Get glowing at D.C.'s best holiday light displays
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The National Christmas Tree display. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The D.C. area is glowing up for the holidays with festive light displays, drive and walk-through exhibitions and winter villages.
Why it matters: The mix of free displays and ticketed events means there's something for everyone.
Where to light-gaze this holiday season:
⛄Frosted at Franklin Park (Through Dec. 20)
Downtown D.C. gets a free glow-up featuring a glittery icicle walkway, giant snowflakes and stars, and friendly winter creatures.
❄️ Winter City Lights (Through Dec. 29)
Olney's mega-Christmas campus boasts over a million lights and 18 acres of outdoor fun — think bonfires, snow tubing, a 1.5-mile light trail, and lots of warming food and drinks.
- Tickets start at $25 for adults and $16 for kids. Some activities cost extra.
🎆 Christmas at National Harbor (Through Dec. 30)
A 60-foot tree ignites with dancing lights nightly, plus there are fireworks at 5:30pm on Saturdays. For over-the-top indoor fun, Gaylord National's ICE! Attraction features lights, Charlie Brown scenes, and ice slides.
🎄 National Christmas Tree (Through Jan. 1)
It's free to visit the 35-foot red spruce outside the White House, ringed by 58 other trees representing states and territories. The National Christmas Tree lighting will be broadcast on Dec. 20.
⚡Festival of Lights (Through Jan. 1)
Prince George's County Parks create a drive-thru light trail and enchanted hay rides through the glow.
- Admission is $10.
🦓 ZooLights (Through Jan. 4)
The National Zoo's animal-themed display is a holiday favorite. Family-friendly evenings also include attractions like carousel rides, music and spiked cocoa.
- Tickets are $6 per person (free for kids under 2). Parking passes are $30.
🏘️ DC Holiday Lights (Through Jan. 5)
A bunch of D.C. neighborhoods decorate their main streets with free displays, and throw holiday events and markets with local businesses.
🌲U.S. Botanic Garden "Seasons Greenings" (Through Jan. 5)
The free holiday display features model trains in the gated outdoor gardens, and festive lights throughout the native plants and flowers.
🌱 Garden of Lights (Through Jan. 5)
Wheaton's Brookside Gardens illuminates a half-mile outdoor exhibit where you can stroll through and catch elaborate displays.
- Tickets (online only) are $10.
🏮Winter Lantern Festival (Through Jan. 12)
Walk through 1,000 hand-made Chinese lanterns at Tysons' luminescent event, which has new acrobatic performances — perfect for families and Instagrammers alike.
- Tickets start at $27 for adults and $17 for kids.
⭐ NOVA Parks Lights (Through Feb. 23)
Northern Virginia parks offer three unique experiences. Stay cozy in your car through the 2.5-mile drive-thru Bull Run Festival of Lights in Centreville. Skate at the Ice & Lights course in Alexandria. Or stroll through Meadowlark's Winter Walk of Lights in Vienna.
- Tickets vary by activity. Advance online reservations are encouraged.