One of the best things about the holiday season is seeing the Christmas lights around town. The whole family gets in their holiday PJs, pack up some hot chocolate, and then drive around, taking in all the beautiful sights. It’s one of the best ways to make holiday memories, often without spending a dime, that your family will cherish forever.
But where can you see Christmas lights? Scroll down, because we’ve got your guide to all the best places to thrill and delight your kiddos this holiday season.
READ: 2023 South Central PA Mom Holiday Gift Guide
Jump to: BERKS COUNTY – CUMBERLAND COUNTY – DAUPHIN COUNTY – LANCASTER COUNTY – LEBANON COUNTY – YORK COUNTY – NATIONAL RESOURCES
Christmas Lights in Berks County
- Reading’s Christmas On the Mountain: This free to enter and free to park display, now with over two million led lights, inflatables, and both vintage and modern decorations. An extended light show set to your Favorite classic and modern holiday music, a “Frozen on the Mountain Area”, a beautiful replica Santa’s workshop, many real-life characters in costumes and a few over-the-top surprises, too.
- Christmas on Lincoln: Christmas On Lincoln is an animated Christmas Light display in Wyomissing Pennsylvania featuring over 60,000 Christmas Lights dancing to music that can be heard on your car radio. The light display was started in 2008 by Tim Macrina and his wife Katie. In 2013, the Macrina Family was the champion of ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight. The hours for the 2023 season are 5pm-9pm daily through New Years Eve starting Friday November 24.
- Koziar’s Christmas Village: Driving through the darkened countryside and coming over that last hill on the unlit country road is like driving into a fairyland. Suddenly you find yourself in a dazzling valley set aglow with more than one million Christmas lights adorning buildings, gift barns, and landscape. Koziar’s Christmas Village has grown to a mammoth and extraordinary seasonal attraction drawing visitors from around the world as well as local families who have made Koziar’s part of their Christmas tradition for four generations. Santa and his helpers have lots of treats in store for our special guests.
- Holiday Lights at Gring’s Mill: Visitors can stroll the grounds to view a glistening light display that highlights the historic buildings and landscaping at Gring’s Mill. *FREE* parking and admission. After enjoying the walk-through light display visitors can enjoy food and beverages from local food trucks, warm up next to the fire pit and listen to live music in the outdoor pavilion each night (music from 5:45 to 7:45 pm). Don’t miss a chance to get an up-close look at our model train display in the former generator station on the bridge. Santa will make appearances throughout the month in his Christmas Tree Lane located in the barn – decorated by local organizations.
- Twas the Lights Before Christmas: Come for a night of Christmas lights synchronized to music! The show runs every 15 minutes from 5pm – 10pm each night. Stay and watch the show as many times as you want! They’re located at 4891 Penn Ave. Sinking Spring, PA 19608 across from the Redner’s & Wendy’s on Route 422. This event is completely FREE! Enjoy our gift to the community!
Christmas Lights in Cumberland County
- 6th Annual Christmas Light Drive-Thru: Stone Gables Estate invites you to experience a spectacular 3-mile Christmas Light Drive-Thru which features over ONE MILLION brilliant LED lights and expressions of the Christmas message. Enter at Brittany’s Hope: 1160 North Market Street, Elizabethtown PA 17022. (Please type the physical address listed above into your GPS.) Once you arrive watch for signage and staff to direct you to ticketing and have your ticket ready if you purchased it online. Once you get through ticketing, signage and staff will direct you through the drive thru.
- Christmas Lights on Clouser: Drive-thru light display in Mechanicsburg; there is no cost, but donations are accepted for local charities.
- Camp Hill Parade of Lights: Camp Hill Borough will be holding the state award-winning Parade of Lights for Toys for Tots through Willow Park this year, during the evening hours of 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This event is sponsored in part by First Commonwealth Bank. New in 2023! Attendees will walk along the trail in Willow Park and see the lights. On Friday December 8, in addition to walking the trail, a trolley will be available to hop on at the Borough building (parking available there, too) for visitors who would prefer to ride around the light display. A new unwrapped toy donation is our request for admission to the event. The US Marines and volunteers will be collecting your toy at the cubes, located on N. 24th Street or at the Borough building. We look forward to seeing everyone! This is a great cause that enables children in Central PA to receive a toy for the holidays. Admission: bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots!
Christmas Lights in Dauphin County
- Hershey Sweet Lights: Drive through two miles of wooded trails, enjoy nearly 600 illuminated, animated displays and listen to a custom-made holiday radio station on your drive. Download the free iHeartRadio App, search for our station, Hershey Sweet Lights®, and enjoy the lights and music!
- Linglestown Lights: This home features a “dancing” Christmas light display near Harrisburg. Tune to 98.1 FM from your car or listen from the curb with music played outside! They are at 5780 Stillwell Court in Linglestown; follow the curb around the cul-de-sac and do not stop in front of driveways. Take your time watching the show and enjoy! If there are large crowds, please keep the line moving. The crowds are usually lower on weeknights later in the evening.
- Mohl Family Miracle of Lights: The music-coordinated light show starts on November 24th. Tune in to 87.9 to listen along!
- Village of Lights: Come and celebrate the season in our brand new, walk-through attraction, offering enchanting, colorful light displays in a Village atmosphere. The radiant glow, holiday décor, and crackling open-air fire add to the festive atmosphere. Holiday gifts will be available in the Village Shoppe.
Christmas Lights in Lancaster County
- Dutch Winter Wonderland: There are several ways to take in the lights at Dutch Wonderland this holiday season! Experience all the beauty of the holiday with a light-filled scenic stroll down Illumination Lane, nestled along the park creek. Be sure to stop along the trail to snap that perfect family-holiday photo that you’ll never forget! Merlin hosts a brand new magical holiday spectacular. Join their royal friends as he brings thousands of lights to life with holiday magic. This brand new immersive light show is sure to delight all guests and get them in the holiday spirit!
- Christmas Spirit Light Show: Christmas Spirit Light Show is an exciting, one-of-a-kind Christmas light display that you and your loved ones will enjoy from the comfort of your vehicle. As you journey through our mile-long track, you will be immersed and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of color-changing lights, animated and dancing in harmony with your favorite Christmas classics. Our show is a breathtaking holiday experience that you and your loved ones will never forget.
- Christmas in the Park: Christmas lights will fill the Terre Hill Park along with food, activities, top notch entertainment, free children’s crafts, music, vendors and more! Christmas in the Park has expanded to TWO weekends this year – with more food, activities, lights and entertainment then ever before! Parking and general admission are FREE. Food, certain activities, and admission to the lighted walking trail are a small fee. Stroll through the Terre Hill Park walking trail complete with 100+ hand made lighted decorations, music, live nativity and lots and lots of Christmas lights! Admission to the trail is $5, 3 and under are free. Admission is valid the entire evening. Walking distance is approximately a quarter mile. Transportation through the trail is available to those who require assistance.
- Krasley Christmas: This annual display on Woodland Drive in Manheim runs from December 1st to January 1st. The light display includes more than 80,000 lights, and is coordinated to music; tune your radio to 87.9 to listen.
- Messick’s Christmas Light Show: This light show is open for its 11th year. It is free and open to the public, and the community is invited to either drive up and watch the show from their car, or park and watch the show from the bleachers. The show will be full of tractors, lights, and energy-filled Christmas music. Last year, Messick’s collected $64,700 of donations at the Christmas Light Show, bringing the 10-year total of donations raised to $431,000. The Messick’s Christmas Light show features more than 70,000 Christmas lights choreographed to Christmas music, which is broadcast to FM radio you can enjoy from your car or through the speakers. The light show includes dozens of Kubota tractors and excavators, which are integrated into the show by using the machine as part of the display. Throughout the show, volunteers from Messick’s will be collecting donations which benefit five local charities. One hundred percent of the proceeds collected go to Mennonite Disaster Service, ECHOS (Elizabethtown Community Housing and Outreach Services), Paxton Ministries and the Water Street Rescue Mission. Messick’s Christmas Light Show opens Dec. 1 and runs every evening through Dec. 29 from 6:00 – 9:30pm. Messick’s Farm Equipment is located at 1475 Strickler Road in Mount Joy.
- Let There Be Light: Come And Experience The Supernatural Mystery, Wonder, And Excitement Of Christmas This Holiday Season In The Heart Of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The festive atmosphere and amazing winter activities are the perfect way to get into the spirit of Christmas. Our property is adorned with beautiful Christmas-time light displaying the deeper magic of Christmas for you and your family. Our DONATION BASED walk-thru Christmas light displays and support local non-profits. Your gifts will help provide #LightForAll.
Christmas Lights in Lebanon County
- Moyer Christmas Displays: This is a Christmas Display that is located in Central, PA along Route 422 in Cleona.
- Miller Street: Come drive past Lebanon’s largest pixel light display. They have over 45 minutes of show to entertain you and your family. Music selections are from all generations so there is something for everyone to love. Turn your radio to 88.5 FM to stay warm on the cold PA nights!
Christmas Lights in York County
- Christmas Magic 2023: York County Parks is pleased to present the 40th edition of Christmas Magic! The event runs November 24 – December 30. The show will be closed December 24, 25, and 31. Stroll through our festive half-mile, ADA accessible, woodland trail filled with numerous sparkling Christmas lights and holiday scenes.
- Winter Wonder Trail: A festive walk through the trail featuring a vast array of Holiday music, festive lights, plus so many fun animated displays filled with cheer and joy. This fun-filled event is for all ages. Hot chocolate, coffee, cookies, and a wide variety of treats will be available. Warm yourself by the fire during your winter journey and enjoy some yummy smores, available at the ticket booth. Santa will be on site to greet children of all ages weekends through Saturday, December 23rd. Santa heads back to the North Pole to ready for his Christmas Eve journey the following week! They are closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to enjoy the holiday with family and friends.
- Weinrich Family Christmas Lights: Weinrich Family Christmas Lights is a local Christmas light display in York. We are offering t-shirts and hoodies this year. A portion of each t-shirt purchased will be donated to Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen.
- Joy-O-Rama: Watch thousands of lights twinkle and flash to a mix of cheerful holiday music! Their light show is perfect for all ages, and will get you into the Christmas spirit. And here’s best part – it’s entirely free! Just stop by during show hours and be prepared to be dazzled.
- Linburg Lights: This FREE Christmas light show starts Friday, November, 24th and runs everyday from 5:00-10:00 PM at 1195 Hambiltonian Way in York. Tune in to 87.9 in your car to hear the music alongside the lights.
- Lights on Daugherty: This light show consists of approximately 10,000 RGB “smart” pixels, or computer controlled lights. Each light has a small circuit board that allows various commands (color, brightness, etc) to be sent to it at anytime. This makes them individually controllable. For the lights to work, they need a program and a controller. The program is what is used to create the show – like a movie editor. The controller takes the programs information and makes the lights do what we want – it controls them. The software that programs our show is xLights, which is a free and powerful program available at xlights.org. Our controllers are Falcon Controllers. All of their controllers are controlled through a computer.
- Light Up the Night – Silver Spur: Turn your radio to 107.1 to listen to music for their coordinated light show. Donations are collected each year for a local charity.
- Dillsburg Lights: Music can be heard on 88.9 FM. Please don’t block both lanes of traffic. If the road is congested consider going to the end of the road to turn around and pull up directly in front of the house. This keeps one lane open and no one will be blocking your view. They are located one mile off Route 15 in Dillsburg.
- Country Farm Christmas: FREE cookies and Hot Cocoa most Friday and Saturday nights. If lights are blinking, the soap shack is open unless otherwise posted. Stop in and grab your stocking stuffers.
- Upperco Yuletide Village: Half-mile drive-thru light display and indoor train garden presented by the Upperco Volunteer Fire Company.
- A Longwood Christmas: This holiday season, experience a radiance of retro, a bevy of bright, and numerous nostalgic moments with us. Marvel at playful trees draped in throwback baubles to shimmering tinsel to childhood-favorite toys. Stroll through a fab, festive holiday party scene decked out in mid-century magic. Reminisce amid a vintage Christmas street scene, make new merry memories amid dazzling, vibrant light displays—including some super-sized surprises—and revel in the retro fun at every turn.
