Membership page.
– Sign-in (or register if you don’t have an online account) to reserve your member ticket by using the orange SIGN-IN button at the top right of the page.

Exclusive Member Early Entry Hour!

We love our members! To say thank you, we open Electric Safari one hour early, just for members and their paying guests. Advance tickets are required for members and your non-member guests.

TIPS WHILE GETTING ELECTRIC SAFARI MEMBER ETICKETS:

Are you registered online, but forgot your member login?
Click the orange SIGN-IN button at the top right of the page and choose the ‘forgot my password’ option. Enter the email you registered with, and you will receive a link to reset the password for login. If you do not receive a reset email, you likely haven’t registered as a member. You can do that before reserving your tickets to receive your discount. You can register HERE.
If you cannot remember the email you registered with, please email [email protected], and we will be happy to send you that information.
Who qualifies for the Electric Safari member e-tickets?
Anyone who is listed on a current membership can get fully discounted member tickets.
— For an Individual Plus membership, the primary card holder and his/her guest is included.
— For a Family or Grandparent membership, the one or two adults and any children listed on the card are included.
— For Family Plus/Grandparent Plus and higher, any “Plus” people are included (x1 for Family Plus/Grandparent Plus, x2 for Conservator and higher).
— Third Adults can also get the member ticket if they are listed on the membership.
Additional guests who are not included on the membership must purchase a non-member ticket.
For membership questions, please call 719-424-7893 or 719-424-7830 or email [email protected].

Volunteers Needed!

Looking to volunteer this holiday season? Look no further than Electric Safari at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! We need assistance setting up and tearing down Santa’s area in Safari Lodge, as well as volunteer help during Electric Safari event nights.

To Sign-up to Volunteer

Please complete this Volunteer for Electric Safari Form
(Volunteers under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent, guardian or school advisor.)
Contact us for questions by emailing [email protected].

Sponsorships

If you are interested in sponsoring Electric Safari, please contact Jenny Koch at [email protected], or 719-424-7814.

Electric Safari is made possible in partnership with:

Visit Children's Hospital Colorado's Website

Visit Toyota of Colorado Springs and Corwin Toyota Colorado Springs' Website