For a few nights each October, the lights go down at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and the pathways start to glow. That is Zootacular, the zoo's after-dark Halloween celebration, presented by Veridian Credit Union, which returns in 2026 across a run of evenings from October 14 through October 30. It is a deliberately un-scary take on the holiday: trick-or-treat stations, live performances, glowing trails and the chance to wander past animal habitats well after the daytime crowds have gone home.
The event has become one of the region's most anticipated seasonal traditions, drawing thousands of families each fall. According to the zoo's partnership materials, roughly 20,000 guests pass through over the course of the run. The evening typically unfolds from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with guests following moonlit paths decorated with twinkling lights and fall decor, stopping at candy stations along what the zoo calls Treat Street, and pausing for performances that have included Omaha Circus Arts, Omaha Street Percussion and Joe Cole's Magic Show. A glow-in-the-dark dance party, face painting, photo booths and Halloween-themed animal enrichment round out the family programming.
What sets Zootacular apart from a standard fall festival is the setting. Several of the zoo's signature indoor exhibits stay open late, letting visitors see nocturnal animals on their own schedule. Mahoney Kingdoms of the Night, the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium and the Wild Kingdom Pavilion have all been part of the after-hours footprint. For adults, there is a Halloween Hideaway speakeasy, open only to guests 21 and older. Food and drinks are available at the Plaza Cafe, Sea Turtle Cafe and seasonal pop-up bars.
Zootacular is also notable for what it replaced. For years, the zoo's flagship Halloween event was Spooktacular, described in its own promotional materials as the zoo's largest annual fundraiser, with proceeds supporting animal health, wellness and enrichment programs as well as conservation work worldwide. Spooktacular ran on multiple October evenings and offered a similarly gentle, family-friendly experience: hundreds of illuminated pumpkins lining the paths, trick-or-treating, bounce houses, games like Ring-the-Pumpkin and Apple Toss, a Storybook Lane with princesses and superheroes, and late access to the aquarium, the Lied Jungle and Kingdoms of the Night.
That event was retired and replaced. In 2024, the zoo announced what it called an "all-new family friendly" Halloween series: Ghouls & Glow, which swapped the trick-or-treat model for a lantern festival. Local coverage at the time described more than 400 larger-than-life lantern displays, dancing skeletons, candy monsters, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, witches, wizards, spider web arches, sugar skulls and an eerie house, along with a mummy band and performances from Omaha Circus Arts and Omaha Street Percussion. Ghouls & Glow, also presented by Veridian Credit Union, ran across multiple weekends in late September and October and returned in later years in a shortened, two-weekend form.
Zootacular emerged as the reimagined Halloween event at the zoo, bringing back the trick-or-treating core of Spooktacular while folding in the glowing-pathway aesthetic and live entertainment that Ghouls & Glow had introduced. One local chronicler of the zoo's events described it in 2025 as "the newly reimagined Halloween event at Henry Doorly Zoo," noting the candy-collecting stations spread throughout the event space, the fire dancers and magic shows, and the Salem Sisters character meet-and-greet inspired by the movie Hocus Pocus, complete with a build-a-broom workshop. The Halloween Hideaway speakeasy and the glow dance party in the Scott Aquarium were both part of that year's lineup.
For 2026, the zoo is offering more than one way to experience the night. General admission covers the core event: after-dark access to the zoo, Treat Street trick-or-treating, live entertainment and the glowing pathways. A Family VIP ticket adds a pasta dinner, spirited storytime, hands-on Halloween crafts and early access to the event before general admission guests arrive, with VIP activities beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Robert B. Daugherty Education Center. For groups wanting a home base, the zoo offers the Ghouly Iglooze, a private furnished igloo for up to six guests with a personal attendant and an exclusive preorder menu, plus priority entrance through the Guest Services lobby. Zoo members receive a 20 percent discount on admission.
The event also functions as a community partnership. Businesses can sponsor trick-or-treat booths along the route, decorating a station and handing out candy to the crowds; the zoo reserves only nine booths per night, at $500 for a single night or $350 per night for three or more. Candy handed out at zoo-run stations has been palm-oil-free, with allergy-friendly options available, a detail that matters to families navigating food allergies on Halloween.
Ticket sales for the 2026 run were not yet open at the time of the event's listing, with the zoo directing visitors to watch for details. Given that the run spans three weeks and roughly 20,000 guests, families planning to attend should expect to reserve early once sales begin. More information is available through the zoo's special events page and the event's dedicated site, zootacular.com.