Are you searching for the best Christmas lights in Tampa, Florida to see this year?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been waiting for the Christmas season to show up so you can stroll through lit neighborhoods and parks while drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music.
As we gear up for colder temperatures and the holiday season ahead, Florida’s Christmas celebrations and markets have been working hard to deliver you magical Christmas events that’ll fill up your social calendar.
On today’s blog, we have 10 of the best Christmas lights and celebrations you can attend with your family and friends this holiday season.
Many of them are free while others encourage donations or require a small fee to attend.
A lot of these events also allow leashed dogs so you can make sure every member of your family can participate in the festive merriment.
Let’s get started!
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Best Holiday Lights in Tampa at a Glance:
- Marvel at the 360-degree light show at Curtis Hixon Park Winter Village
- Explore the magic of Tampa Bay’s Festival of Lights and Santa’s Village and be mesmerized by their drive-thru light maze and merry moments
- Check out the NEW light displays that will take over the Jungala area and the NEW 40-foot pixelated tree in Cheetah Hunt Plaza at Busch Gardens Christmas Town
- Escape into the lights of yesteryear and Christmas past with a Victoria Stroll
- Be sure to visit Zoo Tampa for a Christmas in the Wild and their light extravaganza
Keep reading for your ultimate guide on the best Christmas lights and holiday lights in Tampa that you must see this festive season!
1. Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park
Starting November 22, 2024, through to January 5, 2025, Curtis Hixon Park will be coming to life with their annual Winter Village festivities.
This year’s holiday adventure features exciting activities like:
- Tampa Bay Ice Show on select nights
- Themed Skate Nights on Tuesdays
- Curling Wednesday through Sunday
- Thunderstruck Thursdays celebrate the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Silent Disco Fridays
- Riding the Winter Village Express with milk & cookies and holiday sing-along
- 360-degree light show
- Cafe and shops at Winter Village
- Santa sightseeing
- Lighted boat parade on December 21 and so much more!
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
The best part is your furry friends are welcome to this free celebration if they are leashed and watched.
While it’s free to attend and walk the grounds, you might want to bring some extra cash for the shopping, eating, and ice skating you might partake in ($17).
Address: 600 N Ashley Dr, Tampa, FL 33602
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2. Oakdale Christmas House
Celebrating the holiday season for almost 50 years, Oakdale Christmas Display is a great place to take your kids for some holiday fun.
Covering almost half an acre with half a million lights this Tampa Bay Holiday Christmas Light Display will light up your holiday spirit.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
Running from Black Friday through Tuesday, January 3rd, people of all ages can attend this free experience and enjoy flashy Christmas lights and displays set to fun music.
There’s also an array of carnival rides, a bubble machine, a manger scene, and talking and dancing life-size holiday caricatures.
This Tampa Christmas lights event also comes with an incredible 18-train HO-scale model railroad that’s bound to keep you on track for festive fun.
Address: 2719 Oakdale St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33705
3. Tampa Bays Festival of Lights and Santas Village
Tampa Bay’s Festival of Lights and Santa’s Village is one of the absolute best Christmas lights in Tampa you must see. It’s sure to give you your holly-jolly fix of the season from November 28h to December 29th, 2024.
This winter wonderland just keeps getting brighter and brighter expanding this year to include a new “Santa’s Winter Woodland” area to drive through.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
This nearly 2-mile drive-thru spectacular surrounds you with endless twinkling lights for that fully immersive holiday glow-up.
From a Reindeer Carousel and Candy Cane Swings to Santa’s Interactive Barnyard and Santa’s Camel Pen there is so much for the family to enjoy. And for the grownups, there is holiday shopping and wine and cider from local Keel & Curley Winery.
Address: Hillsborough County Fairgrounds 215 Sydney Washer Rd, Dover, FL 33527
4. Christmas Town at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens Christmas Town is marked as Tampa’s biggest and brightest holiday event!
Join the holiday celebrations at Busch Gardens where the town will come alive for Christmas starting on November 15th and running through January 5th, 2025.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
You’ll get to experience a fireworks show, animal encounters, a Christmas show on ice, a tunnel filled with Christmas lights, world-class roller coasters, and Santa and his reindeer!
To give yourself a guaranteed VIP experience, be sure to get to the Christmas on Ice show early or book an animal encounter to get an up close and personal look at the furry creatures.
Christmas Town is one of my FAVORITE things to do in Tampa for Christmas!
Here’s what you can expect at Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town:
- Discover Christmas Town® Village and holiday tunes
- Special Christmas treats unique to this event only
- Festive fireworks
- Santa’s North Pole Experience
- Meet Rudolph and his friends, including Sam the Snowman, at Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland
- Shop for the perfect gifts in Santa’s shop
- Ride the Holly Jolly Express
- 40-foot pixelated tree in Cheetah Hunt Plaza and NEW light displays that will take over the Jungala area
- The Coca-Cola Caravan on December 7 from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm and much more!
And although it’s not free, it is included with your theme park admission to Busch Gardens.
Address: 10165 McKinley Dr, Tampa, FL 33612
Recommended: Complete Guide to Busch Gardens Christmas Town in Tampa, Florida
5. Christmas in the Wild at Zoo Tampa
The magic of the holidays comes to Zoo Tampa for its annual Christmas in the Wild event.
Each year shines bigger and brighter as Zoo Tampa puts on its spectacular display of holiday lights in Tampa. It is a wild light extravaganza that glitters and glows with more new light shows added this year.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
Whether you find your way into The Forest of Fantasy, stop into Twinkle Town Marketplace in search of Santa, or take a jolly ride around the Candy Cane Carousel, Zoo Tampa will be illuminated as far as the eye can see.
This holiday season, ZooTampa is offering fa-la-la-bulous Holiday Exclusives at Christmas in the Wild at ZooTampa!
Get up close and personal with their Special Holiday Signature Encounters from the adorable penguin colony to their incredible Indian Rhino. For that extra-special gift, you can send someone a personalized video from their favorite ZooTampa animal.
Tickets for this special event are really popular, so book ahead if you want to enjoy one of the best Christmas lights in Tampa this year.
Christmas in the Wild at Zoo Tampa will take place on select nights from Friday, November 29 until Monday, December 23 from 4 pm to 10:00 pm.
Address: 1101 W. Sligh Avenue Tampa FL 33604
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6. Tampa Riverwalk Holiday Spectacular
What could be more beautiful than watching Christmas lights float by you on a Riverwalk?
This year’s Holiday Spectacular kicks off on November 29th with a tree-lighting ceremony to commemorate the start of the season.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
The unique experience offers visitors a holiday selfie station, a holiday-lighted boat parade, New Year’s Eve fireworks, and lighted floating displays sparkling across the water.
From pirate ships to penguins and Christmas trees rockin’ around to music, it’s packed with all the holiday magic you could ho-ho-hope for.
Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this free Christmas event in Tampa before it ends on January 2, 2025.
Address: Riverwalk, Tampa, FL 33602
7. St. Petersburg Waterfront Lights and Display
Each year at the end of November St. Petersburg puts up thousands of lights and decorations for visitors from all over the country.
These magical waterfront lights sit in North and South Straub Parks and are perfect for families and friends. This free event starts on November 30th and ends on January 1st, 2025.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
This is one of the best places to see Christmas lights in Florida for people wanting to slowly stroll the walkway taking in the holiday season and all the decorations celebrating the end of the year.
The 96th annual Santa Parade and Tree Lighting illuminates the city in festive spirit and sparks the season into gear on November 30th at 6:30 pm downtown.
Here’s what you can expect at St. Petersburg Waterfront Lights and Display:
- Snowfest on December 7 from 9 am to 2 pm at North Straub Park
- Holiday Movies in the Park
- Chat with Santa on a virtual call from December 10th to the 12th (Registration required)
- S’mores with Santa on December 13th and 14th from 6 pm to 8 pm at Pioneer Settlement at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
- Gingerbread Building Contest on December 14th
- Meet Santa in the Park from December 14th to 23rd
- Visit with Santa at the Library
- Cocoa Night Hike to celebrate the Winter Solstice on December 20th from 7 pm to 9 pm at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
- Holly Jolly Jubilee on December 18 from 11:30 am to 3 pm at Sunshine Senior Center
- Gingerbread Habitats for local wildlife on December 21 from 10 am to 12 pm at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
If you want more holiday action and fun then join in all the merry activities with the annual Holidays in the Sunshine City event.
Address: 701 Bayshore Dr. NE St. Petersburg, FL 33701
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8. Florida Botanical Gardens
Open to the public starting on November 29th, the Florida Botanical Gardens will transform into a wonderland of twinkling lights and Christmas decorations.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
You’ll get to walk through over a million flashing LED lights as you say hi to the snowman family, shop for holiday-themed gifts and trinkets, and visit the one and only Santa Claus.
While this event is free, a $10 donation is encouraged when you walk through the doors, however, kids 12 and under are free. You can enjoy the lights and festivities up until January 4, 2025.
Address: 12520 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33774 and 1221 Walsingham Road, Largo, FL 33778
9. Night of Shimmering Lights at Sunkissed Acres
This Sunkissed Acres winter event features a walking trail of shimmering lights set to music you and the family can dance to.
Along the walk, you’ll be able to visit the nativity scene and star of David in the religious center.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
You’ll also get to enjoy a scavenger hunt, a maze, tons of games, and a foam play area on select nights.
This holiday village offers refreshments, a seasonal movie on the big screen, and a photo spot to take pictures of your night.
The cost for this event is $9 for visitors 3 and up. This cost covers parking, the walking trail, and all activities.
Comfortable shoes are recommended as the terrain can be a bit rough with uneven ground in certain parts of the trail. The event starts on November 29, 2024, until December 25, 2024, on Thursday-Sunday nights from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm with a special opening on December 23, 24, and 25.
Address: 2302 N. Dover Road Dover, FL 33527
10. Victorian Christmas Stroll
Tampa’s annual Victorian Christmas Stroll is celebrating the end of the year with a bang!
Walk through different exhibit rooms taking in the different themes and displays while enjoying their 14-foot Christmas tree adorned with antique decorations and ornaments.
Why We Love This Tampa Christmas Lights Display
This entire event is meant to celebrate an old-fashioned holiday with a variety of:
- Live music entertainment on weekend evenings from 6 pm – 7:45 pm
- Complimentary cider and cookies on the veranda
- The Museum Store that sells elegant jewelry and artwork
This Florida Christmas event will be open to the public starting November 23 and running until December 31 from 10 am – 5 pm daily (closed Thanksgiving, December 24-26).
The evening Victorian Christmas Stroll dates from 10 am to 8 pm are scheduled for December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22.
Tickets for adults are $18.00, $16.00 for seniors, and $12.00 for youth.
Address: 401 W. Kennedy Boulevard Tampa, FL 33606
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My Final Thoughts on the Best Christmas Lights in Tampa, Florida
As you can see, holiday celebrations are aplenty in the Tampa area so gather your kids and your pets and make your way to one or more of these limited events happening all over the city.
There’s no better way to celebrate the Christmas season than by everyone coming together to enjoy festive music, lights, and the one and only Santa Claus!
Let us know what your favorite thing to do in Tampa for Christmas in the comments section below.
Happy Holidays Hipster!
About the Author
My name is NikkyJ. I’m a wife, a mother, a pharmacist turned theme park blogger, USA Today 10Best Contributor, and a writer who loves exploring all the hidden gems of Florida!
I was born and raised in Leesburg, Florida which attributes to my passion about for this amazing state.
I want to show you how you can create your own memories while discovering the Sunshine State!
Connect with me on Instagram!
(Original Article Date: October 31, 2022/Updated by Editor on November 15, 2024)