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Drive-thrus · decorated streets · zoo & garden lights

Christmas lights near you: 113 displays in 20 US cities

We checked every display against the organiser's site or a city source and read the visitor reviews: dates for this season, price per car or per person, where to park, whether to bring the dog — and our honest take on whether it's worth the line. 47 of them are free.

📍 Find lights near you

until Christmas

Find Christmas lights near you

19 drive-thru shows, 22 decorated neighborhoods and 72 walk-through trails in zoos, gardens and parks. Share your location or pick a state; "Our guide" opens the full card with parking, reviews and our verdict.

113 displays in 15 states

Christmas lights by city

2026 dates announced so far: 61 of 113

Checked against organiser and city sources in October 2026. The other 52 displays usually publish their season in late October or November; their cards show last season's dates, marked with the year, until the new ones are out. We update this list through the season.

Atlanta, GA

Austin, TX

Boston, MA

Charlotte, NC

Chicago, IL

  • ZooLights — Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
  • Chicago Christmas Tree — Lit at the ceremony on Fri, Nov 20, 2026 (start time not yet published) until mid-January · free
  • Lightscape — Nov 13, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, select dates (the garden's page gives no year; dates read with the 2026 calendar)
  • Illumination: Tree Lights — Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027

Dallas, TX

Denver, CO

  • Blossoms of Light — Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027 (closed Nov 26, Dec 25)
  • Hudson Holidays — Nov 27, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
  • Zoo Lights — Select nights Nov 23, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

Houston, TX

Las Vegas, NV

Los Angeles, CA

Miami, FL

  • Zoo Lights — Nov 27 – Dec 30, 2026, select nights (Nov 27–28, Dec 4–5, 11–12, 18–23, 26–30)

Nashville, TN

New York City, NY

Orlando, FL

  • Lights at Lake Eola — Tree lighting Fri, Dec 4, 2026 (5:30 – 9:30 pm); closing date not yet published · free
  • Dazzling Nights — Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, select nights

Philadelphia, PA

Phoenix, AZ

  • Glendale Glitters — Nov 27, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027 (lighting ceremony Nov 27, 5:45 pm) · free
  • ZooLights — Nov 25, 2026 – Jan 15, 2027

San Antonio, TX

San Diego, CA

Seattle, WA

St. Louis, MO

47 free displays

Decorated neighborhoods, city trees and a few parks that never charge. Free means crowds: park a few streets away, walk in, and go before 7 pm or after 9 pm on a weeknight.

What locals say before you go

Read from the city subreddits (Dallas, Houston, New York, Chicago, parenting threads, 2020–2025) and paraphrased — the same advice comes up every year.

  • The famous street is a weekday thing. Neighbors of the best-known displays report lines of half a mile just to enter the neighborhood on Friday and Saturday nights. Tuesday to Thursday the same street is nearly empty, and the lights are identical.
  • Every city has a quieter twin. New Yorkers send each other to Bay Ridge, Park Slope and Whitestone instead of Dyker Heights; Dallas locals name Deerfield in Plano, Vitruvian Park in Addison and Grapevine Main Street before Highland Park. Our city pages list those second choices with the exact blocks.
  • Be a guest, not a problem. The viral houses come with police patrols paid by the whole street. Park where the signs allow, don't block driveways, keep the music inside the car, never knock. Some homes take donations for a charity — that's the only money to spend in a neighborhood.
  • Drive-thru with a toddler: seat the child behind the front passenger, slide that seat forward and remove its headrest so they see out the front; most shows are built to be seen through the windshield, not the side window.
  • Paid garden and zoo shows get mixed reviews — «decent but pricey» is the common verdict at $30–40 a ticket. Read the visitor reviews on each card and go for the ones people return to.
  • Home displays run until New Year's, often a few days longer; ticketed shows end on a fixed date — check the card.

Three kinds of evening

Drive-thru shows are paid per car and best with small children on a cold night — you stay warm and tune the radio to the music. Decorated neighborhoods are free and the most festive, but the famous ones jam with traffic; park outside and walk. Zoo and garden trails are ticketed per person, on foot, with hot chocolate and timed entry — the calmest choice for a date.

How to avoid the worst lines

Buy online before you go — gate prices for drive-thrus are often much higher. Go Monday to Thursday, early in December and right at opening. For neighborhoods, arrive before 7 pm or after 9 pm, and walk the last part.

Questions

Where to go for the best Christmas lights?

Start with the city guides below: drive-thru shows and zoo or garden trails are the most reliable, because they have set dates and tickets, while decorated neighborhoods are free but vary street to street. We list 113 displays in 20 US cities with our verdict on each.

Where can I find Christmas lights near me?

Use the Find Christmas lights near you tool on this page: share your location or pick your state and it lists the closest displays first, with dates and prices. If your city is not listed, check your local tourism office or parks department.

Where's the best place to buy Christmas lights?

Home-improvement stores, big-box retailers and craft stores stock the widest range in November. Look for LED strings: they use far less power than old incandescent ones and last for many seasons. Buy after Christmas for the lowest prices.

When do Christmas lights turn on?

Most drive-thru shows and zoo or garden trails open in mid-to-late November, the weekend before or after Thanksgiving, and run until around New Year. Decorated neighborhoods usually light up from early December. Each listing shows this year's dates where announced, otherwise last year's, marked as such.

Are drive-thru light shows worth it?

They're good with small children on a cold night and cheap for a full car, since you pay per car. Read the reviews on each card: some shows take only 15 minutes and cost much more at the gate than online. Buy ahead and go on a weeknight.

Where can I see Christmas lights for free?

47 of the displays we list are free — mostly decorated neighborhoods and city trees. Expect traffic on December weekends; parking a few streets away and walking is often faster.

What's the best night to go?

Monday to Thursday in the first half of December. The week before Christmas and the weekends are the busiest, with the longest car lines.

How we check

Every display was opened on the organiser's site by the MerryHoHo editors in October 2026 and matched against recent visitor reviews; each card names its source and the season its dates belong to. Nothing here is sponsored and no link pays us. If a date or price has changed, write to admin@merryhoho.com and we fix the card.

Also: Christmas markets near you · Free Christmas tools