The best Christmas lights in Portland
6 displays · 2 free · Oregon
Portland's light season feels handmade in the best way. This is a city where a single residential block has been stringing lights since 1932, where boats deck themselves out and parade up the river, and where a Catholic shrine turns its cliffside garden into one of the West Coast's biggest walk-through displays. It rains, sure, but the drizzle just makes everything glow harder.
The season here runs from just before Thanksgiving through New Year's, with the big ticketed shows (the zoo, the raceway, the Grotto) opening in late November and the beloved free stuff, like Peacock Lane, holding off until mid-December. Bring a rain shell instead of an umbrella and you'll blend right in.
1.Peacock Lane
Southeast Portland
Portland's most famous four blocks of Christmas, where the Tudor-style homes have been decorating together since 1932. Expect nativity scenes, rotating trees, and a cocoa booth serving free hot chocolate and cider. Go on one of the pedestrian-only nights if you can, when the street closes to cars entirely.
Season: Mid-December through New Year's Eve
2.Oregon ZooLights
Washington Park
More than 1.5 million lights turn the zoo into a glowing menagerie of animal silhouettes and tunnels of color. It has been a Portland tradition for over 30 years, and tickets are timed entry sold online in advance. Take the MAX to the Washington Park stop and skip the parking scramble.
Season: Late November through early January
3.Winter Wonderland at Portland International Raceway
North Portland
The largest holiday light show in the region, laid out along the actual racetrack at PIR. You drive the circuit past fully animated scenes, which feels delightfully strange if you have ever watched a race here. Weeknights are noticeably cheaper and shorter on lines.
Season: Late November through New Year's Eve
4.Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto
Northeast Portland
About 2 million lights illuminate a quarter-mile walking path through the Grotto's forested Catholic shrine, with live choir concerts in the chapel most nights. It is one of the largest Christmas choral festivals in the world, and the cliffside setting makes it feel a world away from the city.
Season: Late November through late December
5.Christmas Ships Parade
Willamette and Columbia Rivers
A Portland institution since 1954, two fleets of brightly lit boats parade the Willamette and Columbia on December evenings. Riverside restaurants fill up fast on parade nights, but any waterfront park along the route works. Check the schedule, since each fleet sails a different stretch each night.
Season: First three weeks of December
6.Silverton Christmas Market
Oregon Garden Resort, Silverton
A German-style Christmas market under a canopy of about a million lights at the Oregon Garden, roughly an hour south of Portland. Gluhwein, bratwurst, and a snowless sledding hill round out the trip. It pairs well with a daytime visit to Silver Falls State Park.
Season: Late November through late December
Local tip
For Peacock Lane, park a few blocks away on Belmont or Hawthorne and walk in. The lane itself crawls with slow-moving cars on weekends, and you will see far more detail on foot with a coffee in hand.
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
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