CINCINNATI — Holiday celebrations are looking a little different this year, but the Cincinnati Zoo still wanted to hold its annual HallZOOween event. 

​​Seeing Fiona and the rest of the animals at the Cincinnati Zoo are always a must. But for families, getting out and about, now is more important than ever.

“This is one of the things that we’ve done a little bit more frequently during COVID because it’s something a little bit more normal that we can do outside," said Noelle Mills, a zoo visitor. 

That’s why the zoo made sure HallZOOween still happened this year. The zoo made prepackaged treat bags and limited the amount of guests each day to make the popular event still happen safely.

For David McGlone, 3, and his family, this was one of their first outings of the year.

“We haven’t been anywhere this year, really," said Danielle McGlone, David's mom. "So, we’re trying to do outdoor events because I was in the hospital for awhile having him, and then he was in the NICU, and we wanted to do something fun. We hadn’t seen the hippos. We hadn’t seen the painted dogs, and we’re just trying to make up for not being able to go anywhere.”

So seeing those animals up close and personal was a big deal for David and his parents. They say coming for the HallZOOween event was an added bonus too.

“We have been waiting for this for a very long time," McGlone said. "And it’s hard because he turned three this year. This is the year I was waiting for everything because it’s the year of exploration—everything’s new, and he’s understanding more. Just being able to see him up close with Fiona, that was perfect.”

HallZOOween also runs next weekend as well, however, it is already sold out. Additionally, the zoo is planning a safe way to make Festival of Lights happen later this year during the holidays.