Christmas / Lights / Columbus

The best Christmas lights in Columbus

6 displays · 3 free · Ohio

Columbus has quietly built one of the Midwest's best light seasons, anchored by a zoo show that has been running for nearly four decades. Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo is the tradition everyone grew up on, but the city also delivers a proper drive-through at Alum Creek, a glowing botanical conservatory, and a shopping district that flips millions of lights on in a single night.

Everything opens within a week or two of Thanksgiving and runs through the first weekend of January. The smart move is to mix one ticketed night with the free stuff: Easton's tree show and the luminaria-lit brick streets of German Village cost nothing and feel unmistakably Columbus.

1.Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Powell

Ticketed eventIncluded with zoo admission, around $20-30 per person

Nearly 40 years running, Wildlights wraps the zoo in millions of LED lights, with animated musical displays over Conservation Lake and a 200-foot immersive light tunnel. Dave the Snowman greets guests at the entrance, and the boat and train rides add a few dollars of kid-pleasing extras. It is the defining Columbus holiday tradition.

Season: Late November through early January

2.Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights

Alum Creek State Park, Galena

Drive-throughAround $20-30 per car

Central Ohio's big drive-through winds through the woods of Alum Creek State Park with animated LED scenes lighting up the trees on both sides of the route. Weeknights are cheaper per car than weekends. Tune the radio to the synced station and let the kids call out displays from the back seat.

Season: Late November through early January

3.Conservatory Aglow

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Ticketed eventAround $27-29 per person

Franklin Park's gardens glow with thousands of lights, a rainbow tunnel, ornament trees, and the annual gingerbread competition inside the historic glasshouse. It is the artsiest of the Columbus light events, with Chihuly glass mixed in among the poinsettias. Indoor galleries make it the best cold-night option in town.

Season: Late November through early January

4.Easton Town Center Holiday Lights

Easton

Walk-throughFree

Easton kicks off with its Grand Illumination and keeps millions of lights glowing across the shopping district all season, including a 56-foot tree on the Town Square running light shows every few minutes each evening. It is free to wander, festive, and conveniently surrounded by dinner options. Weeknights beat the December weekend shopping crush.

Season: Mid-November through early January

5.Village Lights in German Village

German Village

Free neighborhoodFree

On Village Lights nights, German Village lines its brick streets and iron fences with luminarias while shops and restaurants stay open late, centered on the famously book-stacked Book Loft. The candlelit brick rowhouses feel closer to a European Christmas than anything else in Ohio. Check the neighborhood calendar, since the full luminaria display happens on select evenings.

Season: Select December evenings

6.Columbus Commons Holiday Lights

Downtown Columbus

Walk-throughFree

Downtown's central park lights up with hundreds of thousands of lights, a large tree, and family-friendly displays scattered across the lawn. It pairs naturally with a walk to the Scioto Mile and the lit-up riverfront. Free, central, and easy to add onto any downtown evening.

Season: Late November through early January

Local tip

Wildlights is included with regular zoo admission, so go in the late afternoon, see the animals in daylight, and stay as the lights come on at 5pm. You get two visits for one ticket, and the crowds arriving at dark walk straight past you already inside.

Displays and prices are researched from recent seasons and stated approximately; hours, routes, and admission change year to year, so check an event's official page before you drive out.

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Common questions

When do Christmas lights go up in Columbus?
Easton flips its millions of lights on at the Grand Illumination in mid-November, and Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo and Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights both open the week of Thanksgiving. Nearly everything runs through the first weekend of January, and German Village's luminaria nights land on select December evenings.
What are the best free Christmas lights in Columbus?
Easton Town Center is the biggest free show, with a 56-foot tree running light shows every few minutes all evening. Columbus Commons downtown is a solid free stroll, and Village Lights in German Village, with luminarias lining the brick streets, is the most atmospheric night of the whole season.
How much is Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights?
Plan on roughly $20 to $30 per car depending on the night, with Monday through Thursday cheaper than weekends. Since it is priced per vehicle, it is one of the better group deals in town. The route through Alum Creek State Park takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic.
Is Wildlights included with Columbus Zoo admission?
Yes, Wildlights is included with regular zoo admission and with memberships, which makes it a strong value compared to cities where zoo lights are a separate premium ticket. Lights run from 5pm until 9 or 10pm depending on the night. The train and boat rides cost a few dollars extra.
What is Village Lights in German Village?
It is a neighborhood tradition where German Village lines its brick sidewalks with glowing luminarias and shops stay open late, anchored by the Book Loft's 32 rooms of books. It only happens on select December evenings rather than all season, so check the dates before you go. Dress warm and plan to walk.

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