Looking for the best holiday lights in Dallas? When the holiday season comes around, one of the best ways to enjoy quality time with your loved ones is to take in spectacular displays of twinkling lights. There’s just something about all that sparkly illumination that brings good cheer and inspires a sense of holiday magic.
Planning ahead is crucial if you want to take in the more popular Dallas holiday lights events. This is true for free events as well as ticketed events. A bit of planning goes a long way when it comes to enjoying a fun experience that is as hassle-free as possible.
Here are the best spots in Dallas for taking in holiday lights, from free neighborhood displays to elaborate ticketed events.
- Holiday at the Arboretum: Anyone who loves the Christmas carol The 12 Days of Christmas should plan a visit to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden this holiday season. Starting in mid-November, this annual favorite features Victorian-style gazebos that have been elaborately decorated to bring each of the 12 days of Christmas to life. This incredible experience features over one million dazzling lights. It even includes shopping and entertainment, food and beverages, and a Dazzling Musical Tree complete with 42,000 lights and holiday tunes. Visitors can purchase tickets online in advance.
- The Dallas Zoo Lights: This mile-long route snakes through the Dallas Zoo. Visitors can expect a million magical lights illuminating holiday-themed displays, statues and animal lanterns. You can also pre-order food and drink packages, and take photos with Santa or in front of the Christmas tree! You can purchase online ahead of time, including discounts for zoo members. Nightly showings start in late November and last through the New Year.
- Vitruvian Lights: Hundreds of trees in Addison’s Vitruvian Park are spectacularly illuminated with 1.5 million lights each holiday season. From late November through the New Year, the twinkling lights sparkle off the park’s spring-fed creek, creating a truly magical holiday wonderland. Parking and entry are free!
- Dickens in Downtown Plano: Plano residents should mark their calendars for December 3, when this free Victorian-themed holiday festival returns to Haggard Park. The popular event features a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Victorian music, carolers, s’mores, and more. It’s even pet-friendly!
- Holidays at the Heard: This family-friendly holiday event is a unique way to experience the holidays. Visitors follow a half-mile nature trail at the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, illuminated by holiday lights. Festive music at the outdoor amphitheater and a photo op with Santa make for a memorable evening!
- The Christmas Capital of Texas: It’s easy to see during the holidays why they call Grapevine the Christmas Capital of Texas. Revelers can enjoy a lights show spectacular at City Hall, Christmas music on the Plaza, and a performance of Nutcracker in a Nutshell. Then enjoy wine tastings, dinner theater and so much more.
- Christmas at Gaylord Texan: Explore acres of lights and partake in activities, shows and events at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine. There are several fun activities to choose from, including snow tubing, gingerbread decorating, ice skating and a holiday heist escape room. If you prefer a show, there is the action-packed Cirque Winter Wonderland.
Neighborhood Lights Displays: Many Dallas-area neighborhoods are well known for their festive lights displays during the holidays. For the best Dallas holiday lights that you can take in on your own schedule, head out with family or friends to tour don’t-miss areas like Highland Park, Lakewood, or Merry Swissmas along Swiss Avenue in Dallas; or Deerfield in Plano. (You could even book a carriage tour of the lights in Highland Park!) North of Dallas, the Browne Family Holiday Show in Parker and the Burkman Holiday Home in Frisco are two private residences that are must-sees for local residents.
Bring the Holiday Magic to Your Home
Heading out to take in dazzling holiday lights is wonderful. But so is enjoying some holiday cheer in your own front yard. If you’re interested in a twinkling display, but don’t know what type of Christmas lights to get, it’s time to call in a pro. Having your holiday lights professionally installed is the best way to take the guesswork and labor out of it. That way, you can sit back and bask in the season’s magic. A professional installation also includes taking the lights down at the end of the season.
Dallas Holiday Events
From Christmas tree lightings to unique and traditional holiday performances, there are Dallas holiday events that are perfect for every group. Check out some of the different holiday events going on around Dallas this year:
- The Nutcracker at Moody Performance Hall: Performances by Avant Chamber Ballet will run from December 9 to 11 this year, with live orchestral accompaniment. Tickets typically go fast for this one-weekend-only event.
- Harry Connick Jr.’s The Happy Elf: On stage at Dallas Children’s Theater from November 27 through December 23, this jazz musical will get people of all ages into the holiday spirit!
- Christmas Pops: This beloved holiday tradition returns to Meyerson Symphony Center from December 2 to 11. The Dallas Symphony Chorus performs holiday classics and sing-along carols. The Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus sings at two of the performances.
- Holiday at the Arboretum: Gazebos featuring spectacular renditions of each of “The 12 Days of Christmas” are a can’t-miss holiday event at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. From mid-November through the end of the year, this spectacular holiday event features over a million dazzling lights.
- Klyde Warren Park’s Tree Lighting Celebration: This free family holiday tradition happens on December 3 in the heart of the Arts District in downtown Dallas. Visitors can expect photos with Santa, storytime with Mrs. Claus, holiday music performances and the annual tree lighting, as well as countless festive lights.
Hiring a pro is the way to go when it comes to hanging holiday lights at home for the holidays. A professional lights installation saves you the work of figuring out where your holiday lights should go. With a pro in charge of installing the lights, you won’t have to worry about how to hang Christmas lights on your metal roof. A pro can handle everything from design and installation to taking the lights down safely at the end of the holiday season.
Drive Thru Christmas Lights in Dallas
There are many festive options for enjoying drive-thru Christmas lights in Dallas. The Dallas Zoo Lights, the Dallas Zoo’s holiday tradition, is now a drive-through event. Visitors can take in a million holiday lights while enjoying hot cocoa and snacks from the comfort of their own cars. Nightly showings run from late November through the New Year.
Starting in late November, Gift of Lights at the Texas Motor Speedway in Forth Worth offers comfort and holiday cheer. Want to get out and stretch your legs? Santa’s Village offers train rides, holiday treats and photo ops with Santa. Tickets are available either online or at the gate.
At Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie, two miles of trail are illuminated by over four million twinkly holiday lights. This drive-through holiday lights event boasts one-of-a-kind custom displays. It even has a Holiday Village, carnival rides, a lighted forest walk, concessions and photos with Santa. The spectacle opens Thanksgiving night and runs through New Year’s Eve.
At Radiance! Christmas, millions of lights go on display each year at four locations in Frisco, Ennis, Decatur and Weatherford. Turn on your radio to watch the lights perform a flickering dance in time with holiday music!
Santa’s Country Christmas is a seasonal drive-through holiday lights park in Seagoville, less than a half-hour southeast of Dallas. Visitors can also choose to park and walk through, enjoying a cup of hot cocoa while taking in the sights. Photo ops are also available with both Santa and the Grinch.
While Dallas offers a truly impressive variety of drive-through holiday lights displays, sometimes it’s nice to avoid traffic and crowds. You can even turn your yard and trees into a spectacular winter wonderland of your own. If you hire a professional to design and install your holiday lights, they will handle every aspect of the job so you can get back to enjoying yummy holiday recipes. They will go out of their way to hide cords as much as possible.
That means you won’t need to spend any more time untangling old lights or balancing on tall ladders while trying to staple-gun the strands to the eaves. A professional installation means peace of mind and loads of holiday magic for you, your loved ones and your neighbors.
ABC Can Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays
With everything going on this holiday season, you would probably rather be attending a fun event than be hanging your holiday lights. Fortunately, ABC Home & Commercial Services is here for you. We can come to hang your lights and then take them down once the holiday season is over.
