FRIDAY
20
NOVEMBER
Holiday Lights Near Washington, DC
ZooLights has the only confirmed 2026 dates: November 20 to January 3. The free lights are downtown, on the Ellipse and the Capitol's West Front Lawn. The two Northern Virginia shows split by effort — Bull Run you drive through, Meadowlark you walk.
Season: Mid-Nov–early Jan · Updated September 30, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- ZooLights: National Zoo — November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027
- Winter Walk of Lights: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna VA — a half-mile paved, stroller-accessible trail
- Bull Run Festival of Lights: Centreville, VA — a 2.5-mile drive-through display, November through January
- Pathway of Peace: The Ellipse — free, no ticket. 59 state and territory trees
- When the rest posts: Dates and tickets drop from early October through mid-November
ZooLights, the one with dates
The National Zoo runs ZooLights from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027 — one of the few holiday events in the region with 2026 dates already posted. Hours and pricing come later in the fall.
ZooLights — WashingtonVisit official site →
One million LED lights, animal lanterns and live music across the Zoo grounds.
Dates
- November 20, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Tickets
Hours and pricing are not posted yet — check nationalzoo.si.edu before you plan the evening around it.
Know before you go
- Historically the lights have been free to walk through, with paid parking and a handful of separately ticketed attractions inside
- The Zoo requires free entry passes for all guests including infants year-round — check whether that applies to the evening event when the details post
- Bring your own food: the Zoo is the one Smithsonian site that welcomes it, and a thermos of cocoa earns its weight in December
- Parking is paid and the rate is not published, so price it against Metro — two children age four and under ride free with each adult, and weekend rail is $2.25–$2.50
Who it's for
Any age, bundled up — it is an outdoor walk in the cold
Drive through it, or walk through it
The two Northern Virginia displays sit at opposite ends of the effort spectrum, and your children's ages matter more than which one is bigger. One you never leave the car for; the other is a half-mile you can push a stroller down.
Bull Run Festival of Lights — Centreville, VAVisit official site →
A 2.5-mile drive-through display you never get out of the car for.
Dates
- November through January
Know before you go
- About 25 miles from the District, out I-66
Who it's for
A baby, a napping toddler or a child who melts down in a queue — pyjamas, car seats, nobody gets cold
Skip if
You want the children out and walking
Winter Walk of Lights — Vienna, VAVisit official site →
A walk-through on a half-mile paved trail, the easiest of the region's walk-throughs with a toddler in tow.
Dates
- The 2026 season is confirmed; dates are not announced yet
Tickets
Timed tickets, historically — so the on-sale is the thing to watch rather than opening night.
Know before you go
- NOVA Parks states the route is wheelchair and stroller accessible
- The gardens stay open on holidays during the event
Who it's for
Toddlers in strollers, and anyone who would rather be out of the car
Skip if
You need a fixed date now
Free lights downtown
The best free lights in Washington are on the Ellipse, and they need no lottery and no ticket. A block east, the Capitol tree stands on the West Front Lawn.
The National Christmas Tree and Pathway of Peace — WashingtonVisit official site →
Fifty-nine smaller trees ring the big one, one for each state and territory, carrying one-of-a-kind ornaments designed by American students.
Dates
- The site opens a few days after the lighting ceremony and stays open through January 1
- In the 2025–26 season that was December 6 to January 1
- Lights on from sunset to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, until 11pm Friday and Saturday
Tickets
Free — there is no fee to visit the site.
Know before you go
- A short, flat, stroller-friendly loop with the trees at child eye level
- Finding your own state's tree occupies a four-to-nine-year-old for twenty minutes with no help from you
- The America Celebrates ornament programme goes back to 1954, when a tree was added per state, and to 1942, when DC students donated ornaments during wartime restrictions
Who it's for
Any age, any budget — the strongest default December outing in the city
The Capitol Christmas Tree — Washington
The 2026 tree is a grand fir from the Salmon River Ranger District of Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
Dates
- Arrives at the West Lawn in mid-November, accompanied by a police escort
- The Speaker of the House hosts the lighting in the last week of November or the first week of December
- Specific 2026 ceremony dates are announced in the fall
Who it's for
A truck-obsessed three-year-old — the escorted arrival is the better half of this one
What to watch, and when
Three more displays are worth a reminder rather than a plan. The pattern is the same across all of them: dates and tickets land from early October through mid-November, and ticketed walk-throughs sell their peak December nights first.
- Brookside Gardens, Wheaton MD: the gardens are free year-round, the Garden of Lights is a separate ticket, and no 2026–27 dates are posted
- ICE! at National Harbor returns most winters — watch gaylordnational.com
- The National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony date is announced in the fall
- Set the reminder for mid-October
Upcoming holiday-lights events in our catalog
Live from our catalog — 1 upcoming, refreshed weekly.
The National Zoo's winter light festival: one million LED lights, animal lanterns and live music along the zoo's main paths. Runs Nov 20, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027. Evening hours and ticketing for 2026 had not been posted as of Aug 2026 - entry passes are required for all guests, so check the zoo's page before you go.
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FAQ
Which DC-area light display is easiest with a stroller?
Meadowlark's Winter Walk of Lights — a half-mile paved trail NOVA Parks states is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The Pathway of Peace on the Ellipse is shorter, flatter and free. If nobody wants to be outside at all, Bull Run is a drive-through.
What can we actually book right now?
ZooLights, and only the dates: November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Everything else in the region posts between early October and mid-November, so the useful move now is a mid-October reminder rather than a search.
Where can we see holiday lights for free?
The Ellipse, where the National Christmas Tree and the 59 Pathway of Peace trees need no ticket, and the Capitol's West Front Lawn. Brookside Gardens is free year-round, but its Garden of Lights show is separately ticketed.