‘Tis the season to visit these outdoor holiday light shows in the DMV! Scroll to see them all, or click and choose your preferred location:
• Virginia
• Wash, DC
• Maryland
Bull Run Festival of Lights
Nov 10, 2023-Jan 7, 2024
Bull Run Park • Centreville, VA
Daily, this dazzling drive-thru display lights up 2.5 miles of Bull Run Park, bringing winter magic to you from the comfort of your car. Plus, more than holiday lights, there’s also a walk-thru Christmas Village & Carnival filled with rides, bonfires, s’mores, and holiday shopping!
Winter Walk of Lights
Nov 10, 2023-Jan 7, 2024
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens • Vienna, VA
Each November and December, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens transforms into a twinkling holiday wonderland! Bring your family and enjoy a 1/2-mile, self-guided walk through the gardens. Enjoy a huge variety of displays, some that even sync to music, boasting more than a half-million lights!
Ice & Lights — The Winter Village
Nov 17, 2023-Jan 1, 2024
Cameron Run Park • Alexandria, VA
Cameron Run Regional Park has turned into a winter wonderland! At Ice & Lights, you’re invited to enjoy more than a dozen holiday light displays (perfect for holiday pics)! Plus, enjoy ice skating, holiday music, yummy treats, and holiday shopping.
Wish Tree Illumination & Music Shows
Nov 18-Dec 31, 2023
Village at Leesburg • Leesburg, VA
You’re invited to visit the Village at Leesburg’s unique 5-story-tall Christmas tree with a snowfall topper and more than 15,000 dazzling lights! The nightly shows kick off with a Tree Lighting Festival on November 18, 2023.
Winter Lantern Festival
Nov 24-Feb 18, 2024
Tysons, VA
The Winter Lantern Festival creates a dazzling world of light, featuring 1,000 Chinese lanterns, all handmade by artisans with decades of experience! This unique wonderland includes lanterns that depict Chinese myths, legends, and zodiacs, as well as the world of ice with displays of mammoths, polar bears, and penguins. Plus, enjoy interactive light swings, see-saws, and tunnels, too!
Christmas Village
Dec 1-23, 2023
Leesburg Animal Park • Leesburg, VA
Visit Leesburg Animal Park this season as its 21 acres are transformed into a magical and mesmerizing Christmas Village! On select evenings, enjoy tons of holiday fun under the twinkling glow of thousands of lights strung throughout the park.
Winter Lights Walk
Dec 7-23, 2023
Franklin Park Arts Center • Purcellville, VA
The backyard of the Arts Center is transformed into a winter lights display featuring giant lollipops, candy canes, butterflies, and gingerbread.
Christmas Illuminations
Dec 15-16, 2023
George Washington’s Mount Vernon • Mount Vernon, VA
Celebrate the holiday season with an enchanted evening of Christmas Illuminations — see the Mansion aglow in beautiful amber light and the Upper Garden and Greenhouse dazzling in blue and lavender with moving wintry light patterns, and listen to classic holiday music and patriotic, inspirational quotes on the Bowling Green. There will also be mansion tours, a winter market and a winter encampment to explore, and stunning fireworks over the Potomac River at night!
Lighted Nights
Dec 9-23, 2023
Claude Moore Park • Sterling, VA
Enjoy the glow and twinkle of holiday lights. Stop by for a leisurely, self-guided stroll down Vestals Gap Road and into the park’s historic district. Admission is free; park gates close promptly at 7 pm.
Holiday Illumination on the Farm
Nov 24-Dec 31, 2023
Maple Tree Farm • Warrenton, VA
Stroll along a half-mile of beautifully lit trees, enjoying the picturesque glow of the farm lit up under the night sky! Plus, enjoy plenty of kid-friendly activities and event Santa on select nights.
The Lighting of the Vines
Nov 24-Dec 31, 2023
Bluemont, VA
The annual Lighting of the Vines takes place with the illumination of more than 10,000 vines donned with twinkling lights on November 24, 2023! Then, nightly (when the vineyard is open) until December 31, 2023, enjoy the beautiful view, as well as special events with this holiday wonderland as a backdrop.
WASHINGTON, DC
Enchant Light Maze & Market
Nov 24-Dec 31, 2023
Nationals Park • Wash, DC
This winter, Nationals Park turns into a magical market and maze of lights — the largest in the world — for all to enjoy! Nationals Park puts baseballs and bats aside to make way for the baubles and beauty of winter! Boasting a Christmas Market featuring more than 60 local artisans, the field also gives way to a glistening ice-skating trail found beneath larger-than-life light displays.
ZooLights
Nov 24-Dec 30, 2023
National Zoo • Wash, DC
More than 500,000 LED lights transform the zoo, making your visit even more spectacular! Stroll through immersive lantern displays showing rainforest, grassland, desert, ocean, and polar habitats, and the animals that call them home. Visitors and guests will also enjoy live musical performances, delicious treat offerings, and plenty of opportunities for holiday shopping. New for 2023, ZooLights will have a ticket price of $6 per individual.
National Christmas Tree
Dec 2-Jan 1, 2024
President’s Park • Wash, DC
The White House will twinkle just a little bit brighter this holiday season with a special addition to President’s Park! There, you’ll find the National Christmas Tree decked out with thousands of lights! The public is invited to visit daily from December 2-January 1, 2024. Plus, on select nights, enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience as music groups add to the splendor of the season.
Light Yards
Nov 20-Jan 7, 2024
The Yards • Wash, DC
You’re invited to walk through a larger-than-life interactive art installation festively adorned with thousands of holiday lights.
Holiday Walk of Lights
Dec 1-23, 2023
Neabsco Regional Park • Woodbridge, VA
This season, bundle up and get ready to stroll a magical path of light displays at Neabsco Regional Park. This Woodbridge park lights up for guests to enjoy twinkling hand-crafted light displays on select evenings in December. The event is open to the public; no registration is required.
Nov 28-Jan 1, 2024
US Capitol Christmas Tree
US Capitol • Wash, DC
The lighting of the US Capitol Christmas Tree, a time-honored tradition of more than 50 years, will take place on November 28, 2023, during a ceremony on the West Front Lawn. The tree, provided by a different national forest each year, will be lit from dusk until 11 pm nightly through January 1, 2024.
MARYLAND
LuminoCity Winter Light Fest
Montgomery Co Fairgrounds • Gaithersburg, MD
Holiday Light Show
Gaylord • National Harbor, MD
Garden of Lights
Brookside Gardens • Wheaton, MD
Lights on the Bay
Sandy Point State Park • Annapolis, MD
Symphony of Lights
Merriweather Post Pavilion • Columbia, MD
North Pole Lights Walk
Willow Oak Flower & Herb Farm • Severn, MD
Winter Festival of Lights
Watkins Regional Park • Upper Marlboro, MD
Winter Lights Festival
Seneca Creek State Park • Gaithersburg, MD
Festival of Lights
Morman Temple • Kensington, MD
Disclaimer: Events/opportunities are curated from public sources and are subject to changes/cancelations that might not be reflected on DullesMoms.com.
#LightGuide, This guide/post to going out in the Washington area is all about outdoor light shows
