The Karlsruhe
Festival of Lights 2025
August 22 and 23, 2025
The Karlsruhe Zoological Garden lights up again!
The traditional Festival of Lights transforms the park into a colorful sea of lights again this year - for the 49th time! Thousands of candles, LEDs and lanterns ensure a magical summer night.
The Festival of Lights is an event organized by the Karlsruhe Horticultural Office and Karlsruhe Zoo with the support of KME Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH.
Review
Program 2023
The Festival of Lights started at 3 p.m. on both days with a colorful program for young and old. From 19:00 the Zoological City Garden began to glow. Dolphins, colorful light cones and an elephant accompanied the Gondoletta boats on their journey across the Schwanensee and Stadtgartensee lakes. A glowing peacock, a Japanese temple and a dragon gave the public a special park experience. A trip on the Gondoletta was especially wonderful on these evenings. The many lanterns, lights and illuminated figures could be admired impressively from the water. A Mississippi steamer also shone in the Stadtgartensee. The Gondoletta was in operation until 23:00 on Friday and until midnight on Saturday. There was also a large, additional gastronomic offer spread across the park. Drinks and food were served until 23:00 on both days.
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Entire site
from 15:00 hrs | Family festival
Pavilion - 300 meters west of the South/Hbf entrance
15:00 to 15:30 | Magically beautiful
Children's magic show with magician Ernestin16:00 to 16:30 | Parastu
Magical children's show17:00 to 17:30 | Magically beautiful
Children's magic show with magician Ernestin18:00 to 18:30 | Parastu
Magical children's showLake stage
19:30 | Seebühnen-Cocktail
Performers: Gaby Baginsky (pop singer), Perry Paul (ventriloquist and presenter), Daniel Hochsteiner (speed juggler), Mister Black and his animal friends (magic show with animals), Manuela Mücke (artistry), Strange Comedy (artistry & comedy), Marching Band WaldbronnGarden Baden-Baden - Entrance South Central Station
19:30 - 22:00 | SKYLINE
The top band from Ortenau. From pop to rock. The best hits of today and the past 50 years.Meadow by the playground
15:30, 16:30 & 17:30 | Read-aloud stories with the city library: All about zoo animals
Employees of Karlsruhe City Library read stories for childrenChess games area
15:00 - 19:00 | Solar lamp workshop
Solar lamps can be made with the KUNSTBOX event service -
Entire site
from 15:00 hrs | Family festival
Pavilion - 300 meters west of the South/Hbf entrance
15:00 to 15:30 | Magically beautiful
Children's magic show with magician Ernestin16:00 to 16:30 | Parastu
Magical children's show17:00 to 17:30 | Magically beautiful
Children's magic show with magician Ernestin18:00 to 18:30 | Parastu
Magical children's showLake stage
19:30 | Seebühnen-Cocktail
Performers: Gaby Baginsky (pop singer), Perry Paul (ventriloquist and presenter), Daniel Hochsteiner (speed juggler), Mister Black and his animal friends (magic show with animals), Manuela Mücke (artistry), Strange Comedy (artistry & comedy), Marching Band WaldbronnGarden Baden-Baden - Entrance South Central Station
19:30 - 22:00 | SKYLINE
The top band from Ortenau. From pop to rock. The best hits of today and the past 50 years.Meadow by the playground
15:30, 16:30 & 17:30 | Read-aloud stories with the city library: All about zoo animals
Employees of Karlsruhe City Library read stories for childrenChess games area
15:00 - 19:00 | Solar lamp workshop
Solar lamps can be made with the KUNSTBOX event service
Tickets
Separate tickets had to be purchased for the Festival of Lights. Annual tickets were not valid on August 18 and 19, 2023.
Tickets could be purchased in the app eTicket@KA (the app is available for Android and iOS in the Google Play Store and in the Apple App Store, as well as without a smartphone app as a desktop version at eticket-ka.de) can be purchased. From July 1, 2023, there was also an advance sale at the zoo ticket offices (also for people with a Karlsruhe Pass).
The advance booking prices for the Festival of Lights were the same as the regular admission prices for the Zoologischer Stadtgarten. However, a surcharge of 3.00 euros was levied on the days of the event itself.
All general information about Karlsruhe Zoo can be found on the Website of the city of Karlsruhe.