The Most Magical Holiday Lights in Houston

Zoo Lights

📸 Houston Zoo Zoo Lights

Zoo Lights are some of the most popular holiday lights in Houston! Hosted at the Houston Zoo for 10 years, the Zoo Lights display features animal-themed light displays, illuminated flowers, light tunnels, and more. Check out the Holiday Grove, in which the zoo’s beautiful oak trees are wrapped in lights and decked out with glowing flowers. 🦒

Sip hot chocolate while you make s’mores around the fire, meet Santa himself, enjoy special events, and take a picture in front of the 33 foot tall Holiday tree (it changes colors)! There are so many exciting things to do at Zoo Lights so be sure to stop by between November 18th and January 8th to catch the fun! 🦓

Texas Winter Lights

📸 Marriot Marquis

The Houston Marriott Marquis is well known for its iconic Texas-shaped lazy river, but did you know that the Altitude Rooftop pool is transformed into a holiday lights experience during the winter months? Back for its third year, the Texas Winter lights are bigger and better than ever with Instagram-worthy photo-ops, an adult playground, and a grove of lights.

Walk through the Archway of Lanterns, float in the heated lazy river as lights twinkle above you, or catch a holiday movie on Thursday nights. This is the perfect spot for fun with the family or a cute winter date night. Don’t miss out on one of the best events for holiday lights in Houston from November 11 to January 8! 😊

River Oaks Lights Show

📸 River Oaks Life

Festive activities are fun for everyone, but they can get expensive fast.  These lights are free! Every year, the historic River Oaks neighborhood stuns us all with their stunning holiday decorations. Gather your favorite people, hop in your car, and blast some Christmas music while you drive through the River Oaks streets and see some incredible lights.

Almost the whole neighborhood is decked out in lights, so don’t be afraid to take your time and explore. Some of our must-visit areas are River Oaks Boulevard, Inwood Drive, and Del Monte Drive. Our number 1 pro-tip: go on a weeknight so traffic is lighter. This has to be one of the best FREE holiday lights in Houston!

Moody Gardens Festival of Lights

📸 Moody Gardens

If you’re looking for fun for the whole family, look no further than the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights! This event is truly a holiday spectacular complete with nine different attractions including a walk-through lights trail, train rides, holiday-themed 4D films, an arctic slide, fireside s’mores, and more festive fun. 🌲

The lights trail is fun for everyone– it includes more than two million lights and themed festive scenes set to holiday music. Stop along the way to check out Star the Dancing Tree of Light or grab a hot chocolate. What a perfect place to see holiday lights in Houston!

Magical Winter Lights

📸 Magical Winter Lights

You’ve never seen a lights display quite like this one! Magical Winter Lights is a 20-acre light show extravaganza that features over 100 individual lantern sets in 8 themed sections.  There is really nothing else like it. At these holiday lights in Houston, you can visit the magical castle, Christmas village, Houston skyline replica, interactive dinosaur area, carnival rides and games, and acrobatics shows on select nights.

This is basically a maze of large-scale light exhibits, and your family members of all ages will enjoy strolling through it. Be sure to keep Magical Winter Lights in mind this holiday season!

Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston

📸 Space Center Houston

Houston, we have a problem. This one is so cool you’ll want to hop in your car and head out there to see it right now. Space geeks, this one is for you! Galaxy Lights is Space Center Houston’s highly-anticipated holiday event, and it’s one of our favorite spots for holiday lights in Houston. This interactive and technologically-advanced light display features a kinetic light show choreographed to music, huge 3-D astronaut light displays, a 30-foot rocket replica, and a 200-foot holiday light tunnel that celebrates the Solar System and space travel.

Galaxy Lights is a one-of-a-kind Houston activity, you’ve got to see it for yourself! Make sure you see it before it’s gone, these lights are open from November 12th to January 1st!🚀

The Light Park Katy

📸 The Light Park

Sugar Land Holiday Lights

📸 Sugarland Holiday Lights

With all this talk about holiday lights in Houston, don’t worry Sugar Land, we could never forget about you! If you are reading through this list hoping for somewhere close to home, make sure to check out the Sugar Land Holiday Lights, conveniently located at Constellation Field. Featuring over 3 million lights, 8 themed areas, visits with Santa, and a variety of vendors to browse, this is an amazing spot to check out this holiday season. Sugar Land Holiday Lights is unique in that it is not just a light show, but holiday shopping, food, holiday movie nights, and a carnival with many exciting rides to enjoy!  Once you’ve purchased your tickets, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like and explore the attractions with your family. Your kids will definitely thank you for taking them to the Sugar Land Holiday Lights!

The Christmas Ranch

📸 Christmas Ranch

This one is an absolute cannot miss, The Christmas Ranch! The Christmas Ranch is located in Cleveland, Texas just off I-69. It is a drive-thru light show that has been spreading holiday cheer for over 35 years.  You’re gonna love this, it’s 100% free! Open Thanksgiving Day to New Years Eve, you can visit the impressive light display between 6-10 PM any day of the week, but be sure to go on a Saturday in December if you want to have a special visit with Santa.

Started in 1985 by a family that just wanted to spread some Christmas magic, today there are so many fun and festive things to see here, including a Ferris wheel, windmill, polar express, and much more. When it comes to holiday lights in Houston, the Christmas Ranch is an amazing option!

Market Street Lights

📸 Visit The Woodlands

If you’re like me and holiday shopping seems to consume all of your time during this season, this one is for you.  Knock some errands off the list while you get to enjoy some beautiful holiday lights in Houston at the Market Street Lights in The Woodlands.  Already an amazing shopping and dining area, during the holidays Market Street is lit up with thousands of lights and a 70-foot-tall Christmas tree. There is a 3-minute-long holiday light show set to all of your favorite holiday songs. This one is another free must-see, and with the size and beauty of this Christmas tree, you’re sure to feel like you’re at the Rockefeller Center in New York City! 🎄

Deck The Trees

📸 Alley Theatre

Deck The Trees has been a Houston favorite for the past 15 years. Inside the lobby of the Alley Theatre and the windowscape at the George R. Brown Convention Center, you will find the most beautiful and unique Christmas trees you have ever seen. Complete with trees representing the diversity of the city, there will be whimsical, cultural, traditional, and eclectic holiday designs.  This holiday experience benefits the Alley Theatre and helps to support the Houston arts scene, so if that is important to you don’t miss out on these holiday lights in Houston!