Can’t-Miss Holiday Illuminations
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‘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.
Nov 11, 2022-Jan 8, 2023
Bull Run Park • Centreville, VA
In the heart of Fairfax County, an annual holiday light display awaits your family at the Bull Run Festival of Lights! Daily, this dazzling drive-thru display lights up 2.5 miles of Bull Run Regional 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!
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Nov 11, 2022-Jan 8, 2023
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!
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Ice & Lights — The Winter Village
Nov 18, 2022-Jan 1, 2023
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.
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Fri-Sat, Dec 2-17, 2022
Burke Lake Park • Fairfax Station, VA
When the sun goes down, Burke Lake Park’s train station, carousel, and train tracks are lit up for a unique event. Guests will enjoy a 2-mile train ride aboard a 1/3-scale replica CP Huntington train, festive holiday lights, and family memories.
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December 9-23, 2022
Franklin Park Arts Center • Purcellville, VA
The Franklin Park Arts Center’s walk-through display of lights will take you on a sweet adventure through the butterfly forest and candy cane tunnel toward a gingerbread house. Look for the hidden gingerbread boy along the way!
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Wish Tree Illumination & Music Shows
Nov 19, 2022-Jan 1, 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 on with a Tree Lighting Festival on November 19, 2022.
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Nov 25, 2022-TBA
Bluemont, VA
The annual Lighting of the Vines takes place with the illumination of more than 10,000 vines with twinkle lights! Then nightly, when the vineyard is open, enjoy the beautiful view, as well as special events with this holiday wonderland as a backdrop.
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Nov 25-Dec 31, 2022
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, Santa will be visiting Maple Tree for photos on select Sundays.
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Dec 16, 2022-Feb 12, 2023
Tysons, VA
You’re invited to an immersive festival, illuminating the night sky in the heart of Northern Virginia! The Winter Lantern Festival creates a dazzling world of light, featuring 1,000 Chinese lanterns, all handmade by artisans with decades of experience! This special 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 — all photo-worthy opportunities!
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Dec 3-23, 2022
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-inspired fun under the twinkling glow of thousands of lights strung throughout the park.
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Dec 4-24, 2022
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.
WASHINGTON, DC
Nov 30, 2022-Jan 1, 2023
President’s Park • Wash, DC
President’s Park hosts the annual National Christmas Tree display, which includes the gorgeous National Christmas Tree alongside 58 additional state and territory trees as part of the Pathway to Peace. Tickets to attend the lighting ceremony on Nov 30, 2022, are available via a lottery system, which ends on Nov 1, 2022.
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Nov 25, 2022-Jan 1, 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.
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Dec 1, 2022-Jan 1, 2023
The Yards • Wash, DC
This larger-than-life light installation features illuminated, 22-foot-tall trees trimmed from top to bottom in holiday decor and festooned with lights that will cast The Yards’ Sun Deck with beautiful, colored patterns! This light-filled wonderland is the perfect place for the whole family to get in the holiday spirit and snap some Instagram-worthy pics, or wander before or after drinks and dinner at one of The Yards’ 20+ eateries.
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Holiday Walk of Lights
TBA
Neabsco Regional Park • Woodbridge, VA
This season, bundle up and get ready to stroll a magical path of light displays at Neabsco Regional Park. The 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.
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Nov 25-Dec 30, 2022
National Zoo • Wash, DC
Free and open to the public, the zoo hosts plenty of festive seasonal attractions and fun for all to enjoy, including their dazzling light show set to music. More than 500,000 LED lights transform the zoo, making your visit even more spectacular!
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Until Jan 1, 2023
US Capitol • Wash, DC
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) selects the annual US Capitol Christmas Tree in consultation with the United States Forest Service. Every year (for 52 years!), a different national forest has provided the US Capitol Christmas Tree, which decorates the west lawn of the US Capitol building for the holiday season. This year’s tree is a 78-foot-tall red spruce selected in the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. Nicknamed “Ruby,” it’s decorated with thousands of handcrafted ornaments from the people of North Carolina. Guests are invited to visit it on the West Front Lawn; the tree will be lit from nightfall until 11 pm through January 1, 2023.
MARYLAND
Holiday Light Show
Gaylord • National Harbor, MD
Zoo Lights
Maryland Zoo • Baltimore, 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 and opportunities on this site are curated from public sources and subject to changes/cancelations that might not be reflected in DullesMoms.com’s content.
This guide/post to going out in the Washington area is all about outdoor light shows
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