The popular holiday event ZooLights at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is back, but this year it will cost you.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced Friday that its annual winter wonderland holiday light extravaganza is returning on November 24. However, it will now require an entrance fee of six dollars. This is the first time the Smithsonian’s National Zoo has charged for ZooLights since 2009.

“This year, ZooLights will have a ticket price of $6 per individual. Each attendee, including children over the age of 2, will need a ticket. Paid tickets are a change from past years when this special event was free to attend. The ticket fee is needed to offset the significant increase in costs associated with running this event,” reads the press release.

The lead sponsor for ZooLights this year is MT&T Bank, but zoo officials tell DCist/WAMU that this sponsorship does not cover all expenses, which include labor, lights, and rentals. In previous years, the event was sponsored by the electric company Pepco. No word on why the sponsorship switched.

Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, October 26, per the press release.

ZooLights is set to run for 23 nights this year, starting on Thanksgiving. It will happen every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night through the end of the year. ZooLights will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Along with light displays throughout the zoo, the event will feature live music performances, plus “special winter treats” for purchase, like s’mores, holiday cookies, and kettle corn. This is ZooLights’ 15th year.

Early this year, the National Zoo announced that it was sticking with its pandemic-era policy “indefinitely” of requiring visitors to reserve free entry passes online. This was despite pushback from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

This is also not the first time that ZooLights has made news. Back in 2020, in an attempt to still hold a version of the annual event even in the midst of the pandemic, the National Zoo created the “ZooLights Express.” It was designed to bring “holiday sparkle” to all eight wards while keeping everyone safe and distant.

It didn’t quite go as planned, with the flatbed truck holding the dancing animal light display breaking down and the lights going out.

ZooLights may also be the last time to see the pandas, as they are set to return to China by December 7. The indoor exhibits will be closed during ZooLights, but folks will still be able to spot the animals if they are in their outdoor areas. The National Zoo has not set an official date for their departure yet.

Correction: The Smithsonian National Zoo updated an earlier statement to clarify they last charged for ZooLights in 2009.