Where to find Christmas light displays in the Twin Cities
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Neighbors in one Farmington cul-de-sac coordinate a holiday light display across their 12 yards and set it to music. Image: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Put on winter gear and grab the hot chocolate: 'Tis the season for holiday light shows!
🪜 The big picture: Dozens of Clark Griswolds in the Twin Cities go all-out by decking out their homes to give you a free light show.
- And for a price, you can get yourself into an even bigger display.
🤠 Our guide is KSTP executive producer and holiday lights guru Mike Marcotte, whose interactive map includes more than 160 area displays of the free and ticketed variety.
🏡 By the numbers: The biggest residential light displays on Marcotte's map — at least according to self-reported light counts — are in Shakopee (800,000 lights), Rush City (500,000) and Coon Rapids (400,000).
- Because they're self-reported, Marcotte told Axios he takes these counts with a grain of salt.
🎵 Between the lines: He noted size (or light count) isn't everything. Some displays pulse in time to music, or feature hundreds of plastic blow molds or inflatables.
📹 Zoom in: In addition to the bigg'ns, Marcotte called out a few residential displays he thought were elaborate:
- Soldiers 6 in Inver Grove Heights, whose show is a fundraiser for their service dog non-profit. The Monday Night Football broadcast recently gave them a shoutout.
- Christmas in the Grove has a 20-foot-tall Santa display in Maple Grove — plus a live St. Nick who greets cars on Friday and Saturday evenings.
- Claret Avenue Lights in Rosemount features more than 300 plastic molds.
- Christmas on Savanna in Chaska boasts 200,000 lights.
🌽 Plus: Outside the metro, voters on Marcotte's website chose this half-mile-long drive-thru west of St. Cloud as the state's best homeowner display.
🎆 Zoom out: If you include paid shows, the Miracle at Big Rock in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin — which advertises more than 25 million lights — would be the biggest in the region.
- Tickets start at $25 for adults and $30 on Fridays, when there's a fireworks display.
💡 Maybe this counts as a "light show," too: On Wednesday, Holidazzle returns to Nicollet Mall after a one-year hiatus.
- The erstwhile illuminated parade is now billed as a free street fair with musical acts and interactive light displays.
- Back after funding problems canceled it in 2023, this year's Holidazzle runs through Sunday.
Paid shows in the region
🫎 Winter Lights: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's show has added a camp scene with tents, a bonfire and "a twinkling moose and deer." As usual, they also have s'mores, food and an indoor bar. Through Jan. 5, $30.
🛝 GLOW: The fan-favorite festival at CHS Field has over 1 million lights, an enchanted forest, giant slide and a zip line, plus food, drinks and shopping. Through Jan. 5, $26.
🧤 Magic of Lights: Stay warm and drive through this festival at Eagan's Viking Lakes, which features tunnels of lights and giant illuminated displays. Through Jan. 5, $35+.
🐧 Sever's Holiday Lights: Another drive-thru. This one's in Shakopee with a half-mile route and 2.5 million lights synced to holiday music. Through Dec. 29, $30+
🎅🏻 Sam's Christmas Village: On the Apple River in Somerset, Wisconsin, it has more than 16 million lights, a European-style Christmas market, a sledding hill and rentable cabins. Through Jan. 1, $22 adults, $19 kids
Audrey Kennedy contributed reporting.