FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The Fort Wayne Zoo is celebrating its 60th birthday with a brand new event that's letting people see the zoo in a whole new light. Glo Wild will illuminate the zoo with a special lantern festival starting March 27. Before the gates open for the first time, Wild on WANE got an exclusive first look at the displays and the work that went into making it all happen. "It's going to be incredible when we open. They're beautiful. It's a great way to start the season and I'm really excited about them," the zoo's executive director Rick Schuiteman said. "I like to say that for our 60th birthday, we have 60 lanterns, but that's lying. There's way more than 60 lanterns. It's amazing." It's more like hundreds of lanterns. Set-up started March first when 14 truck loads of lanterns arrived. Tianyu Arts & Culture is the company behind the lights. Their team does the set-up and maintains the lanterns during the festival. "A small team stays behind to maintain the lanterns every night. If something doesn't light up for some reason they can fix it. If a lantern tears for some reason they can fix it," Schuiteman said. While installation's been going on for a few weeks, planning for the whole project started eight months ago. "They sent us all the different options we could look at and they walked the zoo twice and came back with recommendations and then we could give our input," Schuiteman said. "Lantern festivals aren't new at other zoos. Boston has one and Columbus has one. We were just waiting for the right moment for when can we bring this to the zoo and the 60th birthday was a perfect fit. There's also the timing. They're best after dark, so we can't do it in middle of summer." But, it's perfect for spring break. "We typically weren't open for spring break. We tested it last year and it went well and this year we will go full board," Schuiteman said. The African Journey is usually closed this early in the year, but it will open for the lanterns. "Really the whole zoo [has lantern displays]. What we wanted to do is to take Africa, because it's not open by day, and open it for the night," he said. "You're really coming for the lanterns. The animals will be asleep or not out at night, but you're coming to see the lanterns." The lanterns line walkways and fill the trees. "You're immersed as soon as you get here. Every stop there's something beautiful to look at and you can see things off in the distance, so you know there's more coming and you can get excited about that," Schuiteman said. While guests can see the lanterns out during the day, you need to come at night to see them in their full glory. "They're stunning. They glow. I really can't describe how beautiful they are," he said. Glo Wild is a special ticketed event from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm on select nights until May 26. There's also a unique market and specialty food available. "Anytime we have people come to the zoo it's important. They learn about animals and they learn about conservation. It's a chance to connect and, in this case, is part of our mission in a whole new light," Schuiteman said. Click here for Glo Wild ticket information. There will also be free train rides during Glo Wild and the Bamboo Forest ropes course will be open with the regular ticket prices. Reef Aquarium and Sting Ray Bay will also be open. The zoo opens for Members Preview Day on March 27 and then will have a ribbon cutting and grand season opening at noon on March 28. ...read more read less