“Our priority is still to do everything we can to keep visitors, staff, and animals safe.”

The holiday staple is replaced this year by a mobile version. “Underwhelmed is an understatement,” wrote one spectator.

It’s rainy, cold, and miserable out there, so if you were planning on visiting the Zoo Lights exhibit and your plans were dashed: here’s a gallery of the exhibit so you can get an idea of the lights without heading out in the cold.

This Friday, December 3, the National Zoo kicks off its annual Zoo Lights, which fills the Zoo’s exhibits with holiday lights and decorations. As a holiday gift to the city, admission to the event is free (although parking is $8 for FONZ members and $15 for nonmembers). The lights come on between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., Friday through Sunday until December 12, and daily from December 17-January 1 (except December 24, 25, and 31)….