Such a great cause, and in the past this was a delightful way to celebrate Christmas. I drove through Waterworks Park for three many years this event was held there, and then attended when it was at the Adventureland Campground. The organizers did a great job at adapting to both locations. The music was wonderful and the displays were fun and festive. The move to the Outlet Mall just didn't work for us. We attended the Sip and Shop and gladly donated $50, but the experience was underwhelming. The Sip and Shop was a number of local crafters and a 'bar' that had a few cheap wines, a handful of beer selections, and a few spiked drinks. They had 2 people manning it, and the line was consistently 20-40 people deep. The bigger light displays are around the outside of the mall, and the walking section of the mall has been decorated, but it was much more commercial, and not the Holiday ambiance of past years. They sanding their news release that they were moving to a more immersive experience as this was what attendees wanted. I wish them the best, and I'm glad to send a donation, but the move to the mall just didn't work for me. read more

Fourth year in a row and we still enjoy it as a family! We've attended this even 10 years ago and it has really grown. I don't know much about Make a Wish Foundation but we like giving to their cause. During COVID19 review: Employees were all masked who had to take payments. Everyone is in cars so there really doesn't need social distant measures needed. This year was just as busy as any other year. PRO TIP: GO AT OPENING in a weekday to beat the traffic and crowds. 5:30 pm I believe when they open. There are no lines and it makes it way more enjoyable. Jolly Holiday Lights have been around for many many years, so they know how to manage their traffic flow. I appreciate that. I don't want to be stuck in long lines with so many little kids in the car. I noticed there are bathroom pit stops along the way of the lights!!! Very nice and convenient. I highly recommend as a family fun winter activity. I would not be attending any other light show but this one. read more

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We've been coming to Jolly Holiday Lights since it moved to Adventureland. We love bringing our young children and hearing and seeing their amazement. We always come on a weeknight as the first year we went on a weekend and had a really long wait. This year, it happened to be on a Wednesday night. We drove right up, bought our tickets, and crawled through the lights. We didn't have any cars in front or directly behind. It was perfect as we went whatever speed we wanted. The lights this year have grown! There were three tunnels of lights. A full Grinch area, and more! We love coming and it's such a great organization/reason to support. read more

Great display! See pics. Worth every cent we paid! We went here at 5:30 opening time on a Sunday evening in December 2017. Friendly staff. Clean. Very family friendly. Bathrooms are available. They also have a shopping area at the end. We didn't stop there, so I have no idea what they had. I have at least another 50 pics, had Yelp allowed me to post them. It took us about a half hour to get through it all. The cost at the gate is $20 per car. Marcydiner tantrum scale of 5/5-no screaming kids. read more

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Such an amazing fundraiser for Make a Wish and such a fun time with the family! We happened to go on the busiest night of the year and they have staging and going through down to a science. They got us staged in a parking lot then dismissed single file to the lights! It took just over an hour to wait then about 45 minutes to go through. The lights seem endless! But we did go on the last Saturday at 7p. We got out of there at 845p. The last time we had gone was when they were at Water Works Park and this is such a great upgrade!! There are so many wonderful displays! My in-laws who were visiting and nephew loved it! Next time I think we will go on a week night. read more

My first light show in the park and it was spectacular!!!!! There were actually a lot of cars when we came so be prepared to get in line. The best part about seeing the lights is that you never have to leave your car. Its basically a drive through the park while watching the lights. Some lights move so keep your eye out for those! The light show is sponsored by Make A Wish Foundation, so it is a donation of $7 per car (Monday through Wednesday) and $10 per car (Thursday through Sunday) to see the lights. The website says that all of the money goes directly towards the granting of wishes of children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 with life-threatening medical conditions. What a great cause! Definitely go check this light show out! It goes from Nov 23 to Jan 1! At the end of the show you can park your car and go into their gift shop. read more

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We went on a spur of the moment even being two hours away it was so worth the drive. We got there around 6pm and got finished around 7:15. Our daughter loved it we unbuckled her so she could go back and forth I. The backseat to look around. We also loved every minute of it. We turned our Christmas music on rolled down the windows and cranked the heat in the car. Everyone that we came across that worked there was friendly and happy to help as well. I can't wait to go again next year and even more so since the donate the money to make a wish!! read more

Jolly Holiday Lights - Holiday Decorations Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

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What a waste of an evening. We arrived at 6:30 on a Sunday night and sat for 30 minutes without moving. After we started moving again we drove around the park for the next hour and a half before we got to the lights. By the time we got to the lights the only thing everyone wanted to do was get out of the park. 25 minutes thru the light display and two hours waiting. The lights were awesome, but I think next year I'll just make a donation. read more

Jolly Holiday Lights - Holiday Decorations Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

Jolly Holiday Lights have been a Des Moines tradition for as long as I can remember! Now I'm no expert on Holiday lights, but this display is pretty legit.. And it's for a good cause, so you can't really go wrong. Last year, I walked this with some friends and kids and it was a very cold night, but a little sparkle in a kids eye during the holiday always fights off the cold a little better! You payment going to a good cause does too! read more

My toddler loved it! It's just so magical... even for me! I ordered the tickets online and everything was smooth sailing and lasted about 45 min. read more

A family tradition that has helped make our Christmas special for many years. We love the lights, the festive spirit and we love that all the proceeds serve Make-A-Wish! The displays themselves are spectacular and just get better every year. Even if it wasn't for a good cause, it would be special but it reminds us of the spirit of the season -- giving! read more

New location (as of a few years now) in Adventureland Campground is a nice change of pace. It feels more vibrant since everything is closer together. Most of the displays have been converted to LED, which makes it even more bright. Lines can get long, so get there early. read more

This was our first time going through he lights and loved it! The line was long to get to the start of lights but was worth it. My kids were in amazement with all the displays. This will definitely be a tradition for our family. read more

What a beautiful display!!! I liked when this was at waterworks park because it was closer (to me) and you could breeze in and out. Although this is more of a 1 hour wait, 2 hour total experience I like it more for the following reasons: 1. Location. Now, Jolly Holiday Lights is a quick snap off the interstate. This location brings in more people. 2. "All of lights!" Kanye sang it, Adventureland delivered. The amount of lights and the creativity far exceeded what I've seen in past years. My favorite was driving under the snowflake arches and then closer to the end- the trippy light tunnel. 3. The amount of revenue being generated for the foundation. Taking one trip here and it is obvious this is a money maker, for the right reasons too! 4. I can buy a ticket online! Hello 21st Century! Thank you! I'm not sure if tickets were available online before.. If so I finally figured it out and it's awesome. Jolly Holiday Lights is an annual Christmas tradition for me. This year I got to share the experience with family and it just so happens this location is between us. So perfect! I loved it! Very well done! I would give 5 stars but they need to figure out the wait time. read more

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It just keeps getting bigger and better. This is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit AND give to a great cause (Make-A-Wish). The displays are fantastic and great for young and old. There's a "pit stop" about midway through where you can take kids to meet Santa and get a photo (for a donation). There's hot cocoa, cookies and a small gift shop. Very nice! read more

Ordered the lights on 09 November. Nearly one month without information, tracking info, support, date of delivery, nothing all silence. I will report them to authorities of course but wanted to post a reminder for you all: DO NOT ORDER. read more

I also attended Jolly Holiday Lights on 12/3/11. What the previous reviewer, Jeremy C., forgets to mention is on that night the weather was terrible with a significant amount of rainfall. Said weather is most definitely the reason approximately a small percentage (definitely not 25%) of the displays were not working properly. Also, apparently Jeremy C. missed the memo that Jolly Holiday Lights is for CHARITY, with the entrance fee supporting Make A Wish Foundation. The light displays are cute. Some are repeated from year to year, while others are brand new. It's a fun little tradition to go as a family every year, cozying up in the car, drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music while driving through the attraction. read more

I appreciate the businesses that help CHARITIES and completely approve of their "advertisements" (which are simply the business name on a sign). I think the display is very neat, and from personal experience, children love it. I'd let children sit in the front seat if possible. Enough said, it's worth the $10 per carload to see it. read more

Went to Jolly Holiday Lights on Saturday 12/3/11. About 25% of the displays either didn't work at all or only half worked. It was a complete and total waste of time. You are better off just driving around town and looking at decorated homes. read more

This was for a great cause however the show itself lacked everything! It was so spaced out to make it seem much larger. The displays were very aged, lacked color, animated scenes were incredibly slow. This has potential but the vision lacks. Get it together. If you had a better show more people would come and it would benefit so many more children. PS it's incredibly tacky to have commercial advertisement throughout the display. read more

There were a lot of lights out this year :( I think the money goes to a good cause, but I have to say I feel duped this year!!

A great display for young kids. Older kids might be bored. The route is a bit spread out but didnt botber us. My 2 yr old was fascinated and yelled out names of animals and trains he saw along the way. He especially loved the tunnels. It wasn't busy when we went (weekday) despite the weather being pretty good. We were the only ones in Santa's workshop (at the end of the display) so it was fun talking to Santa and the volunteers. All proceeds go to a great cause (Make a Wish). Fun holiday tradition! read more

Disappointed. The only word for this experience. Our car was directed to a parking lot where we were sandwiched in between many other cars and we could not leave. After sitting here for about an hour and a half cars from our lot started moving. This is for a great cause and I'm glad they are raising a lot of money but this was just not fun. They also didn't provide bathrooms while we were stuck in a parking lot for over an hour. They moved to Altoona this year and the lights are much newer and nicer though. read more

The money goes to charity, or I'd have given it 1 star. These light displays are two-dimensional, and not particularly interesting. You're better off writing a check to Make-a-Wish and seeing the lights in any number of DSM neighborhoods for free. For example, the lights in Beaverdale (Ashby and Wallace avenues, east and west of Beaver Avenue) are much more impressive. read more

I have been so many times with my family it is amazing! My favorite is the Big Teddy Bear Light. The best part is it goes to a great cause make a wish! You can't go wrong here. Bring the kids or use this after a dinner date as a romantic end to the perfect winter night. This is a can't miss! The only negative is it is only once a year! I wish lights could be up all the time and just switched out according to the season. They are so bright and magical. read more