IllumiNights: A Chinese Lantern Festival, which returned to Zoo Atlanta earlier this week to much fanfare, has set the place ablaze.

In order to bring the experience back to Atlanta, Zoo Atlanta has teamed up with Hanart Culture. The event will feature a plethora of brand-new lanterns and breathtaking panoramas honoring the wonders of nature.

Georgia Power is the primary sponsor of IllumiNights. PNC and Kaiser Permanente are the other Luminaries and Beacon sponsors.

Visitors will have a moving promenade through a nocturnal Zoo filled with panoramas of more than 100 nature-inspired lanterns, each hand-crafted by Chinese artists. They will be greeted by stunning arches made by brightly light peacocks.

Those who attended the event in its inaugural year in 2021 may anticipate a novel and enchanting experience showcasing the wonders of our planet’s fantastic flora and animals.

Highlights include a magnificent giant phoenix, a scene with larger-than-life pandas surrounded by vibrant cherry blossoms, a twisting python, great apes, a cheetah perched in a tree, an ocean world, and much more.

Many lanterns include extra features like moving animals or blooming flowers that open and close. Each lantern is lit with environmentally friendly LED lights in keeping with the conservation-focused mission of Zoo Atlanta.

Additionally, there will be a S’mores station, rides on the Endangered Species Carousel, festival-themed food and drinks (including over 21 hot beverages), and shop items.

It will continue every night till January 15, 2023. The final admission is at 8 p.m., and hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Zoo’s current animal population won’t be visible during IllumiNights because it is an after-dark experience. Instead, the lanterns depict animals in shapes that are guaranteed to astound visitors of all ages.

Purchases of tickets in advance are strongly advised. Visit zooatlanta.org/illuminights for tickets and complete information.