The holiday season is here! And during the holiday season, we LOVE holiday light displays and family events!

Here are events that I’ve found throughout Minnesota.

DISCOUNTS

I’m including discounts when I find them too! For example,

• Save 20% on Magic of Lights Drive Thru Experience in Eagan
• More coming soon!

Thank you to the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul for sponsoring this guide!

Looking for a great gift idea for a special family in your life? Or how about your own family? Give anyone including your own kids the gift of play with a membership to Minnesota Children’s Museum and SAVE with my EXCLUSIVE discount code TCFM! My discount is good for $30 off a gift membership OR $3 off each gift ticket! Normally it’s good for $20 off a membership so this is a special holiday deal! Memberships include free admission to the museum all year, exclusive access to member perks and more. We’ve been members for years and the perks are fabulous!

This is the BEST deal you’ll find!

Use my code: TCFM to get $30 off a gift membership or $3 off gift tickets! https://mcm.org/gift

We love the Minnesota Children’s Museum! My kids have grown up attending this awesome museum and we’ve loved every exhibit, from Curious George which they have now, to Disney’s Inside Out, Thomas the Train and so much more.

FREE PRINTABLES!

This list has been so popular every year that I created several FREE Christmas printables for you to enjoy while looking at lights!

The first is a Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt! Print this FREE Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt and bring it with you and have the kids do it or do it as a family.

The second is a FREE printable 6-page Christmas Road Trip Activity Set that includes another scavenger hunt and other activities for kids to do while you’re driving around looking at Christmas lights!

PLUS my FREE Christmas Sanity Saver Pack! It’s a planner and organizer to help keep your holidays stress free.

(Note: Be sure to check each event before you go in case there are any changes or cancellations.)

FREE EVENTS

Bentleyville Tour of Lights – Duluth
November 22 – December 27, 2025
Sun – Thurs 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Fri to Sat 5:00pm – 10:00pm

America’s Largest Free Walk-Through Lighting Display!

We’ve loved visiting Duluth and walking through Bentleyville throughout the years.  They give out free cookies, hot cocoa and popcorn! Admission is FREE! However, parking is $10 per vehicle from Sunday to Thursday, and now $15 on Friday and Saturday. (It was $10 any day of the week before so this is a change this year.)

Celebrate the Light of the World Willmar
(FREE – donations requested)
Thanksgiving – December 31
5:00pm – 10:00pm each night

Willmar is about 1 hour west of the Twin Cities, on highway 12. Celebrate the Light of the World kicks off on Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 27th!! The show will run every night from 5:00pm – 10:00pm from Thanksgiving through December 31st.

Holiday Lights on York Avenue – St. Paul
(FREE- donations requested for Merrick Food Shelf)
November 28 – December 31
5:00pm – 10:00pm each night

This is a big light display on a residential block that you can drive through in St. Paul. 11 yards will be decorated with plastic Santas, snowman and other Christmas characters, featuring about 90,000 lights, choreographed to computerized music you can play on your radio by tuning to 91.5 FM, “The Rockin’ Rudolph.” Their lights start on Friday, November 28th! Check their website for updates.

Holidazzle – Downtown Minneapolis
2025 dates not yet announced (but typically mid-December)

Five blocks of Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, from 6th Street to Peavey Plaza (11th), will transform into a free and family-friendly holiday experience.

Kiwanis Holiday Lights – Mankato
(Free, but cash and nonperishable donations requested for those in need)
Sibley Park
November 28th – December 31, 2025
Sunday–Thursday 5:00–9:00 PM
Friday & Saturday 5:00–10:00 PM

Free and open to the public! This is BOTH a walk-through and a drive-through event. You can just drive through it if you wish. Busses are welcome too!

Light Up Princeton – Princeton (Free)
Mille Lacs County Fairgrounds
November 29th – December 21st
Plus December 24th
Thursdays- Sundays, plus Christmas Eve
6:00 – 9:00pm

Drive around looking at decorated businesses and houses!

They have special nights this year:

November 29: Small Business Saturday
November 30: Kinship Youth Mentoring Night
December 4: Princeton Early Childhood Night
December 20: Horse-drawn Sleigh/Carriage rides through Light Up Princeton!
Cost is $20/per couple and $30/per group.

Light Up the Night – Marshall
(Free – donations requested)
Independence Park
1300 E Lyon St.
Marshall, MN 56258
November 28th – the weekend before Christmas
Fridays to Sundays

Light Up the Night is at Independence Park in Marshall.  Walking, hay rides, trolley rides or carriage rides through the winter wonderland of lights. The holiday carolers, concessions, Santa, Elves, skating, sledding. Drive thru Fridays through Sundays. Donations requested for Prairie Home Hospice.

Shakopee Winter Wonderland
921 Shakopee Ave East
Shakopee, MN 55379
Dates not announced

A place where a family can visit with Santa and walk the path of amazing Christmas lights. Also we have crafts, cookies, hot coco and coffee in the garage. Owned by Roger Schmidt.

Valley Lights Drive-Thru Display – Lake Elmo (FREE)
Rockpoint Church
November 28 – December 31
5:00-10pm

The drive-thru takes about 4 minutes. 

Come out and enjoy this spectacular Christmas display! Enjoy 100,000+ LED lights while you hear and experience the Christmas story. Valley Lights is open to all and is an awesome opportunity for you to invite your family, friends, and neighbors. Who doesn’t love a great light show during Christmas time?

AT-COST EVENTS

Christmas in the Village – Farmington 
Dakota City Heritage Village
4008 220th Street W.
Farmington, MN
December 6, 7, 13, and 14, 2025
3-8 pm

If you like an old-fashioned Christmas, this is the event not to miss! It’s the first 2 weekends in December.

Experience the spirit of this warm, holiday event through the village’s dazzling lights, Christmas music in the Church, the scent of wood burning stoves and the sound of horses and their jingle bells as they pull trolleys through the village. Warm up with a cup of soup or mug of hot cocoa in the Drug Store. Check out demonstrations of early 1900s wintertime chores in the Millinery and Harris House. There will also be old-fashioned candy and goods will be for sale at the Gift Shop and General Store. After you send your letter to St. Nicholas, by putting it in the post office box by the school, you can visit him at the Depot! Be sure to visit the model railroad display with holiday themed trains running around a festive winter scene in the village library. Check out the hot beverage and snack station located at the fire barn. Warm up inside with hot chocolate, cider, cookies or popcorn, Warm up outside near the new fire pits near the fire barn.

LAST YEAR’s cost was $5.50 per person (children under age 5 are Free). (Watching for 2025 update) Tickets will be available at the gate. Online Admission Ticket includes a convenience fee.

GLOW Holiday Festival Light Experience – St. Paul
CHS Field
November 20, 2025 – January 4, 2026
Entry times are between 5:00pm and 9:00pm each night 

This year’s festival transforms the home of the St. Paul Saints into a walk-through winter wonderland featuring millions of lights, giant displays and family activities. GLOW is family-friendly, cashless and gives back- donating $1 from every ticket to local charities (over $400,000 donated since 2020). For its first 2 years it was at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, but the last 3 years it was at CHS Field. Read our review from 2020. See my video and pictures from 2021. Read my review from 2023.

Tickets are:

Adult (ages 13 & over): $21.75

Children (ages 3-12): $12.75

Children (ages 2 & under): Free!

Note that fees are $3.00 per ticket, plus they add tax.

These are the same rates as last year.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS!

Save 20% on Glow tickets for a limited time with their PRELUDE sale.

Larger Than Life Lights – Duluth
Lake Superior Zoo
December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20
5:00 – 7:30pm

This is an annual event!  What to expect:

• Charming, intimate Light Display
• Free S’mores!!
• Free Craft! (to be announced)
• Visits from Santa EVERY night
• Safari Cafe will have Hot Chocolate & Treats!
• Fun Light Up items in the Tiger’s Paw Gift Shop
• Live Holiday Music (dates to be announced)

Tickets are $10 per person. (They went up from $8 a person.)

Lights in the Pines
Itasca County Fairgrounds
1336 Fairgrounds Rd,
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
November 28 – December 23
5:00 – 9:00pm

Northern Minnesota’s largest drive through light displays open on Friday and Saturday evenings November 28th through December 23rd. Gate opens at 5:00 and closes at 9:00pm.

NEW – Cost is $10. (Watch for details)

Magic of Lights – Eagan
Viking Lakes
668 O’Neill Drive
Eagan, MN
Nov 21, 2025 – Jan 3, 2026

Magic of Lights is “dazzling, drive-through holiday lights experience featuring favorite holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations.” Tickets are valid for your car (everyone inside, up to 3 rows), not per person, and are good through January 3rd.

Magic of Lights is open 7 days a week:
Monday to Thursday: 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Friday – Sunday: 5:30pm – 10:00pm

Tickets and DISCOUNTS!

It’s cheapest to get tickets online!

Plus they have a Groupon deal right now!

Regular priced tickets are cheaper online: $36.23 per car on weekends, $31.05 on weekdays. It’s $42 and $37 at the gate. Party bus rate is $67.28 online or $80 at the gate.

They also have specials:

Military Monday: $10 off with military ID at gate
Tuesday: Double Drive Through Night
Wednesdays: First Responders save $10 with ID at gate
Thursdays: Health care night – $10 off gate tickets with badge
December 1: National Christmas Lights Day  – FREE light-up hats for the first 100 visitors
December 13: National Hot Chocolate Day – Free Hot Chocolate for the first 100 visitors
December 19: National Ugly Sweater Day – $10 off at the gate if you wear an ugly Christmas sweater

Sertoma Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru – Baxter
Northland Arboretum
November: 27-29
December: 4-6, 11-13, 18-20, 24-31
Most nights, 5:30 – 8:00pm

The Brainerd Area Sertoma Club presents this annual winter wonderland drive-thru experience! General admission is $20 per vehicle. $15 per vehicle in advance, plus $1 fee. In previous years, discounted advance tickets were available online and at Cub Foods in Brainerd and Baxter (not yet announced for this year).

Sever’s Holiday Lights Drive-Thru – Shakopee, MN
November 27 – December 28, 2025
Nightly 5:00pm – 9:00pm

Looking for a holiday tradition the whole family will love? This massive 2,500,000+ holiday light display dances in time to the best songs of the season, and with festive food & drink vendors, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be merry. So go ahead, pile into the car—this is one show everyone will want to see. We went and here’s a review of our visit from a previous year with a video! 

Pricing:

$30 – 45 per car at non-peak times            

$45 – 60 per car at peak times

Starting last year they announced $10 Tuesdays! Sever’s Holiday Lights is offering $10 admission on Tuesday nights again this year (Except December 23)

The Spirit of Winter – Waconia
The Winery at Sovereign Estate
November 21st – December 31st
Times start at 4:00pm each night

A light show at a WINERY? Yes, please!

The Winery at Sovereign Estate invites you to light-up the season with our Spirit of Winter: Festival of Lights from November 21st – December 31st. The Estate is transformed into an illuminated winter wonderland, with over twenty miles of musical synchronized lights strung over 20 acres of our lakeshore property. This outdoor walking experience permits guests to stroll the vineyards and grounds and enjoy a variety of attractions like our Candy Cane Lane, life size Nativity scene, photo opportunity at Santa’s Sleigh, write and send a Letter to Santa with a response, real live winter Llamas, inflatable Snowman Ball, children’s Snow Maze, kid’s Boot Hockey Arena, and Nana’s Gingerbread House! Once you arrive, guests also have the opportunity to purchase Holly Trolley rides in our Wine Store for a special guided tour of the decorated grounds. The real life Santa will be arriving every night from November 28th-December 23rd at 5pm-7:30pm during the Christmas season. All guests will enjoy the pleasure of meeting the famous Mr. Claus as he wanders our Spirit of Winter event.

Pricing and Discount

NEW PRICE THIS YEAR: The cost is now $25 per car, or $100 per large bus or limo. (It previously was $15 per person)

DISCOUNTED Wednesdays! $15 per car or $50 for large buses/limos/etc. on Wednesday nights.

They also have a Family Season Pass for only $50. This Season Pass includes entry to the Festival of Lights
through November 21st-December 31st for one car entry.

CLOSED Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Admission tickets can be purchased in advance online. You can buy tickets at the gate if it’s not sold out in advance. This is an outdoor, walking event.

Winter Lights 2025 – Chaska
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
November 20 – December 31
Opening night is 6:00 – 9:00pm
Otherwise times are 4:30 – 9:00pm

Opening night is November 20th! Tickets are now on sale. They also have special nights:

• Family Nights — December 11th & 18th 
• Adults Night Out — Dec. 3 & 4
• New Year’s Eve Party — Dec. 31

Dress warm as it’s all outside – there are many outdoor light displays, featuring flowers, nature and winter fun, on an accessible, stroller-friendly walk that’s just over a half-mile.  Tickets: $10 members, $25 non-members. Kids 15 and under are FREE, except for theme nights. On those nights, tickets are $5 for kids.

Light Displays in Wisconsin

Miracle at Big Rock – St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
November 28th, 2025 through January 4th, 2025
5:00 – 9:00pm

Walk through or drive through!

DRIVE-THRU (Mon–Tues)
5 PM – 9 PM
$17/person online ($15 for seniors & vets with code SENIOR or VET)
$17/person at the door ($15 for seniors & vets with ID)
Kids 2 & under: Free

WALK-THROUGH (Wed–Sun)
Wed, Thu, Sun: 5 PM – 9 PM
Fri & Sat: 4 PM – 10 PM
Online: $22 adults | $17 kids (3–11) | $17 seniors & vets (code SENIOR or VET)
At the door: $24 adults | $17 kids | $17 seniors & vets (with ID)
Kids 2 & under: Free

Friday Night Fireworks!
Online: $27 adults | $20 kids (3–11) | $20 seniors & vets (code SENIOR or VET)
At the door: $29 adults | $20 kids | $20 seniors & vets (with ID)
Kids 2 & under: Free

Parking: Free general parking (VIP parking available)

Sam’s Christmas Village & Light Tour – Somerset, Wisconsin
November 28, 2025 – January 1, 2026
Wednesdays & Thursdays, 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Fri & Sat, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Sundays, 5:00 – 8:00pm

This one alternates drive-through nights with walk-through nights. Families have been loving it! Check their schedule for drive-through and walk-through times. 

To walk through: Cost is $25 for adults, $20 for kids ages 4 – 10, free for kids 3 and under, and 1/2 off with military ID. Parking is $10 cash for walk through nights.

To drive through: $15 for age 4 and up; FREE for age 3 and under

Read about our visit to Sam’s Christmas Village last year!

Want more?

Ice Castles

Ice Castles are coming back – this time at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds!

DISCOUNTED TICKETS!

I have an exclusive discount coming soon! Check back.

Also, join my Facebook group, Minnesota Holiday Lights!

Are there other light displays you know of that should be added to this list?