This time of year, one of the funnest things to do is to visit holiday lights displays around town. The Dallas/Fort Worth area is full of holiday attractions from planned shows and events to drive through displays. With so many options, it can be difficult to decide what to see! We've compiled a list of what we think are the best light shows, events, and displays in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. See one or see them all, these are the holiday lights you don't want to miss!
Sparkle! Christmas at the Anatole!
A $20 ticket ($15 for 4-12 and seniors, and free for 3 and under) will get you access to a whole host of holiday activities that will transform the Anatole into a winter wonderland! You can expect and indoor ice skating rink (with skates included), more than 1.2 million holiday lights, light shows every half hour, Santa’s hilltop slide, live holiday shows from “Le Theare De Marionette”, and so much more!
Main stage attractions throughout the month will include a pumpkin pie eating contest, culinary demos, Yuletide Yoga, Christmas bingo, Christmas karaoke and a family dance time. Also awesome about this event, is that Sunday is pet friendly day complete with dog costume contest! You can view the calendar of events on their website for November 28th – January 4th.
Gift of Lights at the Texas Motor Speedway
With more than 2 million LED lights, the Gift of Lights at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth is a must-see during the holidays. It’s drive-through holiday light display allows visitors to ‘ooh and ahh’ without so much as leaving their car. At the completion of the drive through park, visitors can bring their family to Santa’s Village for photos and fun.
The exhibit is open seven days a week from November 26th – the first of the year at the Texas Motor Speedway after nightfall. For more information, visit their website.
12 Days of Christmas at the Dallas Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum is hosting an exhibit to celebrate the holidays that features an elaborate collection of 25-foot Victorian gazebos filled with lights, decorations and holiday cheer! Each gazebo has been extravagantly decorated on all sides to provide a dramatic, three-dimensional experience! Additionally, these gazebos will feature characters and animals made famous by the 12 Days of Christmas carol!
Patrons can enjoy a .75-mile walk through their garden exhibit while they view the gazebos, a perfect outing for the whole family! The cost is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for kids 3 – 12. The exhibit will be on display in December and through January 4th. For more information visit their website.
Prairie Lights Holiday Display
Visitors can drive two miles of path dazzled with 4 million lights sets! Featuring hundreds of all new displays in shapes of all kinds, the holiday display is better than ever this year. Half way through, people can get out of their car and sample food, visit Santa, and watch an indoor laser show. Enjoy hot cocoa, apple cider, coffee, and other goodies will be sold as well.
There is even a walk through forest that is lit up with tens of thousands of lights. Show your family how the holiday season is celebrated around the world, as well as enjoy “gumdrop alley”. The park is open November 27 – January 4th from 6 - 9 Sunday through Thursday, and 6 - 10 Friday and Saturday. Cost of admission is $20 - $30 a car, depending on the day of the week. See their website for additional attractions and pricing.
Christmas in the Branch: Farmers Branch Christmas Tour of Lights
This drive-through animated light display has over 500,000 lights arranged in various themed scenes. Enjoy holiday music as you admire the lights, and travel through the themes that range from fantasy to patriotic.
The grand finale is an animated light show with Santa Clause himself! The tour runs through December, and is free to the public. For more info visit their website!
Grayson County Annual Holiday Light Show
For 13 years Grayson County’s annual holiday light show has delighted DFW-area families. The park opened on November 29th and runs through the end of December, from 5:30PM – 10:00PM.
This year they added 2,000 feet of new road and many new displays. Visitors drive through this fantastic light trail free of charge! For more information, visit their website!
Interlochen Lights Display in Arlington
Homeowners in Interlochen go “all out” with their holiday lights displays. The neighborhood in North Arlington between Westwood Drive, Randol Mill Road, and as far as Findlay Drive is known for coming together in holiday cheer. Almost every home is decked out with colorful lights displays, and an estimated nearly 40,000 people drive the crowded streets every year to view the show.
Once you arrive, it’s customary to turn off your car lights in order to better view the scenery. Cars are lined back to back so everyone is driving extremely slowly and the drive takes about two and a half hours. Since this is a neighborhood, it’s free to the public and the lights are usually displayed between December 19th and 31st.
