ZooLights, Gin-GRR-Bread Habitat Competition Coming to National Zoo

As the holiday season rolls around once again, so do the festive events at The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, like the annual Gin-GRR-bread Habitat Competition and ZooLights holiday display.

The competition calls participants to construct a gingerbread panda bear habitat. This year’s theme, “Bao Bao’s Blizzard Bash,” honors the Washington, D.C., zoo’s one-year-old panda cub, Bao Bao.

Evaluated on presentation and utility, entries must honor the aesthetic of a gingerbread house while also accommodating a panda’s needs: space to move, climb, and explore; shelter from the heat and cold; food and someplace to eat; and water and someplace to drink.

Judges from Friends of the National Zoo will select one grand prize winner from each category to receive a 30-minute tour through the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat led by a panda keeper. Though this tour will not involve any direct contact with the giant pandas, grand-prize winners will be allowed to explore behind the scenes of the zoo’s Panda House.

To participate in the competition, individuals or teams of up to six must register online with a $25 non-refundable entry fee by Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. The National Zoo will accept submissions at its Visitor Center Auditorium on Nov. 22 and 23. For more information on contest categories, rules and regulations, visit the event webpage.

Coinciding with the habitat competition is the National Zoo’s annual holiday lights display, Zoo Lights. With the help of more than 500,000 environmentally-friendly LED lights, the park will be decorated with larger-than-life animal illuminations every evening from 5 to 9 p.m. starting Nov. 28 until Jan. 1.

The National Zoo advises guests that ZooLights is closed on Dec. 24, 25, and 31.

For more upcoming programs and events, visit the Smithsonian National Zoological Park online.

Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Have a news tip? Email deb.belt@patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our commenting platform,Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.