ZooLights Express will return Saturday night for its tour through Ward 4.

/ Courtesy of Dorie Nolt

As if the ZooLights Express truck didn’t encapsulate the essence of 2020 well enough, the 24-foot-long flatbed truck adorned with a lone dancing panda took it a step further by breaking down during its tour of a rainy Ward 3 on Friday night.

But in a rare-for-these-times turn for the best, National Zoo spokesperson Pamela Baker-Masson says the truck will be back for its Ward 4 tour tonight, flying through the streets faster than most viewers can say “Happy Holidays.” (The zoo has said it has no plans for slowing down the mobile light display.)

The truck seemed to let out a giant “Bah! Humbug!” on Friday night when its lights shut off on MacArthur Boulevard — a fitting coda for a year of disappointment. Baker-Masson said that the outage stemmed from the night’s rain.

When it first debuted in Ward 1 on Nov. 28, the ZooLights Express proved underwhelming, paling in comparison to the festive magic of the traditional ZooLights event. If it accomplished anything, the mobile display served as a metaphor for the strange year it’s been.

Friday night’s debacle stirred a similar reaction on Twitter, with even Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh chiming in to share her frustration.

Tonight the truck will begin its route on Calvert Street NW around 6 p.m., and with a relatively clear evening forecast, should hopefully be able to avoid another breakdown. ZooLights Express tours will continue through December, visiting each of the remaining wards over the next two weekends.

Filed Under: zoolights, zoolights express,