The magic is back. After a dimmer holiday celebration in 2020, the Fort Worth area is lighting up, merry and bright, for the Christmas season once again — from towering trees that twinkle and shine to dazzling drive-thru displays and immersive walk-thru experiences.

Here's our 2021 guide to the biggest, brightest, most spectacular Christmas light displays in the area. (Bookmark and check back often because it'll grow and grow as more businesses and neighborhoods deck their halls in coming weeks.) Pour the hot chocolate, load up the car, flip on the holiday tunes, and enjoy these illuminated wonderlands.

Drive-thru displays

Gift of Lights at Texas Motor Speedway, now-January 2
Texas Motor Speedway will once again open its gates to the public for the annual Gift of Lights drive-thru holiday lighting spectacular around the track. The lights experience will include over two miles of light displays, with almost 3 million lights, while visitors get to stay in their warm cars, listening to Christmas music on KLTY. Returning this year is Santa's Village, where visitors can get out and enjoy treats, warm beverages, and pictures with Santa. Tickets start at $30, depending on size of vehicle and may be purchased online or at the gate. Check the website for special discounts, tickets, and more.

Radiance at the Ranch: A Holiday Light Spectacular, Parker County Sheriff's Posse, Weatherford, now-December 31
Back after a smash-hit run last year, Radiance! becomes a theme park-style ride in a vehicle that guides guests through the show. Visitors can expect an all-new, mile-long light trail of over 3 million lights, animated to favorite holiday tunes. VIP tickets include access to a VIP entrance lane for faster access, hot chocolate for every member of the family, and Magic Light Glasses and treats for the kids. $29.99-$49.99 per vehicle; information here. (There are also Radiance events in Ennis and Frisco.)

Prairie Lights, Grand Prairie, now-December 31
At Prairie Lights at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie, visitors will be dazzled with 4 million lights set along two miles of path. Hundreds of all-new displays in shapes of all kinds line and arch over the roads. This year's event, running through December 31, will feature the return of Holiday Village. At the halfway point, guests can exit their vehicle to enjoy carnival rides, concessions, photos with Santa, the magical walk-thru forest, and more. The second half of the drive ends with the new-and-improved light tunnel. $40-$120 per vehicle, more information here.

The Light Park, Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie, now-January 2
The Light Park features a large animated holiday light show along with the world’s largest 700-foot animated LED tunnels. It boasts more than a million LED lights throughout its one-mile light show and musical experience, all synced and choreographed to holiday music on a dedicated music station, K-GLO, the North Pole’s No. 1 hit radio station. $30-$80 per vehicle; more information here.

Christmastime In Texas, Joshua, now-January 1
This one-year-old drive-thru Christmas light park is filled with hundreds of displays spread out across a winding road a mile-and-a-half long. A large section of the park is devoted to lights timed to favorite Christmas tunes. A new event tent includes Santa, vendors, and a seating area for folks to sit after visiting the food vendors. The park's address is 5801 County Road 904 Z, Joshua (near County Road 904 & Chisholm Trail Parkway). Admission starts at $35 per vehicle. For more information, visit the website.

Immersive experiences and choreographed shows

Six Flags Holiday in the Park, Arlington, November 26-January 1
Six Flags Over Texas will transform once again into a winter wonderland for the 36th annual Holiday in the Park. More than 2 million twinkling lights, six new shows, and the introduction of the Holly Jolly Holiday Parade will provide the perfect backdrop for holiday traditions. New this season is the Holly Jolly Holiday Parade, a spectacle of lights, festive characters and seven giant floats passing through the midways of the park, including a finale float featuring Santa Claus. Merry Marketplace is home to Santa’s Outpost, where guests can stop in for a personal visit with Santa Claus himself. For ticket pricing and schedule, visit the event website.

Christmas at Gaylord Texan, now-January 2
Part of the Gaylord's Texas-sized Christmas extravaganza, Merry & Light features a sparkling array of larger- than-life holiday décor and immersive state-of-the-art light elements. ​Also, don't miss A Christmas Wish Light Show, a multi-sensory spectacle of lights set to a holiday musical score. There's also a "Cirque Winter Wonderland," "Mission: Save Christmas featuring Elf," snow tubing, and more (but not ice show this year). For a complete rundown of events, scheduling, tickets, and more, visit the website.

Enchant Christmas, Fair Park Dallas, November 26-January 2
Returning this year in a new location that's slightly farther away than its old home in Arlington, Enchant will present "The Great Search," the first in a series of five fascinating adventures. Guests embark on a quest within the forest of millions of twinkling lights and a world of art installations as they journey to save Christmas. The adventure includes gliding down the Ice Skating Trail, sampling gourmet holiday treats from around the world, visiting the artisan Christmas market, and meeting the Big Man himself, all before stepping into a magical Christmas light maze. For tickets ($20-$35), schedule, and more information, visit EnchantChristmas.com.

Whistle Stop Christmas, Hulen Park, Cleburne
Lights illuminate Cleburne in this annual display, but the brightest of all are in Hulen Park. Millions of twinkling lights make the park sparkle. Plan a visit around children's train rides in the park on Fridays and Saturdays from 5-9 pm. You also can take a driving tour of various decorated homes throughout Cleburne; lights come on every evening at 6 pm, weather permitting. For more information about the lights and events, visit the website.

Commercial displays and special events

Historic Main Street, Grapevine, now-January 9
Grapevine's historic downtown area is shining bright with thousands of lights up and down Main Street through January 9 (a total of 40 days of Christmas events) — no wonder they call Grapevine the Christmas Capital of Texas. Start at Grapevine City Hall, 200 S Main St., Grapevine, park, and go from there. Consult a complete schedule on the website.

The Modern Lights, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, now-February 6
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth kicked off the holiday season by illuminating their trees with festive lights earlier than ever this year. Passersby can experience a stunning display, and guests can also visit the museum galleries for free until 8 pm on Fridays. A special First Friday at the Modern event takes place every first Friday of the month. The lights will stay on through February 6, 2022.

Sundance Square, downtown Fort Worth, now-January 6
There's no Santa, fountain, or lights show this year. But the annual sparkly Christmas tree is up and can be admired from a distance. The 55-foot-tall blue spruce comes from Michigan and is decorated with more than 12,000 twinkly LED lights. It can be seen from nearby restaurants and shops, and dazzles on a walk down Main Street. Free live concerts will be held on the plaza every weekend. The lights will be on nightly through Epiphany, January 6; more information here.

Hotel Drover/Mule Alley, Fort Worth Stockyards, November 26-January
The Fort Worth Stockyards moseys in with a whole host of holiday events. New this year, Hotel Drover will light up with holiday spirit, beginning with a special tree lighting celebration. A 30-foot Christmas tree will be nestled in The Backyard — the property’s half-acre oasis that includes a live music stage, bar, firepits, and lawn seating — and will be lit with thousands of twinkling lights. The event includes Christmas carolers, champagne, and a boozy hot cocoa bar. The tree lighting ceremony will coincide with the Stockyards Christmas decor lighting and Santa's arrival parade. The event takes place from 5:30-7:30 pm November 26, and the lights will stay on through the season.

Daystar Christmas, Daystar Television Network, Bedford, now-January 2
Daystar Christmas features over 1 million lights, a life-sized Nativity, kid-friendly Christmas town, a new 950-foot drive-thru tunnel, and more. Guests are welcome to drive through the property or get out, explore, take photos with Santa, and eat — Daystar’s Scratch Café will be serving holiday treats on certain days throughout the season. The whole event is free; for schedule and more information, visit the website.

Raising Cane’s Holiday Light-Thru, Euless, December 14-January 1
Santa’s elves have made their way to Euless, decking out the Raising Cane’s restaurant 2901 State Hwy. 121. The restaurant's drive-thru is transforming into a mini holiday festival of lights, complete with two themed tunnels, holiday music, snow, and video elements. A festive lighting ceremony with carolers and pictures with Santa will take place at 5 pm Tuesday, December 14. Then, the “light-thru” will stay up until the first of the new year.

Singing Trees, Burnett Park, downtown Fort Worth, December 1 and 16
A new "Singing Trees" interactive light show comes to the trees of Burnett Park on the edge of downtown. The trees will illuminate and change colors as they react to the sound of instruments; watch a preview here. They'll debut at a Cliburn in the Community concert featuring piano duo Sara Doan and Evan Mitchell, 5:30 pm December 1. More information here. (Note: An encore performance has been added for 5:30 pm Thursday, December 16.)

Grapevine Parade of Lights, December 2
The city of Grapevine will present the annual Parade of Lights on Historic Main Street. This year's event will be themed "A Storybook Holiday." It is the largest lighted Christmas parade in North Texas, and gets started at 7 pm.

Twinkle Light Boat Parade, Grapevine, December 4
This lighted boat parade is filled with boats decorated for the holidays. It starts at Twin Coves Marina and picks up entries at each marina, Scott’s Landing, and Silver Lake, as it circles the lake. The parade is visible from the shores of Lake Grapevine. Additional viewing areas include Oak Grove Park and Katie’s Woods Park (1899 Katie’s Woods Loop). It starts at 5:30 pm.

Holidays at the Heard, McKinney, December 17-18
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary will present Holidays at the Heard. Holiday lights and décor will accentuate a half-mile Heard nature trail. Families will also get get a glimpse of the Dinosaurs Live! exhibit along the trail. In keeping with the Heard’s role as a nature preserve, this light display is designed to enhance, rather than overpower, the sanctuary’s natural beauty. Live, festive music will be presented in the Heard outdoor amphitheater. Admission is $7-$10; free for children 2 and under.

Neighborhoods and homes

Wisdom Way Lights, Haltom City, now-January 1
The "Selena house" that debuted as a sensation last year is back. The Gonzalez family's 10th annual choreographed show of 8,300 LED lights features a six-minute tribute to pop icon Selena. Clips of Selena concerts are projected on an LED screen while music and snippets of interviews are played over speakers and lighted Christmas trees on the lawn "dance" along. Then, an eight-minute light show features characters from The Simpsons. Visitors can view both shows from from their cars and listen on radio channel 89.7 FM. Wisdom Way Lights runs nightly from 6-10 pm, and until 11 pm on Friday and Saturdays. Find it at 4521 Wisdom Way, Haltom City, and follow Wisdom Way Lights on Facebook and YouTube for updates.

DFW Christmas Light Show — Araujo Family, Grapevine, now-January 1
After taking the year off in 2020, the Araujo family of Grapevine is back and bigger than ever. There's a choreographed light show in front and a new, extra surprise in the backyard: a "birthday party" setup with dozens of vintage animatronic characters and even more lights. Visitors are welcome to get out, explore, and take photos in front and back. The whole display is on, with different songs playing, from 6-10 pm nightly. Find it at 4341 Woodglen Dr., Grapevine, 76051. Follow the Facebook page for updates.

Curry Christmas Chaos, North Richland Hills, now-January 1
Three houses collaborate to present a lights show synchronized to music that's anything but the "chaos" that the name implies. From start to finish, it's just over an hour long, and features a mix of pixels and standard LED lights "dancing" to music. Visitors can tune in to 89.9 FM to listen as lots of Christmas trees light up on the lawn. The show runs every night (unless mother nature decides differently), 6-11 pm, through January 1. Find it at 3506 Reeves St., NRH. Follow the Facebook page for more information and updates.

Foley family home, Park Glen, far north Fort Worth, now-January 1
Since 2015, the Foley family has been lighting up their home with a choreographed lights display. It plays each night from 6-10 pm and features over 20,000 LED lights and approximately 30 songs. (Half of them play on one night and half the next, so you can see different shows on different nights.) Listeners can tune to 100.1 FM to hear the music from their car or listen to it on speakers throughout the yard. Don't miss the singing Santa face, 10-foot mega-sized Christmas tree topped with a Bethlehem Star, or — new this year — a singing, dancing Baby Yoda. You can drop off a letter to St. Nick in a special mailbox (he might just write back!), and walk through a Christmas light tunnel on the sidewalk. The home faces the Arcadia Park hike-bike trail, so it's easy to walk or bike up to the house for an all-outdoors experience. Find it at 8301 Greylock Dr., at Island Circle, Fort Worth, just south of Keller.

Tell Family Lights, far north Fort Worth, now-January 1
The family home near Keller Central High School puts on an annual synchronized Christmas lights show, which gets more high-tech each year. This year, they're raising money for the Make-a-Wish foundation to help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses; find more information about donating here. Find the home at 5016 Keating St., Fort Worth, 76244. The lights are on 5:30-9 pm Sunday through Thursday and 5:30-10 pm Friday and Saturday. (Make sure to not block anyone’s driveway and be careful driving down the street, they advise.) Follow their website or Facebook page for more information and updates.

Interlochen Lights, Arlington, December 17-25
The Interlochen neighborhood will present Interlochen Lights for just one week and weekend during the holiday season. Known as the best neighborhood light show in Texas, the event allows guests to drive through the neighborhood and pick out favorite displays while they tune into holiday music on radio stations 102.1 FM or 98.7 FM. This is one of the busiest spots in Dallas-Fort Worth during the holiday season, and it's free. The route will be the same as previous years; find the map here. Watch for updates on their website and Facebook page.

Diamond Loch, North Richland Hills, now-January 1
This North Richland Hills neighborhood has dressed up for the holidays for decades. Drive through the cul-de-sac slowly to check out adjacent houses that join forces to present a massive computerized show. The rest of the street decorates nicely to make an enchanted "Whoville" Christmas experience. They grow the show every year, and The Grinch himself may actually pop in occasionally; follow their Facebook page (and search #nrhgrinchlights) to keep up. It's open daily, 5:30-11 pm. To find it, navigate to the address 6217 Windsor Ct., NRH, 76180.

Rushing Meadow Court and Harder Drive, Dalworthington Gardens, now-January 1
Homeowner Dave Kulesz started a neighborhood tradition when he lit up his property with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights. Surrounding homes got into the fun and now attract visitors from miles around. Kulesz uses the exposure to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease, to which he lost his mother. A sign in his front yard encourages people to make gifts to the Alzheimer's Association. See the lights every night from 5:45-11 pm. Find it on Rushing Meadow Court in Dalworthington Gardens.

Montego Road, Ridgmar neighborhood, west Fort Worth, now-December 31
The Montego Road Christmas Show project, more than 15 years strong, takes an entire street to pull off. Two residences (mirror images of each other) comprise the main program, with two more "support homes" flanking them and curb lights of 12 other homes leading the way to the main event. The show of more than 125,000 lights is fully choreographed to Christmas music (heard on an FM radio station in the car or via outdoor speakers) and lasts about 30 minutes. It begins at 6 pm and runs until midnight each night. To find it, exit Interstate 30 at Ridglea/Ridgmar Blvd. and go north. The streets are in alphabetical order until you reach Montego Road. The display begins there, at Ridgmar Blvd., and continues west on the 1100 block of Montego Road.

Fairmount
You can pick any night to drive around Fairmount and see historic bungalows lit festively for the season. But the best night of all is Festivus, the annual celebration and holiday lights tour. It takes place 6-9 pm Saturday, December 11. Watch the historic district's Facebook page for more information as plans develop.

Ryan Place
The gorgeous historic homes in this grand Fort Worth neighborhood get illuminated in spectacular fashion, as do the long walks that lead up to them. The beloved Candlelight Christmas in Ryan Place will not take place this year, but a drive through the neighborhood to see the stately homes dressed for the holidays is worth it.

Cultural District
Make the marvelous Modern Lights around the Modern Art Museum your starting point, but drive through the museum district, then through some of the old neighborhoods across the bricks of Camp Bowie, and you'll see grand homes dressed and ready to dazzle for the holidays.

Ridglea Hills
Folks who take walks and visit the ducks along Luther Lake in this westside Fort Worth neighborhood eagerly anticipate the arrival of the holiday lights on about 30 surrounding homes. The lights reflect in the water of the 10-acre lake, making for some pretty spectacular photo and video opps on clear nights. The best place to see them is along the bridge at Clayton Road.

Glenbrook
The annual Season of the Glenbrook Christmas display in this 76021 neighborhood will run through Friday, December 31. Drive through the neighborhood to read “The Night Before Christmas in Texas That Is” and view some sparkling and festive light displays. Find it at Cummings Drive and Brookside Court, and keep up via the Facebook page.

Keller
Keller Parks & Recreation has opened voting in its holiday yard decorating contest to the public. They've published a handy list of contestants and a map, which also makes a great roadmap for a self-guided tour through some magnificent neighborhood displays. Head to their Facebook page for more information and links.

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Know of another spectacular lights display in DFW? Email stephanie@culturemap.com. Looking for lights in Dallas? That list is here.

Get out and explore the lights at Daystar in Bedford.

  

Photo courtesy of Daystar

Get out and explore the lights at Daystar in Bedford.