As holiday celebrations are poised to begin, Washington, D.C., is stringing up dazzling holiday light displays all around the city. So put on a scarf and hat, grab a warm beverage, and bask in the cheerful spirit of the holiday season with these stunning displays!
1. Downtown Holiday Market
D.C.’s stunning seasonal outdoor market is returning from Nov. 22-Dec. 15! Held outdoors over the course of two blocks— F Street NW, from 7th to 9th Streets NW—the Downtown Holiday Market gives Washingtonians the opportunity to patronize a number of local small businesses while they complete their holiday shopping! Feeling a little cold and hungry? Several outdoor food and drink vendors are also on-site so you can sip hot chocolate or snack on an empanada as you shop!
2. LuminoCity Winter Light Festival
LuminoCity Winter Light Festival is the perfect adventure for those looking to escape the city for an evening. This radiant, whimsical display brings three unique worlds to life across 6 acres of land at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds. From an arctic wonderland, to an illuminated jungle, to a candy-coated paradise, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
3. D.C. Holiday Lights
D.C. Holiday Lights gets the city into the holiday spirit as it turns the various D.C. neighborhoods into twinkling wonderlands from Nov. 29-Jan.5, 2025! With eye-catching displays and a themed scavenger hunt, you can experience it all in different dazzling forms across each participating neighborhood!
4. Holidays at the Harbor—National Harbor
National Harbor kicked off the holiday spirit on Nov. 9, lighting its Christmas tree to kick off its Holidays at the Harbor series. It was the inaugural lighting for National Harbor’s 60-ft. RGB tree, which now will illuminate the evening skies each night—every 30 minutes from sunset to 9 p.m.—alongside the sounds of a “holiday medley performed by the United States Air Force Band.” But the holiday festivities don’t stop there! Holidays at the Harbor also features several festive activities suitable for all ages: Festive Fireworks every Saturday night through Dec. 29, the winter wonderland of ICE! at Gaylord National, holiday shopping at the Tanger Outlets, and more!
5. CityCenterDC
The holiday season is descending upon the District—and CityCenterDC is helping kick it off with its tenth annual Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Nov. 25! Days after Thanksgiving, as Washingtonians begin to swap out their autumn ornamentation for winter decorations, CityCenterDC will be helping the transition as it alights its 75-ft. tree, complete with more than 150,000 lights and 4,500 ornaments. It will stop you in your tracks!
6. 102nd Annual National Christmas Tree
Washingtonians, mark your calendars! The 101st Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is taking place Thursday, Dec. 5 at the Ellipse in President’s Park. Just one week after Thanksgiving, the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will help Washingtonians and visitors alike kick off the holiday season. The first National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony took place in 1923 under President Calvin Coolidge. To celebrate its historic 101-year milestone, the National Park Service and National Park Foundation are once again promising a memorable “star-studded” event!
7. Georgetown Jungle
Georgetown will alight with the holiday spirit thanks to Georgetown Jungle, a music-themed holiday event that’s taking over Georgetown GLOW this year. From Dec. 7, from 1-4pm, the beloved D.C. neighborhood will be fully festive with 10 live music performances! From from soul to jazz, a cappella, pop, DJ sets, and kids’ music. Here’s a map of the different areas where you can make your way from performance to performance.
8. The National Menorah
The Festival of Lights will dazzle in the District with the lighting of the world’s largest menorah. Head on over to the White House Ellipse on Wednesday, Dec. 25th, to admire the giant, 30-foot menorah and celebrate the start of Hanukkah. As is tradition, a new candle will be lit on each of the eight days of Hanukkah, so make sure to stop by!
9. Festival of Lights
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ Washington, D.C., Temple will return with its iconic holiday light festival, aptly called Festival of Lights, from December 5th through Jan. 1, featuring 400,000 twinkling lights!
10. Winter Lantern Festival
The Winter Lantern Festival is back in D.C. again this holiday season, taking inspiration from traditional Chinese Lantern fests and creating an incredibly unique and beautiful immersive light show experience that’s fun for the whole family! It reopened on October 31st (really early this year!) and will remain open on the weekends until January 12th, 2025.
11. ZooLights
ZooLights is back at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo! The purchase of a $6 general entry pass allows you to peruse the zoo’s beautiful light displays, shop, and take in live performances and tasty treats after dark on select nights between Nov. 22 and Jan. 4. For a full list of dates and to reserve an entry pass, please visit the zoo’s website.
12. The District Holiday Boat Parade
Get in the spirit of the holiday season with this stunning light display on the water that is free to attend! The Wharf is hosting its 32nd annual District Holiday Boat Parade on Dec. 2, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The free event features more than 60 boats, decked to the bow with holiday lights, setting sail down the Washington Channel. You can watch the boats and then head to The Wharf to roast s’mores, get pictures with Santa, have a cocktail (if you’re 21 or older!), and even skate at the ice rink!
13. Fairfax Ave. Lights Circuit
In Northern Virginia, about 25 minutes away from DC, is a neighborhood known for its extravagant Christmas light route that will take you across Fairfax county. A DC local, Holly, runs a website that goes into detail of all of the best houses, different routes to follow, and addresses Known as “Tacky Lights,” as a term of endearment, the light displays are categorized, ranked, and dated to ensure ease. Create your own route or choose a pre-made one along the beltway for thousands of dazzling lights, animatronics, and themed-displays.
Where: Fairfax County (multiple addresses)
14. Frosted at Franklin Park
From November 22nd to December 20th, enjoy a decked-out holiday light installation, Illumination! The enchanting display will light up Franklin Park for another year in a row with glittering photo opportunities, a icicle walkway, giant ornaments, and hundreds of dazzling lights. Best of all, it’s free!
Where: Franklin Park
This article was written by Alex Striano, Jessica Ramos, Jenna Romaine, and Ma Del Rosario Castro Diaz