Neon Jungle returns Friday to Kootenai County Fairgrounds

This year's Neon Jungle will be bigger, better and brighter when it opens at 5 p.m. Friday at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

"Last year, a lot of people were saying they wanted it to be bigger, they wanted to experience more, so we’re like, 'Bigger and better? OK!" Wired2Learn Foundation board member Jessica Anthony said Tuesday.

The Neon Jungle is an annual family-friendly Halloween haunted house alternative. The immersive walk-through, black-light experience features a glowing jungle and a colorful forest filled with illuminated plants, mythical creatures and other surprises. It takes about 15 minutes to wander through, Anthony said.

"It's super exciting," Anthony said. "It's exciting to be able to share something so unique with our community, because it is so unique to Kootenai County and North Idaho."

The Neon Jungle has expanded from four to six rooms and will be held in a larger building at the fairgrounds this year.

"We'll have more rooms, more stuff," Anthony said. "It’s very artistic. If people are into imagination and art, it’s pretty appealing."

Neon Jungle is presented by the Wired2Learn Foundation, a Post Falls nonprofit that helps local students with learning disabilities thrive through innovative, brain-based education. Proceeds will support scholarships and programming for Wired2Learn Academy, a Post Falls independent private school that serves children with learning disabilities in third through 12th grades.

Last year's Neon Jungle proved to be the most successful since the event's 2019 inception, drawing 2,400 people and raising $25,000 for the Wired2Learn Foundation.

"The kids think it’s really cool," Anthony said. "They're like, 'It's a dragon, it's a unicorn!' It’s fantasy coming to life."

Tickets are $10. Admission for children younger than 2 is free.

The Neon Jungle will be open from 5-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday and Oct. 20-23.

Tickets: www.w2lfoundation.com