(upbeat music) - ZooLights at Utah's Hogle Zoo brings you dazzling light displays and a special holiday menu at The Beastro, and this year, a sensory-friendly evening for guests is also available.

And here to tell us all about it is Heather Barnum.

Hi, Heather.

Welcome.

- Hi, Mary.

Good to be here.

- Okay, so 17 years, this has been going on already.

Hard to believe.

- Can you believe that?

- No.

- I know.

But every year, we do something fresh and new.

Of course, our animals are sleeping.

They are tucked away in their beds, just like the children nestled in their beds.

And we bring them out in light displays.

There's lights throughout the whole zoo.

We have some special postcards from different cultural celebrations across the zoo.

And also, of course, Santa's there to greet in the holiday season.

- [Mary] You've got it all.

But I love your light displays that incorporate the different animals.

I mean, and how many of those do you have this year?

I know they're everywhere.

- Oh, I mean, between the bulbs and the animal displays, you're gonna have millions of lights throughout that park.

But it really will be a fun time.

Definitely bundle up.

Get that hot chocolate or the peppermint brownie at The Beastro or the hot scone and honey butter.

It'll be a great time for all generations to enjoy.

- Oh, yeah, families love this one.

And talk more about those posters that represent the cultures of the animals.

- Yes, we love to make sure that you're connecting to the animals, even though you're not going to see them in real life.

like you would with a regular zoo day.

So we have things like the Winter Solstice and Kwanza and Hanukkah and these massive postcards that will be really good for the 'gram.

And they're all lit up and hand-painted by a wonderful artist at the zoo.

- Wonderful, and I know the special sensory thing you're doing.

- We are so excited to bring back Silent Night for ZooLights this year.

It's the 27th of December.

And if you have individuals in your family or your loved ones who are neurodiverse, this is the night for them.

We're going to turn off the flashing and strobing, and you can still enjoy all of those lights.

And, you know, neurodiverse individuals love animals, and so this is a great way to connect with them and have everyone feel comfortable.

- Great, great.

Well, thank you for being here again, Heather.

Thanks.

- Thank you.

Enjoy the season.

- Thanks.

And if you'd like to know more about ZooLights coming up, that great tradition at Utah's Hogle Zoo, it's December 6th through 30th, just go to hoglezoo.org, hoglezoo.org.

I'm Mary Dickson.

Thanks for watching "Contact."

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