Today's Announcements

Please be aware that some areas of the zoo will be CLOSED from the following dates to allow us time to prepare for our Halloween events.
• From 25th September 2023, our Bears of the Rising Sun lower viewing area will be closed.
• From 2nd October 2023, our Elephant Bushwalk will be closed.
• From 9th October 2023, our Cheetah viewing area, opposite Komodo Dragons, will be closed.

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Find out more here

Important Information

Join us for a magical journey after hours…

Colchester Zoo will close to day visitors as usual, before opening at 4:30pm (weekdays) and 5:00pm (weekends and school holidays), leaving the zoo behind as the trail of light comes to life!

Enchanted Trail of Light is a limited ticket, pre-bookable event. Arrival time slots are staggered offering you the chance to leisurely experience the wonder of the lights and magical atmosphere!

With a host of illuminations along a designated route, dancing fountains and fairies spreading their magic, our light trail event will leave you feeling enchanted.

Seasonal food and drinks will be available along the route to keep you warm and cosy as you discover the trail, so there is no need to worry about eating beforehand!

NEW FOR 2023! Why not UPGRADE your ticket.
Purchase an Enchanted Trail of Light Combi Ticket and receive a £6.50 food and drink voucher for just £5.

*Terms and conditions apply to voucher.

Additional timeslots now available!

BOOK NOW

The Enchanted Trail of Light event must be pre-booked online in advance for a specific time of arrival. Please be aware that tickets are non-refundable. Unfortunately, it is not viable for us to offer a discount to passholders for this event. Tesco Partner Reward Codes CANNOT be used for entry to this event.

Children under the age of 3yrs and assistants are not required to pre-book and will be admitted free of charge on the evening of the event. Anyone under the age of 16yrs MUST be accompanied by a responsible guardian over the age of 18yrs. We will not admit anyone unaccompanied under the age of 16yrs.

IMPORTANCE NOTICE: This evening event does not include access to the Santa Experience or any other activities taking place in the daytime during our Magic of Christmas. Although this event is hosted by us here at Colchester Zoo and the trail is within the park, this event does not include animal viewing. If you wish to visit Santa, you must book a separate Santa Experience ticket AND you must have a Zoo Entry Ticket/Annual Zoo Pass to enter the Zoo during the day.

Colchester Zoo (location only, the Zoo will be closed during event)

If you wish to see the animals during your visit, this event is not for you. Instead we recommend visiting during our popular daytime Magic of Christmas event, which will be running on selected days in November and December for which a standard Zoo Admission Ticket is required and a Santa Experience Ticket if you wish to visit Santa. Please see our Magic of Christmas event pages for more details.
There are 9 dates available in which to take part:
Saturday 2nd December 2023
Wednesday 6th December 2023
Friday 8th December 2023
Saturday 9th December 2023
Wednesday 13th December 2023
Friday 15th December 2023
Saturday 16th December 2023
Wednesday 20th December 2023
Friday 22nd December 2023

Please note: The zoo is closed on 25th December 2023.

Enchanted is available to book for arrival from 4:30pm (weekdays) and 5.00pm (weekends and school holidays). Choose your date and 15 minute arrival time slot when booking. Closing times may vary.
The trail can take 1 ½ hours to complete depending on whether you choose to take a break from the trail for a bite to eat. The route is ONE WAY so you are unable to turn back once you have begun the trail.

Your entry admits you to participate in the Enchanted route ONCE within the evening. You are not able to re-walk the route once you have completed the trail.
Anyone under the age of 16yrs MUST be accompanied by a responsible guardian over the age of 18yrs. We will not admit anyone unaccompanied under the age of 16yrs.

Children under the age of 3yrs and assistants are not required to pre-book and will be admitted free of charge on the evening of the event.
General Ticket Prices:
£10 per person – 6th and 13th December
£12.50 per person – 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 20th and 22nd December

Combi Ticket Prices:
Purchase an Enchanted Trail of Light Combi Ticket and receive a £6.50 food and drink voucher for just £5.
£15 per person – 6th and 13th December
£17.50 per person – 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 20th and 22nd December

Enchanted Trail of Light must be pre-booked online in advance for a specific time of arrival.
A ticket to Enchanted Trail of Light does not admit entry to Colchester Zoo during usual opening hours.
Personal assistants will be admitted free of charge to accompany a guest with disability – verification may be requested on arrival.

Unfortunately, it is not viable for us to offer a discount to Passholders for this event.
Tesco Partner Reward Codes CANNOT be used for entry to this event.

Please be aware that tickets are non-refundable.
If you plan to visit the Zoo prior to the Enchanted event and also participate in the Santa Experience, you will be required to purchase standard entry tickets for the Zoo and a Santa Experience Ticket for the number of children participating in the experience, along with a pre-booked Enchanted ticket. You will be required to exit the Zoo by usual closing time of 4.30pm and re-enter with your Enchanted ticket during your pre-selected arrival time slot.

Admission to this event cannot be used to upgrade to a Zoo Pass. Our Guest Services office will be closed during this event.
BOOK NOW

Although this event is hosted by us here at Colchester Zoo & the trail is within the park, the Zoo itself will remain closed and the event does not include animal viewing.

Please be aware that all activities, terms & conditions, dates, times and prices are subject to change.

FAQ’s

Enchanted Trail of Light is an exclusive evening event which is separate to the Zoo.

Our popular daytime Magic of Christmas events will be running on selected days in November and December for which a Standard Zoo Admission Ticket is required and a Santa Experience Ticket if you wish to visit Santa. Please see our Magic of Christmas event pages for more details.
We will have a number of catering outlets open offering hot food, snacks and drinks throughout the evening so you can take a break and enjoy some tasty treats!

NEW FOR 2023! Why not UPGRADE your ticket.
Purchase an Enchanted Trail of Light Combi Ticket and receive a £6.50 food and drink voucher for just £5.
We will have evening entry time slots every 15 minutes with the last entry time at 8.15pm. This allows for a smooth flow of people throughout Enchanted Trail of Light, helping to avoid overcrowding and queuing for long periods of time.

As you enter certain areas of the trail, our marshals may ask you to wait for a short time to allow for previous groups to move on and keep a steady flow throughout the trail.
As Colchester Zoo will be closing and reopening outside of normal operating hours for this special event, all visitors to Enchanted Trail of Light will be charged the same admission price per person.

Unfortunately, it is not viable for us to offer a discount to Passholders for this event due to the the general operation of the event.
Passholder discounts will still be available in open food outlets.
Colchester Zoo will close and from 4:30pm (weekdays) and 5:00pm (weekends and school holidays), the Enchanted Trail of Light will open and the Zoo as you know it will remain closed. Therefore, it will not be possible to see any of the animals.

Enchanted Trail of Light consists of a marked route which you will be asked to follow.

If you would like to see the animals at Colchester Zoo, Enchanted Trail of Light is not the event for you, instead we recommend joining us during the day.
The trail has been designed to be accessible for wheelchairs, however there are some areas that may present difficulty because of uneven ground or after wet weather when the surface may become muddy or slippery. Parts of the trail do also use bark chipping as a base and this may prove difficult for some, not all, wheelchairs.

Please note: Wheelchairs and mobility scooters will not be available to hire for this event.
We do not recommend this event for assistant dogs due to special effects that will occur throughout the trail, however this is at the owners’ discretion.

If you decide to enter with an assistant dog, please contact us in advance to make our team aware of the time you will be visiting.

Please be aware that tickets are non-refundable, do keep this in mind when deciding if this event is suitable for your assistance dog.
Smoking and vaping is strictly prohibited within the Zoo grounds. Please only use our designated smoking area located in the car park, outside of the zoo’s main entrance.

Please read our full Enchanted Trail of Light Terms and Conditions here.

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