[Columbia, SC] - The weather outside may be frightful but at Riverbanks Zoo it's delightful, with the 18th season of Riverbanks' festive Midlands tradition, Lights Before Christmas, kicking off the day after Thanksgiving with a special opening ceremony at 6:00pm.

"We're honored that Mayor Coble will be attending this year's opening ceremonies. We're inviting the first 100 people who enter that night to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa courtesy of the Zoo so that they can toast in our 18th season along with the mayor. Mayor Coble will plug in the final strand of twinkling lights, lighting up the Zoo's Palmetto Plaza and with that, the holiday season will officially begin," said Satch Krantz, executive director at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

For Midlands families, attending the opening weekend of Lights Before Christmas marks Columbia's official opening of the holiday season, akin to watching the Macy's Day Parade at the national level. Zoo officials expect up to 100,000 visitors this holiday season with 8,000 expected to attend on opening weekend. Families looking to avoid long lines of traffic on I-26 on some of the event's busier nights are advised to try coming from the direction of downtown since the longest lines form on I-26's eastbound lanes.

In Lights' 18-year history, it's not only become a must-see family destination but has become a popular spot for holiday marriage proposals.

"Each year at around this time, we get calls from fellows who'd like to propose in Riverbanks' winter wonderland setting," said Krantz. "We try to accommodate as many requests as we can. This year, we're hosting a Christmas wedding at Ndoki Lodge for a couple who not only had one of their first dates at Lights Before Christmas, but also became engaged at last year's Lights event."

This year, Riverbanks is encouraging families to buy their Lights tickets in advance to avoid lines at the ticket booth. Daytime ticket sellers are available from 9:00am to 4:00pm seven days a week at both the Zoo and Botanical Garden entrances.

In addition to the more than half a million lights throughout the Zoo, popular attractions this year include the Jingle Bell Bonfire where guests can roast marshmallows, Holiday Village where parents can take photos of their children's visits with Santa, snow machines in Palmetto Plaza that guarantee each night is a White Christmas, and the 3-D movie Santa's Polar Blast featuring the voices of Ben Stein and Jonathan Winters.

Special events for this year include a December 2 book reading and signing with Charleston children's author Kate Jerome who'll be sharing her new book The Chef Down at the Zoo with kids who visit Gorilla Base Camp during Lights. Riverbanks commissary staff will join her and give hands-on demonstrations to show kids what it takes to prepare over 150 different kinds of animal diets each day.

On December 9, Riverbanks Zoo will partner with Palmetto Health Children's Hospital's Reach out and Read program to offer Midlands families a great way to support childhood literacy. Families who bring a new or very gently used children's book to Lights Before Christmas that night will receive one free child's admission ticket good for entrance that evening. Riverbanks already partners with PHCH to sponsor Dreamnight at the Zoo each June, a special night dedicated to providing a private, one-of-a-kind Zoo experience to children who are chronically ill.

Riverbanks Society members receive one free visit to Lights and general admission is $5 for children and $7 for adults. Santa's Polar Blast tickets are an additional $3. Lights tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.riverbanks.org, by calling 803.779.8717 or at the gate.

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