Twin Cities Holiday Light Displays

The countdown has begun for most of the preschoolers in our classrooms! The holidays are just weeks away, and if you’re looking for a night of holiday fun, here’s our list of holiday light displays in Minneapolis-St Paul and surrounding areas!   Some events are free and others are ticketed, so check out the details below.  Scroll to the end to find a list of south metro houses with big displays!

Twin Cities Holiday Light Shows

Tickets required. ($10 member/$15 non-member, free for children ages 15 and younger.)  16 outdoor light displays, ice sculptures, and s’mores available for purchase.

winter lights at arboretum
Winter Lights at the Arboretum
nature illuminated
Nature Illuminated

Tickets required. Driving tour ($35-$60 per vehicle) or walking experience, ($14-$20 per person).  Open through mid-January. Not your traditional holiday lights show!

Tickets required. ($20.75/adult and $12.75/child. Ages 4 and under are free.) A walk-through experience with a million lights, sElfie plaza, ice palace, bike-powered tree, food court, sky glider rides and more.  

Tickets required.  ($35-$45 per vehicle)  A drive through experience with a million lights synched to music.  Tip: check Groupon for discounted tickets!

christmas in color
Christmas in Color
severs holiday lights
Sever’s Holiday Lights

Tickets required.  ($35-$50 per vehicle)  A drive through experience with 2.5 million lights synched to music, festive food and drink vendors and visits from Santa, fire dancers and a joke juggler on select dates.  

Free.  Open December 4-5 and 11-12, 2021.  Not a light display, but several buildings are decorated and lit up for Christmas. Write a letter to St. Nick and mail it at the post box outside the Post Office – include a self addressed, stamped envelope so St. Nick can send a reply! (Drive through and see the lights all December long.)

Free admission, no tickets required.  Twenty-minute shows featuring 250,000 LED lights designed by science and engineering students on 12/9-12/11 at 5:30pm, 6pm and 6:30pm

Open 12/15-12/19.  Free outdoor religious Christmas light show. Tickets required for the 15-minute, indoor “Starry Night” 360-degree light and sound experience. ($15/person) Holiday market.

Tickets required ($10/person, 4 and under free). Sovereign Estate has 20 acres with lights, a candy cane lane, a life size nativity, photo ops on Santa’s sleigh, inflatable snowman social, children’s ice maze, winter llamas and Nana’s Gingerbread House. Holly Trolley rides, hot treats, mulled wine, boozy hot cocoa, wine and local brews available for purchase.  Food available for purchase at the bistro.

Greater Minnesota Holiday Light Shows

Free.  Open November 20-December 27, this is a walking experience with more than 5 million lights located on Lake Superior.  Dress warm!

bentyville lights
kiwani holiday lights

Open November 26-December 31
Free admission, donations accepted. 1.8 million lights, skating rink and warming house, horse-drawn wagon rides, Santa Claus, reindeer, ice sculpting and more.

Tickets required.  ($15/adult, $10/ages 3-10, 2 and under Free.  Parking is $10.)  8 million lights.  Drive through experience on Monday and Tuesday nights.  Walking experience on Wednesday through Sunday nights.  S’mores cabins, Christmas market, bar and grill, reindeer, Santa visits

sams christmas village
rotary lights

Free admission but donations accepted. 3.5 million lights, open from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. Santa is in the park every night, as well as a few of Santa’s reindeer!  Ice rink and skate rental (free), weather permitting. Free s’mores.

Best South Metro Neighborhood Light Displays

Best North Metro Neighborhood Light Displays

Best East Metro Neighborhood Light Displays

Best West Metro Neighborhood Light Displays

Best Minneapolis/St. Paul Neighborhood Light Displays

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