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/ October 26, 2026
The NHL Winter Classic is the league’s marquee outdoor regular-season game, played annually on or near New Year’s Day since its 2008 debut. The first edition pitted the Buffalo Sabres against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, where Sidney…
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/ October 24, 2026
Safari Lights is the Oklahoma City Zoo’s annual holiday light show, pairing a drive-thru cruise past illuminated wildlife sculptures with a walk-thru course of interactive lights, photo stops and seasonal treats. The 2026 season runs nightly from November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027, from…
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tz
/ October 23, 2026
Christkindlmarket Chicago is an annual German-style Christmas market held in Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago, inspired by the centuries-old Christkindlesmarkt of Nuremberg, Germany. Organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, the market debuted in 1996 at Pioneer Court before Mayor Richard…
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/ October 22, 2026
Each December 31st, the eyes of the world turn to a single sphere perched atop One Times Square in Manhattan. The Times Square Ball has served as the centerpiece of New York City’s New Year’s Eve celebration since its first descent on December 31, 1907…
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/ October 20, 2026
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has stood as one of New York City’s most recognizable holiday traditions since construction workers put up a modest 20-foot balsam fir on the site in 1931, decorating it themselves with cranberries, paper garlands, and tin cans during the depths…
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/ October 18, 2026
Zoo Lights Drive-Thru is the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s winter lights event in Highland Park, where guests tour the zoo grounds from inside their own vehicle to see illuminated animal displays, yuletide scenes and Pittsburgh-themed light sculptures. The zoo has confirmed 2026 dates: select…
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/ October 18, 2026
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is the long-running holiday stage show starring the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. First staged on December 21, 1933, just a year after the Music Hall itself opened, it has grown into one of the…
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/ October 18, 2026
Safari Lights is the Oklahoma City Zoo’s annual holiday lantern and light event, held on the zoo grounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For 2026 it runs nightly from Saturday, November 14, 2026 through Sunday, January 3, 2027, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. with last check-in…
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/ October 17, 2026
The Candlelight Processional is a holiday stage show performed at Epcot’s America Gardens Theatre every November and December as part of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. The performance retells the nativity story through scripture narration paired with a live orchestra and a massed…
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/ October 17, 2026
Holidays at the Garden transforms the Daniel Stowe Conservancy (the garden formally dropped “Botanical Garden” from its name in April 2025) in Belmont, North Carolina, into a nightly winter walk of over one million lights and dancing fountains across its gardens and lake. For 2026…
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/ October 17, 2026
Dallas Zoo Lights Presented by Reliant turns the Dallas Zoo in Marsalis Park into a walk-through holiday display each winter, with more than two million lights, illuminated lantern displays and the zoo’s Destination: Dinosaurs trail glowing after dark. For 2026 the event runs select nights…
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/ October 17, 2026
Wild Lights at the Fort Wayne Zoo is a nighttime walk-through holiday lights event at the Fort Wayne Zoo, known as the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo until a January 2025 rename, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The 2026 season is confirmed for November 13, 2026 through…
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/ October 17, 2026
Zoo Lights, Powered by CPS Energy, turns the San Antonio Zoo into a nighttime walk-through of illuminated tunnels, lantern-style animal displays and a synchronized light show reflected over Big Lake each winter. The zoo has confirmed that the 2026 season will run from November 14…
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/ October 17, 2026
ZooLights is the holiday light event at Utah’s Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, where the zoo stays open after dark on select nights each winter so guests can walk through lit-up pathways, animal silhouettes, and festive decorations. It’s a low-key, cold-weather tradition built around…
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/ October 17, 2026
LumiNature is the Philadelphia Zoo’s holiday light show, presented by PNC, turning the 42-acre zoo into a glowing nighttime walk with wildlife-themed light displays, a light tunnel, and a 110-foot Pherris Wheel. The Philadelphia Zoo has confirmed LumiNature 2026 runs most nights from November 19…
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/ October 17, 2026
Wild Winter Lights Presented by NOPEC turns Cleveland Metroparks Zoo into a holiday walking trail every winter, stringing more than 1.5 million lights across themed sections of the zoo for a season that typically runs mid-November through early January. The zoo has not released 2026…
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/ October 17, 2026
Lights Before Christmas is the Toledo Zoo’s long-running holiday lights event, held each winter in Toledo, Ohio, and widely considered one of the best zoo light displays in the Midwest. As of this writing, the Toledo Zoo has not yet released 2026 dates, hours, ticket…
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/ October 17, 2026
Wild Lights is the Akron Zoo’s annual holiday light display in Akron, Ohio, and the 2026 run marks its 10th anniversary season. It runs select nights from November 20 through December 27, 2026, with the zoo open from 5 to 9 p.m. (last entry 8:30…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
Zoo lights and botanical garden light shows run from mid November into early January, and this page lists every one ThrillZing has a full guide for, sorted by state. Each row links to the event guide with the verified 2026 dates, ticket prices, what is…
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/ October 17, 2026
Glow Wild is Nashville Zoo’s new holiday light show, running nightly from November 13, 2026 through January 3, 2027, from 5pm to 9pm at the zoo’s Grassmere campus in Nashville, Tennessee. It replaces Zoolumination, the zoo’s previous Chinese lantern festival, which was canceled for 2026…
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/ October 17, 2026
Wild Lights is the Milwaukee County Zoo’s annual holiday lights event, turning the zoo’s forests and pathways into a glowing, mile-long walking route of animal-themed light displays. For 2026 the event runs from November 20 through December 31 (with select closed dates), from 5:30 p.m.
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/ October 17, 2026
Glow in the Wild is Toronto Zoo’s after-dark lantern walk, running from September 3, 2026 through January 3, 2027, primarily Thursday through Sunday nights (a preview opening took place September 2), with the zoo at 2000 Meadowvale Road lit up well past the holiday season…
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/ October 17, 2026
Holiday at the Arboretum is the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s annual winter event on the shore of White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas. For 2026 it runs November 11, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with daytime hours from 9am to 4pm and Holiday at…
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/ October 17, 2026
Las Noches de las Luminarias: A Holiday Escape takes over the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix for select nights from November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with gates open from 5 to 9:30 p.m. each night. For 2026 the Garden is billing it as…
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/ October 17, 2026
Enchanted: Forest of Light returns to Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, California, for its tenth season, running November 22, 2026 through January 9, 2027. The nightly walk through the gardens’ oak woodland and camellia forest runs from 5:30 pm to 10 pm, with the…
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/ October 17, 2026
Winter Walk of Lights is a half-mile, self-guided lighted trail through Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia, run by NOVA Parks. The 2026 season runs November 11, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with nightly hours of 5:30 to 10:00 pm from November 11 to December…
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/ October 17, 2026
The Dominion Energy Garden of Lights brings more than 1.5 million lights to Norfolk Botanical Garden in Norfolk, Virginia, for a holiday tradition the garden says has lit up the season for over 30 years. The 2026 event runs from Friday, November 6, 2026 through…
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/ October 17, 2026
Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood turns the gardens of this Nashville estate into a one-mile walk through more than a million twinkling lights, running from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027 with nightly hours from 4:30pm to 10pm. New for 2026 is a heated igloo…
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/ October 17, 2026
A Longwood Christmas is the long-running holiday display at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and in 2026 it runs from November 20, 2026 through January 10, 2027, open daily from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm. The 2026 edition takes on a cosmic theme, with…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
Lightscape is the after-dark illuminated trail at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a mile-long walking route through lit sculptures, lantern displays and lighting effects projected onto the Garden’s trees, architecture and water features. The 2026-2027 run is set for November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with…
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/ October 17, 2026
Illumination returns to The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois for its 14th season, running Saturday, November 14, 2026 through Saturday, January 2, 2027, with trails open nightly from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. For 2026 the Arboretum is adding four new installations, including an aurora borealis-inspired…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
Lightscape is a walk-through holiday lights trail at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois, running from November 13, 2026 through January 3, 2027 on select nights from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. (some evenings close earlier, at 9:30 p.m., with last entry 8:45 p.m. or…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
Wild Lights is the holiday lantern event at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, the successor to the zoo’s longtime Lights Before Christmas tradition. For 2026 the zoo has confirmed select nights from November 20, 2026 through January 10, 2027, with gates open…
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/ October 17, 2026
Christmas in the Wild turns ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida into an after-hours holiday walkthrough with one of Tampa Bay’s largest light displays, illuminated animal sculptures, and themed zones spread across the zoo’s grounds. The 2026 run opens with a Member Preview Night…
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/ October 17, 2026
The Memphis Zoo Lantern Festival lights up the zoo grounds in Memphis, Tennessee for a second year, running on select nights from November 13, 2026 through February 14, 2027. Built with Tianyu Arts & Culture and presented by Truist, the festival replaced the zoo’s older…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
TXU Energy Presents Zoo Lights turns the Houston Zoo in Hermann Park into a nighttime holiday walk, with illuminated animal displays, light tunnels and festive treats spread across the grounds. The 2026 season runs November 19, 2026 through January 3, 2027, nightly from 5:30 to…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
Zoo Lights transforms the Denver Zoo into a winter wonderland on select nights from November 23, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with more than three million lights spread across the zoo’s 80 acres. The event runs 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4:30…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
ZooLights is the Phoenix Zoo’s annual holiday lights display, held on the zoo’s grounds in Phoenix, Arizona. For 2026 the event runs from November 25, 2026 through January 15, 2027, open nightly from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. New for this season is an expanded Lake…
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/ October 17, 2026
Jungle Bells is the San Diego Zoo’s holiday season celebration in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. For 2026 it runs from December 18, 2026 through January 3, 2027, skipping December 24, with the zoo open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and three Holiday Light Treks…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
L.A. Zoo Lights lights up the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park from November 20, 2026 through January 10, 2027 on select evenings, with the box office open from 5:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. on event nights. For 2026 the zoo says the lantern displays…
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tz
/ October 17, 2026
Glowfari is Oakland Zoo’s winter lantern festival, where walking paths and exhibits across the zoo fill with illuminated animal sculptures after dark. The seventh edition runs November 6, 2026 through January 31, 2027 in Oakland, California, with timed entry between 4:30pm and 6:30pm and all…
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/ October 17, 2026
Zoolights lights up Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, for its 39th year, with the 2026 run set for November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027 from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly, except for a closure on December 24 and 25. The…
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/ October 16, 2026
WildLanterns returns to Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle for the 2026 holiday season, running November 13, 2026 through January 17, 2027, nightly from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. with last entry at 8:30 p.m. For 2026 the event is built entirely around a new seven-continents theme…
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tz
/ October 16, 2026
ZooLights lights up the Oregon Zoo in Portland’s Washington Park from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, opening nightly at 4:30 p.m. (the zoo is closed November 17 to 19, November 24 to 26, and December 25). The zoo’s event page says more 2026…
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/ October 16, 2026
The Winter Light Spectacular returns to the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, for its 13th year, running from Friday, November 13, 2026, through Saturday, January 2, 2027. The zoo strings 1.7 million lights along its paths, and this season adds a Candy Land zone…
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/ October 16, 2026
ZooLights takes over Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts, turning the zoo’s roughly 24 acres into a walk-through display of lights, lanterns and lit-up animal exhibits. The 2026 season runs from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, nightly from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. (last entry…
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/ October 16, 2026
Holiday Lights returns to the Bronx Zoo in the Bronx, New York, running on select nights from November 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027. The lanterns switch on at 4:30 p.m. and final entry is at 8 p.m. New for 2026, the zoo is opening…
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/ October 16, 2026
Christmas at the Zoo, presented by Indiana Members Credit Union, turns the Indianapolis Zoo into a glowing winter wonderland from November 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Evening festivities begin daily at 5 p.m., and guests can wander twinkling light displays, sip hot cocoa by…
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/ October 16, 2026
Wild Lights is the Saint Louis Zoo’s holiday lantern and light display, running on select nights from November 27 through December 30, 2026, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. with last entry at 8 p.m. The event is presented by Commerce Bank and was known in…
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tz
/ October 16, 2026
Wild Lights is the Detroit Zoo’s annual holiday light display, running select nights from November 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027 at the zoo’s Royal Oak campus. Gates open at 5 p.m. each night, with closing time stretching to 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays…
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/ October 16, 2026
Wildlights is the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s annual holiday lights tradition in Powell, Ohio, just outside Columbus. For 2026 the event runs November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, open nightly within regular zoo hours (12 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12 to…
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/ October 16, 2026
The PNC Festival of Lights is the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s annual holiday lights event, now in its 44th year. For 2026 it runs from November 19, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with the zoo open nightly from 10am and holiday activities starting at…
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/ October 16, 2026
ZooLights is the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s annual winter lights event in Washington, DC. For 2026 it runs select nights from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with the Zoo open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5…
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/ October 16, 2026
Holiday Magic turns Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s grounds in Brookfield, Illinois into a nighttime display of LED lights, illuminated animal sculptures and light tunnels. For the 2026 season the festival runs on select nights from November 21 through January 3, 2027, with the zoo open from…
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/ October 8, 2026
Holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood returns from Saturday, November 21, 2026 through Sunday, January 3, 2027, running daily for the full stretch rather than on select nights. The celebration centers on three themed experiences spread across the park: Grinchmas in Universal Plaza, Christmas in The…
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/ October 1, 2026
Holiday in the Park returns to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, on select nights from November 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027, after sitting out the 2025 season. Six Flags describes this as a full reimagining of the event rather than a…
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/ September 28, 2026
Holiday in the Park is the annual Christmas event at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, running on select days from November 22 through December 30, 2026, with a separate New Year’s Eve Celebration added on December 31. The park has confirmed new exclusive holiday…
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/ September 25, 2026
theme park holiday events 2026 run from November into early January, and this page lists every park holiday event ThrillZing has a full guide for, sorted by state, with verified 2026 dates. Dates come from each park’s official event page. Many holiday events run on…
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/ September 25, 2026
Dutch Winter Wonderland turns Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania into a holiday light show for families with younger kids. The park’s official event page lists 2026 dates of November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027, and the event runs on select days rather than every…
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/ September 25, 2026
Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, runs on select dates from November 26, 2026 to January 3, 2027. It is a holiday event built around evening lights, live shows and Santa, and it returns under the same name as…
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/ September 25, 2026
Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio runs on select dates from November 21 to December 23, 2026, according to the park’s official event page. It is a daytime-into-evening festival with Christmas lights, live shows, Santa and seasonal food layered…
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/ September 25, 2026
Holiday in the Park returns to Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell on select days from November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027, according to the park’s official event page. The park skipped the event in 2025, so this is a comeback rather than a…
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/ September 25, 2026
Knott’s Merry Farm is the holiday season event at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The 2026 edition runs from Nov. 20, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, and it takes place during regular park days rather than on select nights. The park has not…
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/ September 25, 2026
WinterFest is the holiday event at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, north of Toronto. For 2026 the park lists it on select nights from November 21 through January 3, 2027. It is an evening event, so the park is not open every day of that…
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/ September 25, 2026
WinterFest 2026 at Carowinds runs on select dates from November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027. It is the park’s holiday event in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it turns Carowinds into a decorated, lit-up winter park with live entertainment and seasonal food. The park has…
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/ September 25, 2026
WinterFest at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, is the park’s holiday event, and the 2026 edition runs select nights from November 27 to December 31, 2026. The official park page describes festive light displays with millions of shimmering lights, family activities, live entertainment, holiday-inspired comfort…
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/ September 25, 2026
Holiday Lights at Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, turns the amusement park into an evening light display. The 2026 season is listed for November 13, 2026 through January 3, 2027, on select dates rather than every night. Listed hours are Fridays from 5 to 9…
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/ September 25, 2026
Hersheypark Christmas Candylane returns for 2026 on select dates from November 13 through January 3, 2027. It is the park’s long-running holiday event, with candy-themed decorations, Santa and his reindeer, holiday shows and festive touches on a few rides. The hours and the exact open…
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/ September 25, 2026
Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld San Diego runs daily from November 13, 2026 to January 3, 2027, according to the park’s official events page. It is a daytime and evening holiday event built around lights, nightly snowfall, live shows and meet-and-greets with Santa and his reindeer.
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/ September 25, 2026
Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld San Antonio runs on select days from November 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027, according to the park’s official events page. The park calls it the largest Christmas celebration in Texas, and it turns the marine life park into a holiday…
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/ September 25, 2026
SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration 2026 runs on select dates from November 6, 2026 to January 4, 2027, according to the park’s event page. It is not a nightly event across that whole window, so the park calendar decides which days you see the full lineup.
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/ September 25, 2026
Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is the park’s holiday festival, and the official event page lists the 2026 season as select dates from November 13, 2026, through January 4, 2027. The page lists the event hours as park open to park close and…
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/ September 25, 2026
Christmas Town returns to Busch Gardens Williamsburg on select dates from November 13, 2026 to January 3, 2027, according to the park’s official event page. The park says it will be covered in more than ten million lights. The event runs on select dates rather…
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/ September 25, 2026
An Old Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri runs November 7, 2026 to January 2, 2027, and there’s no separate ticket for it — the event is included with regular park admission. That makes the real question for most visitors “how much…
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/ September 25, 2026
Smoky Mountain Christmas is Dollywood’s winter festival in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The 2026 edition runs from November 6, 2026 through January 3, 2027. The park does not open every day in that window, and the festival carries through the afternoon and into the evening, when…
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/ September 25, 2026
Universal Holidays is the resort-wide Christmas celebration at Universal Orlando Resort, and the 2026 season runs from November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027. It covers Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Epic Universe, CityWalk and the on-site hotels, and it runs on…
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/ September 25, 2026
Holidays at the Disneyland Resort 2026 runs from November 13, 2026 through January 6, 2027 at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. It is a daily seasonal overlay rather than a separate after-hours event, so it covers every operating day in that window. The start…
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/ September 25, 2026
Disney Jollywood Nights is the separately ticketed after-hours holiday party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The 2026 edition runs on 15 select nights from November 7, 2026 through January 5, 2027, with the party running from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The main change for 2026…
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/ September 25, 2026
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth runs daily from November 27 through December 30, 2026, starting the day after Thanksgiving. It is a daytime and evening festival, not a separate after-hours event, so you can enjoy it whenever the park is open.
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/ September 25, 2026
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a separately ticketed, after-hours holiday event at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Florida. The 2026 edition runs on 25 select nights from Sunday, November 8 through Tuesday, December 22, 2026. The party itself runs from 7 PM to…
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