If you live within walking distance of 2300 Steele St., the event dates on the zoo's fall calendar matter less than the dates when tickets drop. The discounted Boo at the Zoo nights end next weekend. Tickets for the three November free days go live on three different days, and the second one lands on Halloween. When we checked the Zoo Lights page in early October, it still showed last season's schedule. If you plan around those release windows, you get the cheaper nights and the free days. If you plan around the events, you are left with the higher-priced nights and the sold-out time slots.
Here is the fall laid out by the date you need to act on, starting with this week.
- Now through October 31: Fall at DZCA runs during regular daytime hours and is included with admission.
- October 9 to 11: The last Boo at the Zoo value nights.
- October 28: Tickets go live for the Wednesday, November 11 free day.
- October 29: Monster Masquerade, the 21-and-over night.
- October 31: The sensory-friendly Boo night, and the day tickets go live for the Saturday, November 14 free day.
- November 8: Tickets go live for the Sunday, November 22 free day.
The Boo Night That Costs Less Than a Regular Day Ticket
The zoo's current posted general admission is $27 for adults ages 16 to 64, $24 for seniors 65 and up, and $19 for youth ages 3 to 15. Children 2 and under get in free. Daytime visits need an online timed reservation, and tickets go on sale 10 days in advance.
Compare that with Boo at the Zoo. On the value nights, October 9, 10 and 11, an adult or senior ticket is $25.95 and a youth ticket is $18.95. For an adult, an evening of trick-or-treating costs about a dollar less than a regular day visit. The remaining nights, October 16 to 18, 23 to 25 and 30, cost $27.95 for adults and seniors and $20.95 for youth. That puts the adult price for a full-price Boo night less than a dollar above the daytime rate. Every Boo night runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m., and the zoo says its most popular dates and times tend to sell out quickly.
Members now get 10% off Boo tickets, which the zoo lists as new this year. On value nights the member price is $23.35 for adults and seniors and $17.05 for youth. On the later nights it's $25.15 and $18.85. Children 2 and under are free on every night, and an optional $5 Lil' Boo Bag holds treats for the youngest visitors.
The event has nine candy stations, cryptid creatures, costumed characters, Animal Ambassadors and photo stops. There is also a station for decorating your own trick-or-treat bag and a cryptid guidebook, so bring a bag from home. The other new feature this year is the Wild Fall Market, with seasonal treats and gifts.
October 31 is set apart as a sensory-friendly night, with the same 4:30 to 9 p.m. hours. The zoo hasn't posted a separate price for it, so check the ticket page before you plan around it.
The Daytime Version Members Can Just Walk Into
If evenings don't work for your household, Fall at DZCA runs from September 25 through October 31 during regular zoo hours, at no extra charge beyond admission. It brings creepy-crawly Animal Ambassadors, costumed characters, seasonal snacks and, in the zoo's words, "mysterious creatures walking among us, like Bigfoot." Pumpkin carving runs Friday through Sunday. Members can come anytime without a reservation. Current hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There is one add-on to price out. The Fall Attractions Pass is $14.95, or $9.95 for members. It covers unlimited rides on the Denver Zoo Railroad and the Conservation Carousel, plus one feeding each at Stingray Cove and Lorikeet Adventure. It doesn't include admission, it's valid only on the date of your visit, and the number sold each day is limited. The zoo doesn't recommend it for guests with a shellfish allergy.
The Thursday Night Without Kids
On Thursday, October 29, the zoo hosts Monster Masquerade from 5:30 to 10 p.m. It's for guests 21 and over. Admission is $34.95, or $31.50 for members, and includes one canned drink. Nonalcoholic and gluten-free options are available.
If you want food afterward, Enzo's Brick Oven Pizza at 3424 E. Colfax Ave. was on Westword's list of August openings. The paper reported hours of 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Those reported hours would still have it open well after the zoo event ends.
November's Free Days Are Won in October
The zoo has three Community Free Days left in 2026. Each one has its own ticket release date.
- Wednesday, November 11: tickets go live Wednesday, October 28
- Saturday, November 14: tickets go live Saturday, October 31
- Sunday, November 22: tickets go live Sunday, November 8
The rules are strict. Tickets are online only and first-come, first-served, and no tickets are available at the gate. You can book up to five tickets per free day, with one registration per person. Everyone needs a timed ticket, including children 2 and under, and the ticket is valid only for the day and entry time you reserved.
The November 14 release falls on Halloween, the same day as the sensory-friendly Boo night. If you're doing both, book the free day tickets that morning, before the evening gets busy. A separate zoo accessibility page describes free day access as an online lottery for vouchers. Since the two pages describe the process differently, read the live booking instructions on the morning tickets open.
Zoo Lights Is Still Showing Last Season
The Zoo Lights event page we checked in early October still showed last season's schedule, which started November 24, 2025 and ran into early January 2026. It also listed last season's prices: $30 for adults and seniors and $23 for youth on regular nights, and $26 and $19 on value nights. Treat those numbers as a past reference, not a forecast, and check the zoo's site for this season's dates once Boo wraps up.
The Animals Behind the Season
Two pieces of animal news change what you'll see at the zoo this fall.
Araali, a six-year-old African lion born at the zoo in 2020, is moving this fall to another zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The move is part of the African Lion Species Survival Plan, and a male lion from another institution will join her there. Her four cubs, born in August 2025, are fully weaned and are staying in Denver for now. According to the zoo, the separation came earlier than expected because Araali's behavior showed she was more comfortable apart from the cubs.
"In this case, we really followed behavioral observations from Araali and her cubs, letting them dictate their preferences with their social groupings."
That's Matthew Lenyo, the zoo's curator of primates and carnivores. The lions will keep rotating through the habitat space at Predator Ridge, with the brother coalition, the older females and the cubs taking turns. Which lions you see on a given visit depends on the rotation that day.
The second piece of news is a southern tamandua pup, born Monday, September 7, to parents Winnie and Santiago. The pup is being kept behind the scenes for now. The zoo says visitors may get a chance to meet it in the coming months.
The zoo itself has used a different name for two years. On June 25, 2024, it announced it would become Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, a change local coverage tied to its conservation mission. That's why the event pages say Fall at DZCA.
Getting There Without the Car
Parking in the zoo's lots and its four-level garage is free. You enter from East 23rd Avenue between York Street and Colorado Boulevard. RTD routes 20 and 40 stop near East 23rd Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. From there, the zoo says to walk west on 23rd to the main entrance at Steele Street. For cyclists, the zoo recommends the Bike Streets Denver app for planning low-stress routes.
The zoo's most recent busy-night guidance comes from last season's Zoo Lights. It said to allow extra time for parking, called the garage and east lot first-come, first-served, and noted that attendants direct cars on crowded nights. The same guide said a second east entrance and the Pink Entrance may open when crowds build, and asked guests to have their timed-ticket QR code ready. That's the 2025 plan, not a confirmed one for this year. For neighbors within walking distance, though, the logistics on a sold-out Boo Friday come down to whether you drive at all.
Every date in this post shapes life around City Park, from crowds on 23rd Avenue to how easy it is to get a ticket on short notice. Joaquin Avila follows that kind of local calendar along with the market. If you're thinking about how life near the park fits your next move, schedule a free Denver market consultation. Se habla español.
