WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Celebrating the holiday season does not mean you have to spend a lot of money. One of the cheapest things you can do is enjoy other people’s decorative lights and displays. Some larger displays, such as at Botania, charge admission.
Click the map to find some of the best lights in Kansas. If we missed one, let us know. Please, send us a message by clicking Connect 3 Now or email us at connect3news@ksn.com.
Click here to open the map on your smartphone.
Before you go
Here is some advice regarding neighborhood light shows:
- Unless instructed otherwise, leave headlights on so residents will see your vehicle if they are backing out of a driveway.
- Stay to the side of the road and don’t block driveways, so residents and emergency vehicles can get through.
- Use the restroom before starting your holiday lights tour.
Wichita-area large displays
Illuminations Botanica, 701 Amidon St., Wichita. Now through Dec. 31 (Closed Nov. 23-24, Dec. 24-25). Hours are 5:30-9:30 p.m. daily. This one-way path is about a mile long and features more than two million lights. It has been voted in the country’s Top 10 Best Light Shows. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Click here to reserve a time slot and buy tickets. $13 for non-member adults / $9 for members and children ages 3 to 12 / Free for children 2 & under.
The Lights at AbilityPoint, (formerly The Arc’s Lights and the Lights on St. Paul) Douglas Ave. at St. Paul St. (between Meridian and West St). Through Dec. 28. Hours are 5:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30-9 p.m. the rest of the week. Features more than 1.5 million dazzling lights, the tallest lighted tree in Kansas, a state-of-the-art tunnel, and a new moving Ferris wheel, roller coaster and helicopter. $10 per car. $20 for buses and limos. Monday is by donation. Click here to order tickets, or buy them at Wichita QuikTrips. All the money goes toward opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Safari of Lights, Tanganyika Wildlife Park, 1000 S. Hawkins Lane, Goddard. Starting at 6 p.m. daily from Nov. 25-Jan. 1, except for Dec. 24-25 and 31. This drive-thru light show lasts 10 to 15 minutes. The cost is $25 a car on Fridays and Saturdays and $20 the rest of the week. Reservations required. Click here to reserve and purchase tickets. Check the park’s website for instructions about where to enter and which roads to avoid.
Wichita-area neighborhood displays
Brown’s Christmas on Hampton, 311 N. Hampton Rd, Wichita. Starts around the first week in December. Animated display, Tune to 106.9 for the music or roll down your window. Lots of lights. Lights are on until 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Lights off at 10:30 the rest of the week.
Candy Cane Lane and Reindeer Road – Found in one west Wichita neighborhood. Enter and exit at Central and Cedar Park Street only. Make only right turns in the neighborhood and leave the middle of the road open for local and emergency traffic:
- Candy Cane Lane, 1000 block N Azure Cir. The homes in this cul-de-sac have large candy canes at the front of their properties and other colorful decorations. Nov. 25-Dec. 31.
- Reindeer Road 900 block N. Firefly St. Various sizes of wooden reindeer – all large – grace the front of the homes along this street.
Carols on the Court, 1358 N. Aksarben Ct., Wichita. Animated light show with more than 8,000 lights. Visit the website during show hours to control the lights. It runs through Jan. 1. Hours are 5:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights turn off at 9:30 p.m. the rest of the week. Tune to 89.5 for the music.
Christmas at the McKinneys, 1462 N Coolidge St., Wichita. Donations are accepted and split evenly between HumanKind Ministries and the Kansas Humane Society. Runs through Jan. 1, from 5:30-10 p.m.
Christmas on Crestline, 914 N Crestline, Wichita, features a hologram with Santa, new LED snowflakes, a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl song, other holiday favorites, 80,000 lights dancing to music on 100.7 FM., and a face cut-out photo prop for families to take photos in. Starting Nov. 26, the hours are 6-11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 6-10:30 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday.
Christmas on Peckham, 2514 N Peckham St., Wichita. Starting Dec. 1, this home on Peckham goes all out for the holidays. There are 10 projectors, inflatables, trees, snowmen, Santas, penguins, and polar bears. Lights are on from dusk to 11 p.m. until Jan. 1.
Friends University Clock Tower, 2100 W. University Ave., Wichita. The lighted clock tower at Friends University is visible from Kellogg when you drive near Meridian and Edwards. The lights were turned on during a Ceremony of Lights on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.
Golden Hills Animated Lights, 727 N. Golden Hills, Wichita. A beautiful animated light show set to music at this home in west Wichita.
Lights on Brummett St., 3721 S Brummett St, Wichita. Now through Dec. 26. The hours are 5:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays but ending at 9:30 p.m. the rest of the week. A holiday display coordinated with music on 104.1.
Lights on David Street, 409 N. David St., Wichita. This is an interactive light display. Tune your radio to 106.9 FM. This runs from Nov. 26-Dec. 31. The lights are on from 5:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The lights turn off at 9 p.m. the rest of the week.
Lights on Gold 5336 S. Gold, Wichita. Animated light display of 13,000 lights set to music. Listen in on 99.5 FM. The hours are 5:30-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The lights are turned off at 10 p.m. the rest of the week.
Lights on Longview Ln., 3805 E. Longview Lane, Wichita. Nov. 24-Jan. 1. Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to midnight. Sunday through Thursday hours are from 6-11 p.m. Tune your radio to 106.9. This is “a free, drive-by, animated light show sure to make you smile and dance with upbeat Hip Hop and Edm remixes of Christmas-themed music.”
The Marshall Family Christmas Lights, 620 N Stratford Ln., Wichita. Tune in to 91.7 FM. Donations are accepted to benefit The Lord’s Diner and St. Anthony Family Shelter. Nov. 24-Jan. 6. The hours are 5:30-10 p.m. on school nights and until 11 p.m. on other nights.
9th Street Lights, 3821 W. 9th Street, Wichita. Approx. 35,000 lights animated to music on 101.7 FM. The days are Thanksgiving through Jan. 1. Hours are 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights off at 10 the rest of the week.
Robin Road Christmas Lights, 212 N. Robin Rd., Wichita. This display is several generations in the making. All the figurines were made by hand. The lights are on until 10 p.m. every night.
Union Station Lights, 701 E. Douglas, Wichita. The lights at Union Station and on the Douglas bridge train were flipped on during a fundraiser on Nov. 17 for the Wichita Children’s Home.
Other towns
ABILENE Christmas Tree Lane, North Buckeye Avenue to NW 3rd Street. For over 50 years, Abilene’s Public Works Department has cut and installed cedar trees in yards. Residents and businesses decorate more than 200 trees.
ABILENE Cowtown Christmas Light Showdown. This is part of the town’s Cowtown Christmas, Dec. 3-4. On Dec. 3, residents who donate food or money to the Abilene Food Bank, 409 NW 3rd Street, between 4:30-6:30 p.m., will be given a ballot and map of the lights in the showdown. Ballots must be turned in by 7:30 p.m. at Amanda’s Bakery & Bistro, 302 N. Broadway. The winner will be announced at 8 p.m. at Little Ike Park. The top prize is $2,000. The evening will end with fireworks, weather permitting. To see the full schedule for both days of Cowtown Christmas, click here. KSN News will try to update this list with some of the winning addresses.
ANDOVER Holiday Light Contest. Residents and businesses can enter the contest and win prizes of up to $300. Decorations must be completed by Nov. 29. Judging will be from Nov. 29 through Dec. 6. KSN News will try to update this list with some of the winning addresses.
ARKANSAS CITY North Pole Kansas. This is at a new location this year: 325 South Summit. Exquisite, tiny, indoor holiday village. Saturdays and Sundays, 1-6 p.m., from Nov. 26-Dec. 18. Donations are accepted.
AUGUSTA Lights on Tawakoni. 10813 SW Tawakoni Rd. Five acres covered in 90,000 lights. New this year: a 12-foot castle with all the Frozen characters and several different Grinch designs. Other favorites will be back: including a stagecoach being pulled by six life-sized horses, a flying Santa and reindeer, dinosaurs, dragons, snowmen, and more. Hours are 5:30-10:30 nightly. Free admission, but donations are welcome, too.
BARNARD Christmas House, 414 Section Line Rd, Barnard. Starts Nov. 24. Hours are 5:30-10:30 p.m. Best viewing is from the south going north. Tune the radio to 98.1. The songs change nightly. Try to be in front of the nativity scene when “The Greatest Story Ever Told” plays. It takes 10-15 minutes to watch all the songs.
BELLEVILLE Rocky Pond Christmas Display, 2010 12th Street, Belleville. Now through Dec. 31. Hours are 6-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6-9 p.m. the rest of the week. This is a community effort with all the displays made locally. Free admission, but donations are welcome after you have gone through the display.
BELOIT Chautauqua Isle of Lights, Chautauqua Park, Beloit. The display is open every night from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 25-Dec. 31. The roadway circling the park is lined with lights and more than 200 displays. It is a free-will donation. Follow Chautauqua Isle of Lights on Facebook for other details and events.
BONNER SPRINGS Knights of Lights, 633 N. 130th Street. A walk-thru exhibit at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. Fridays through Sundays, Nov. 25-Dec. 18. Also open Dec. 21-24 and Dec. 30 and 31. Check KCRenFest.com for a complete list of dates, times, and ticket prices.
CALDWELL Lungren Family Farm Bale Art, US 81 Hwy and Clearwater Road. The family has been decorating hay bales to add Christmas cheer for close to 25 years.
CHENEY Chance Family Christmas Drive-Thru, 15379 SE 20th St., Cheney. Now through-Dec. 25. A quarter-mile light display created entirely by one Cheney business owner. Free, but asking for non-perishable food items for the Union Rescue Mission and the Cheney Emergency Fund Food Pantry.
CHENEY Singing Christmas Trees, West 6th Avenue & North Main Street, Cheney. Thanksgiving to New Year’s. 5:30-11:30 p.m. Tune your radio to 99.3.
COTTONWOOD FALLS Christmas Lights, Nov. 26-Dec. 31. The lights on the Chase County Courthouse, 300 Pearl Street, and the Historic River Bridge, Mill and Broadway, are turned on during the two-day Chase County Country Christmas. Click here for the full schedule. You can see the courthouse lights from miles away.
DERBY Madison Avenue Central Park. Enjoy the lights in the park each night. The city also has a Holiday Lights Contest, but we do not have the addresses yet.
DERBY Snoopy House of Derby, 563 S. Derby Avenue. This animated light display is perfect for fans of “A Charley Brown Christmas.” Tune your radio to 89.5 FM.
DODGE CITY, various locations. The home at 1002 Ragan Road won the town’s 2021 Light Up contest. Clubs, businesses and individuals light and decorate trees in Wright Park. The El Capitan longhorn statue, 1139 Steam Engine, and Boot Hill Museum are also decorated and lit up for the season.
DOUGLASS Christmas on 2nd, 824 E. 2nd Street, Douglass. Nov. 26 through Dec. 31, 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 6-10 p.m. the rest of the week. There are more than 12,000 lights set to music. Tune your radio to 104.1.
ELLIS 1300 Walnut St., Ellis. This display features a homemade nativity scene, traditional holiday characters, and some not-so-traditional ones.
FAIRWAY Singing Christmas Trees, 4034 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Fairway. KC Family Dental has three outdoor singing Christmas trees singing 17-holiday songs. Nightly from 5-9 through Dec. 31.
GARDEN PLAIN Council of Hope Christmas Show, baseball field on Main Street, Garden Plain. Animated display features more than an hour of different songs and skits. Runs nightly from Nov. 27-Jan. 6. Hours are 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The show ends at 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Tune in to 97.1. There is a large red mailbox for letters to Santa and for donations. Santa letters will get a response from Santa if a return address is provided.
GREAT BEND Trail of Lights, Nov. 26-Dec. 31. Great Bend starts the fun with the Home for the Holidays Festival on Nov. 26. The lights are turned on after a lighted parade. The trail includes Wild Lights at the Brit Spaugh Park and Zoo, Lights on the Lake at Veterans Memorial Park, Kilby Square Lights, a Christmas nativity at K-96 and 10th Street, Santa World at Main Street and Lakin, and Historical Village Lights south of town on U.S. 281. Free, but donations are appreciated. Click here for the Trail of Lights map.
GREENSBURG Candy Cane Lane, 16134 30th Ave. (North on Main Street), Greensburg. Dec. 17-26, 6-9 p.m., weather permitting. “A quarter-mile of lighted candy canes welcomes visitors as they drive through the homestead to view animated, homemade, vintage holiday decorations.” Free.
HARPER Downtown Park, Central and Main, Harper. Open between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Santa arrives in a firetruck on the evening of Nov. 26. The park is full of lights, blow-up decorations, Santa’s house, and a mailbox for children’s letters to Santa. The lights are set to music, and there is a walking path among the lights.
HAYS Medical Center, 2220 Canterbury Dr. The outside of Hays Medical Center is decked out in holiday lights. The display includes a nativity scene.
HAYSVILLE Village Christmas, W.W. Hays Historic Park, 200 S. Main, Haysville. The lights in this popular display are turned on during a big celebration on Dec. 3. This is a walk-thru or drive-thru exhibit.
HOISINGTON Lights on 15th Street, 252 W 15th Street. Large animated holiday light display featuring 30,000+ lights sequenced to music. Tune your radio to 101.5. Nov. 26-Dec. 31. Hours are 6-11:15 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights turned off at 10 p.m. the rest of the week.
HUTCHINSON Light Up 20th, 1005 E 20th Ave. Animated light display. Hours are 5:30-10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights off at 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Tune in to 89.7.
HUTCHINSON Lights on Pennington Road, 2109 Pennington Road, Hutchinson. Animated light display through Dec. 31. Hours are 5:30-11 p.m. Tune radio to 106.7. Santa Claus is there Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9 p.m.
HUTCHINSON Strataca Season of the Lights, Kansas Underground Salt Museum, 3650 E. Avenue G, Hutchinson. Now through Jan. 8. More than 100,000 lights you cannot see from the road. This light show can only be seen if you purchase a ticket to go 650 feet underground. Open during regular Strataca hours and requires general admission tickets. Click here to purchase.
HUTCHINSON ZOO Nights Before Christmas. On Dec. 2-3, 9-10, and 16-17, from 6 to 9 p.m. The zoo says this is Hutchinson’s premier light show, and it has been digitally enhanced this year. Enjoy the lights, cookies, cocoa, a train ride, and get a picture with Santa. Tickets are $10 a person. Buy three, get one free. Click here to purchase tickets.
MAIZE Lights on Cassie, 4423 N. Cassie Street. To enjoy this animated display, set your radio to 89.7 FM. Request that you dim your headlights and don’t block driveways. During show hours, you can visit LightsOnCassie.com to pick a song. Hours are 5:30-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights are off at 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Now through Jan. 1. Also, click the link to donate to the Maize Caring Hearts Gift Drive.
MILFORD Isle of Lights, Prairie View Campground, Milford State Park. Dec 9-11 and 16-17, 5:30-8 p.m. A state park vehicle pass is required for entry. Free-will donations are encouraged since this is a fundraiser for the Milford Friends Group to support more events and the State Park and Nature Center.
KANSAS CITY Plaza Lights 2022, Country Club Plaza. Nov. 24 through mid-January. Hours are 5 p.m.-3 a.m. This display is a 90-year tradition. It stretches for 15 blocks of the famed Country Club Plaza.
LARNED Lights. The Larned water tower, 718 W. 4th, will glow with holiday lights this holiday season. The tree lighting at the Pawnee County Courthouse will be on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Click this link for other holiday events in Pawnee County.
LAWRENCE Lights: Making Spirits Bright, 4911 W. 27th Street. Open now through Dec. 28. Hours are 6-9 p.m. This year has twice as many lights in this drive-thru, animated holiday show. $20 per car. The money benefits several organizations. Click here to reserve your spot.
LAWRENCE Massachusetts Street, 900 block and beyond of Massachusetts St. Lawrence Parks & Rec workers strung 120,000 lights along Massachusetts Street. The lights will stay up until Valentine’s Day.
LAWRENCE Santa’s Lights. 132 Bramble Bend Ct. Animated light display. Tune to 96.7. The show runs from Thanksgiving through Jan. 1. Hours are 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Lights off at 10 the rest of the week.
LENEXA Sar-Ko Aglow, Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, 87th St. Parkway & Lackman Road, Dec. 2-Jan. 16, nightly from 6 to 11. Free admission and parking. Miles of light strands and thousands of bulbs.
MCPHERSON Holiday Lights. McPherson has a lot of homes decorated for the holidays. Check 535 Carrie and 1427 N. Maple for displays set to music. Other good light displays are at 510 Lakeside Drive and the Foxfire and Turkey Creek neighborhoods. The annual trolley light tour is sold out, but you can visit the lights on your own.
OAKLEY Fabulous Light Parade. The lights shine on Oakley’s Center Street all season.
OLATHE Dorr Home Christmas Light Display, 26123 W 109th St, Olathe. Animated display. Tune your radio to 100.9. Hours are 5:30-11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Lights turn off at 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Thanksgiving through Dec. 31.
OVERLAND PARK Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane, 13800 Switzer. Animated light display set to holiday and movie music. Tune in to 90.5 Rose FM. Request to turn off your lights as you watch the show. Hours are 5-11 nightly from Thanksgiving through Jan. 8.
PARK CITY Lights on Sunnyslope, 2602 E Sunnyslope St, Park City. The hours are 5:30-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5:30-10:30 p.m. the rest of the week. It features 50,000 lights set to music. Tune your radio to 88.1. New songs and lights are added each year.
PHILLIPSBURG. At least two homes in the town are described as going “above and beyond!” Check out the Kastle family lights, complete with music, at 425 Berglund Dr. and the Roberts family lights at 1084 7th St.
PRAIRIE VILLAGE Candy Cane Lane, 7900 Outlook Lane. This light display has been a favorite for more than 60 years.
PRATT Lemon Park Lights, Pine and Santa Fe Rd., Pratt. The lights run until Jan. 1. The scenic park is made even prettier with thousands of holiday lights and loads of animated displays. In addition, new displays have been added. It’s a free, one-mile drive-thru display.
ROSE HILL The “Griswold” House, 1610 Tanglewood Road, Rose Hill. Runs through Dec. 31, weather permitting. The hours are 6 p.m.-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 6-10 p.m. the rest of the week. This home gets more decorations and lights every year. This has been a Rose Hill tradition for more than 15 years.
SALINA Center Street Park Lights, Center St and 4th Street, Salina. The best way to enjoy these lights is on foot using the quarter-mile walking/running trail that winds through the park. New this year are lighted arches and an 18-feet by 20-feet “Peace on Earth” globe. Lights are off at midnight each night.
SALINA Shalimar Shepherds, 2200 block Shalimar Drive. These homes have beautiful holiday lights, but on Dec. 16, 17, and 18, from 6:30-9 p.m., this street is even more special with Shalimar Shepherds. During those nights, one side of the street has Santa, Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, Cindy Lou, and more. The other side has a living nativity with pets that kids can interact with. Also, live music. All free.
TOPEKA Cortez Holiday Light show, 3919 SE 30th Terrace. Animated light display through Jan. 1. Hours are 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights off at 10 the rest of the week. Tune to 102.5.
TOPEKA Reedy, Set, Glow, 2838 SE Minnesota Ave., Topeka. Starting Dec. 1. An animated light show featuring singing faces. Tune to 89.1. Hours are 6 p.m.-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights are off at 10 the rest of the week. The show runs through Dec. 31.
TOPEKA TARC’s Winter Wonderland, 3435 SE East Edge Rd, Topeka. Nov. 23-Dec. 31 from 6-10 p.m. Two miles of holiday lights at Lake Shawnee Campground. Suggested donation of $10 per vehicle. This is TARC’s largest fundraiser.
TOWANDA Country Christmas at Fulton Valley Farms, 5079 SW Fulton Rd., Towanda. Started Nov. 25 and runs each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 5:30-9 p.m. It is open every night from Dec. 16-23. Stroll the wooded paths and enjoy an animated display featuring more than 800,000 lights, Santa, reindeer, a living nativity, sleigh photos, and a children’s hay maze. Ticket prices depend on age and on extras you may want. Click here to see your options.
VALLEY CENTER Lights in the Valley, 210 Southwind Dr., Runs through Jan. 1. This animated light display features 35,000 lights synchronized to music. 5:30-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lights off at 10:30 p.m. the rest of the week. Tune your radio to 88.1 to enjoy the show.
WAKEENEY Christmas City of the High Plains, 200 N. Main St., WaKeeney. Lights turned on nightly at 6:00 until after New Year’s. The centerpiece is a 35-foot tree in the center of downtown. A canopy of blue lights radiates from four ivory stars that crown the tree. Free. From Dec. 19-23, Shiloh Vineyard and Winery, 16079 M Road, holds a Festival of Lights that includes life-size figurines, homemade cookies, hot chocolate, spiced wine, and hayrack rides. Free admission. The hours are 4-8 p.m.
WINFIELD Isle of Lights Island Park, 200 N. Main St., Winfield. Open nightly 6-10 p.m. through Dec. 30. It is said to be one of the best Christmas light displays in the nation. Free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
