Holiday drive-thru light shows bring holiday spirit to the whole family! Check out all the options in the Greater Cincinnati area.Ā Ā Listed below as walking (š¶) or driving (š) display.Ā
Be sure to check out the comprehensive list of
šresidential light displays in the neighborhoods around Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana!
š¶PNC Festival of Lights at the Zoo
The annual Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights, voted BEST Zoo Lights by USA Today, is an annual family-tradition! This walking holiday light display in Cincinnati is fun for all ages. PROtips: Get there EARLY so you can see some animals – the Kangaroo’s are active in the early evening and you can’t see Fiona and her friends once the sun sets. Stay for the lights and the hot chocolate and s’mores by the fire once the sun goes down.
Besides the millions of lights to view, you can admire the sleeping gorillas through the glass window, watch the lights dance to music on Swan Lake.
š„ Make sāmores by the fire and sip hot cocoa or an adult beverage š
āļøTake pics with The Frozen Sisters
š
Take pics with Santa – he and Mrs. Claus are delightful!
šMad Cap Puppet show
Get ticket to the Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights here.Ā
š Journey Borealis at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park
PYRAMID HILL,Ā 1763 HAMILTON CLEVES RD, HAMILTON, OH 45013
Journey Borealis at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park drive-thru light experience is different than the other drive-thru light shows.
MonāThurs 6pmā9pm: $20 per carload
FriāSun 6pmā10pm: $25 per carload
The experience is paired to music by Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Cincinnati Boy Choir.
You listen as you drive through an app called OTOCAST – *protip* download it before you go so youāre ready at the start. Click here and scroll down to scan the QR code.
There are light displays, interactive video screens strung between the trees & festive yarn-bombed trees!Ā
Make the MOST of your trip to Hamilton by exploring the town first. To celebrate the season, theyāve designed fun for all ages with Holly Jolly Hamilton.
š Christmas Nights of Lights
Grab some treats and hot chocolate head to Coney to see the lights! 1 million lights synchronized to music!
*protips*
— head to a Graeter’s location to get discounted tickets at $20/car.
— enter from the Belterra side of Kellogg, not the highway for faster entry.Ā
–pack snacks or dinner to eat in the car as lines can sometimes be long!
–get in line before dusk for a minimal wait!
See video of the fun in the Captain of the Kids Instagram reel.Ā š²
š¶ Lights at Clifton Mill
75 Water St., Clifton, OH 45316 (about 30 miles E of Dayton)
The Legendary Lights of Historic Clifton Mill has been on my bucket list for AWHILE and I think this might be the year! 4 million lights illuminating the mill, the gorge, the riverbanks, trees and bridges. There’s even a 100 foot āwaterfallā of twinkling lights. This is a walking event with a Miniature Village, a Santa Claus Museum, a Toy Collection and a spectacular synchronized lights and music show on the covered bridge. Admission is $10/person, age 4+
Photo cred: Clifton Mill
š Holiday in Lights at Sharon Woods
Enjoy a drive-thru light display through a wooded roadway in the Hamilton County park, Sharon Woods! Admission is $17 per vehicle, BUT you can get aĀ $1 off Holiday in Lights coupon here.
š¶Light in the Forest at Cincy Nature Center
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED – Click here to make them!Ā
December 1āJanuary 2, Wednesdays through Sundays, 5-9 pm (Closed December 24 & 25)
Hike the Nature Center trails to see light installations from BLINK Cincinnati reflecting a theme of peace, tranquility, and inspiration featuring the forest as a canvas for an artistic display of light. Throughout the walking tour, you will enjoy music, bonfires, holiday shopping, and the historic Krippendorf Lodge and Abner Hollow Cabin adorned in period decorations!
- Member adult: $10; member child (3-17 years old): $5
- Nonmember adult: $12; nonmember child (3-17 years old): $7
š¶Lumaze INDOOR Light Festival
Duke Energy Convention Center 525 Elm Street,
Cincinnati, Ohio. 45202
Open through Dec 30th, your family can ‘glow around the world’ at the Lumaze, an INDOOR Christmas light festival! Get tickets to Lumaze Cincinnati here!
š«š· See 6 different country specific light displays from around the world – don’t forget to get your passport stamped at each location
š
š½ Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus
šŗ Food and drinks (beer, wine & cocktails too) available for purchase – grab an LED bulb cup
š„¶ The festival is INDOORS, so it’s perfect for rainy or cold evenings
š The event is geared toward kids 10 and under, in my opinion.
Check out all the fun on the Captain of the Kids Instagram page!
š š¶The Christmas Ranch
3205 S. Waynesville Rd., MorrowĀ 45152
Reserve tickets ($20/car) online for The Christmas Ranch. Explore the lights – over 1 million – in this walk thru display! Enjoy the Nativity, stroll thru all of the shops, warm up by the bonfire and grab some goodies at Santaās Bakery & CafĆ© – pizza, funnel cake and other goodies. Take a ride on The Reindeer Express.
Santa will be here every night of the week thru 12-23-21
š¶Winterfest at Kings Island
6300 Kings Island Drive, Kings Island, OH 45034
It’s BACK! Grab your tickets to Kings Island’s Winterfest here!Ā
š©āš³ Decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus
āļø Snow tubing hills
Treats
šA nightly parade
š
Pics with Santa
and more!
See all the details from my friend Nedra at Adventure Mom Blog!
š š¶Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion
Land of Illusion Adventure Park,Ā 8762 Thomas Rd
MiddletownĀ OhioĀ 45042
A 2-mile long Christmas Around the World drive-thru experience. You can park after the drive-thru and visit Santa at the Christmas Village Santa Workshop, see the petting zoo or warm up by the fire pits. Get tickets online here for The Christmas Glow.
š¶Winter Nights, River Lights
The Purple People bridge in Newport
The Purple People Bridge features 1,000 lights illuminating the bridge’s span with holiday music and lighted projections too! Stop at the Wish Tree, on the Newport side of the bridge, to make someoneās holiday wish come true! Now through January 15.
Friday – Sunday nights, The Exchange Market and Bridgeview Box Park will feature festive, holiday tunes. Weekends in December, The Exchange Market will have a live music performer dressed as Santa and playing Christmas jingles. Get the latest info on the Newport on the Levee Facebook page.
Or, grab some treats around Newport and then drive through some neighborhood light displays nearby. See the full list from Cincy Xmas Lights here.Ā
š Light Up The Fair in Boone County
A drive-thru light show set to music at the Boone County Fairground for $7/person runs nightly through Jan 2.
Get your tickets to Light up the Fair here!
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