β¨ Updated for 2024 β¨
It's not yet Thanksgiving, but with the sun setting earlier and the weather getting colder, soon many light displays will open for the season. Here is a guide to several of the best holiday light displays in our area. We've separated options by location and noted prices and if the display is walk-through or drive-through.
= Walk-through displays
= Drive-through displays
Maryland
β¨ Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD)
Open: November 22 to January 5 (Closed November 25-28, December 24-25 & Jan 1)
Price: $10 per person
β¨ Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple (Kensington, MD)
Open: December 5 to January 1
Price: FREE!
β¨ Winter City Lights (Olney, MD)
Open: November 23 to December 29 (select days)
Price: $31 to $39 per person
β¨ Miracle on 34th Street (Baltimore, MD)
Open: November 30 to December 31
Price: FREE!
β¨ Frederick Sailing Through Winter Solstice (Frederick, MD)
Open: November 23 to March 2025
Price: FREE!
β¨ Merriweather Symphony of Lights (Columbia, MD)
Open: November 29 to January 4
Price: $25 per car / $14 per person walk through nights
β¨ Winter Lights Festival at Seneca Creek State Park (Gaithersburg, MD)
Open: November 29 to December 31 (Closed December 25)
Price: Monday to Thursday $15 per car; Friday to Sunday $25 per car
β¨ Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Open: November 29 to January 1
Price: $10 online per car; $15 per car at the gate
β¨ Lights on the Bay (Annapolis, MD)
Open: November 24 to January 1
Price: $20 per car
DC
β¨ Zoo Light at the National Zoo (NW Washington, DC)
Open: November 22 to January 4 (check website for specific days)
Price: $6 per person and $30 parking fee (passes needed for entry)
β¨ National Christmas Tree (NW Washington, DC)
Open: December 5 to January 1
Price: Free!
β¨ District Dazzle (Various Locations throughout Washington, DC)
Open: November 29 to January 5
Price: Free!
β¨ Georgetown Glow (Georgetown, DC)
Open: December 1 to January 7
Price: FREE!
β¨ CityCenter DC (NW Washington, DC)
Open: November 25 to December 31
Price: FREE!
Virginia
β¨ Winter Lantern Festival (Tysons, VA)
Open: October 31 to January 12 (Select Dates)
Price: $30 per adult ticket; $20 per child ticket
β¨ Meadowlark Botanical Garden's Winter Walk of Lights (Vienna, VA)
Open: November 8 to January 5
Price: $16 to $18 per ticket depending on date
β¨ Bull Run Festival of Lights (Centreville, VA)
Open: November 15 to January 5
Price: $30 per car