Came here for the first time with the family. Reminded us a lot of the drive-thru holiday light shows that we used to go when we lived in Northern California. We prefer the drive-thru ones so we can stay nice and cozy in the car. It's cheaper on the weekdays and more expensive on the weekend. The ticket allows you to enter any time during your entry day. I highly recommend buying the tickets in advance. We enjoyed looking at the lights and singing along with the Christmas music. We went on a Saturday (week before Christmas) and the line was not long and the cars moved at a pretty good rate. Overall a fun holiday family event. read more

See all

I've been meaning to write a review, since its been in my drafts like forever. Since the holiday season is about to approach, I'm compelled to write my review . Tbh, it's NOT worth it! Save your money and gas. Yes, the tickets will sell out fast, and there's always no sense of order. Very chaotic. Plan to get here early. Or during the week. As the weekends is the worst times to go. Make sure everyone has gone to restroom before coming here. If you get here after 8pm, good luck. Expect lots of crowds. Now as far as the decos, lots of the same ol decos as when I was a kid. Very outdated. There's a few new exhibits but it's not worth the trip here or the price. There's really no assistance like the other reviewer mentioned. It's a quick drive, but plan for lots of traffic. If anything I prefer the lights at these locations. Moron Temple in Kensington Brookside Gardens- Glenmont Winter Lights Watkins Pk Upper Marlboro Zoolights-National Zoo Or winter lights sight seeing - Kentlands neighborhood / or Potomac. Thank me later read more

A family tradition of ours for 12-15 years. I don't think many of the displays have changed in that time, but it is something that my spouse and my kid (now an adult who comes to town to visit for the holidays) enjoy annually. The last time, our daughter brought her beau, who also enjoyed it. Yes, there's traffic and some years (not all) a wait, but there's something cool about the lights and the Christmas music over the car radio. The displays appear to be well maintained (no lights out). I think sometimes people have expectations that are way too high for things like this. read more

Except for the cold weather, it was an entertaining outdoor lantern display. There was ample parking across the street. Be careful crossing if your jay walking. I booked and had to re-book and the organizers were reliable and I was able to take my children and enjoy the show. Took photos but experiencing if a lot more fun! read more

See all

Winter lights is an event that you have to go to at least every other year if you have kids. I feel 2020 has been particularly important after the impacts of Covid on the holiday season! Tickets sold out quickly this year and for good reason. The lights are spread out and it makes the experience the perfect smooth little ride. Some drivers drive without headlights as a courtesy to the drivers on the other side of the road. However some fog lights might make the ride a little safer. When weather permits... I used to love sticking my head out of the sunroof when I was a kid. Prices are different for different types of vehicles. Limos rides are great for having a driver and experiencing the sunroof view! read more

See all

Traveling along Clopper Road in search of these Winter Lights, you may think "How will I know where it is?" Let me tell you - You Will Know. There are a few lighted items leading up to the entrance, so you know you are heading in the right direction. The entrance itself is very lit up with a big sign that says "Winter Lights" - You can't miss it as it invites you into Seneca Creek State Park which I discovered is HUGE (my first time visiting the park and my first time seeing a light festival). On this visit, a $20 bill was given near the entrance to an attendant in a booth (there were 2 attendants) - the cost covered the car & the occupants in it. There are orange cones and signs in certain places, so you know where to drive. The views were so pretty - I felt like a kid again and listening to Christmas music along the 3.5 mile stretch made it more magical. I am now ready to visit other light festivals - this was my starting point. read more

See all

I loved the experience. It is definitely COVID-19 safe. We can drive through to see the winter lights for 3.5 miles. It took us almost 50 minutes to go around. It was delighted. I don't know why people are upset about this place. As the website states, we get here by 5:30 pm. Everything went smoothly. I saw so many cars but it kept moving. Especially we came here after we got the first snow of year. It looks very Christmasy. read more

See all

Absolutely beautiful. It isn't Christmas till you see the lights. We had a great time listening to Christmas music as we rode through. The lights gave us wonderful memories as a family. read more

See all

We decided to give this festival a try for the first time this year, given that we didn't exactly have other big holiday plans! I bought weekday tickets fairly early, so it was $12/car (I think $15 closer to the festival). We went on a Wednesday night around 6:30pm. We would have arrived sooner, but once you get to within a mile or so of the festival, traffic moves very, very slowly. The drive through the loop was really nice and fun and relaxing- there were lots of "animations" in the lights that kept us entertained. It was more elaborate than I pictured (I've never been to a lights festival). We were both really glad we went once, but weren't super eager to do next year. It would be a great yearly tradition if we had kids or people visiting from out-of-town, though! But definitely worth checking out one year! read more

Winter Lights Festival - Festivals Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

This winter light drive thru was a good bang for the buck. At $12 for online advance purchase, I filled up the Tesla and went on the Monday of Christmas week. Advertised as a 3.5 miles drive, this is one mile longer than the drive thru at Bull Run. No Christmas is the same without this wonderful festive activity! read more

Winter Lights Festival - Festivals Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

See all

Hubs found this and said every year they sell out of their 500 tickets, so we were intrigued. Here's the skinny: $26 for everyone over 3 years old; you must register everyone going. You are given several tickets for wine tasting, trail mix, and a plastic light-up wine glass for the tastings. Full purchased glasses/bottles/food, must bring cash. There were fire pits (they provided wood, you must tend the fire) set up with sticks and marshmallows. One BBQ Vendor (the line was long and we were told they were running out of food and people were having to wait, adding to the wait time). Open Trolleys for the Light Festival. Live music inside the tent. Complimentary hot cocoa, tea, water, and coffee. *Most of the wine was just "meh," with the spiked hot cider being the star of the show in my opinion; most of the vendors gave a sip (literally) for a tasting, which honestly turned us away from wanting to purchase a glass/bottle. *Dawson's Market trail mix station - you had the option of choosing to get a little of everything in a box, but if you just wanted one thing (like my tot who just wanted the yogurt-covered pretzels, they got stingy and gave you a couple pieces for an entire box). *We got there around 6:20 pm and went on the first trolley ride they offered; recommend doing that first because the lines are insane after (as every buzzed/drunk person then wants to get on). 3-Stars because it just wasn't worth the money paid. You are honestly better off just paying to drive through and see the pretty light show. This is a great event for people purely trying to get their drink on; Not a super kid friendly event (yes, I do get the event is called Wine Under the Lights, but they did advertise and make it seem like youngster could be present, implying it would be suitable for families). Not worth the cost in my opinion, sorry. read more

This was a fun excursion on Christmas Eve, though be ready for super long lines. Fortunately, they keep them off the main road (Clopper) and inside the park itself. It winds a bit before you get to the booth. The light displays themselves were very well done, though I don't think much has changed with them over the years. I feel like there were more of them this time, though. An update wouldn't be a bad call. The only real complaint was the other drivers. Some people, obviously posting real-time on social media, would often stop cold to take pictures, stream live, or whatever. There aren't really areas to pull off (one rest stop along the way), so everyone behind that person is stopping too. We averages about 2 mph the entire trek. At least we got to see some pretty lights along the way, though. It's a nice display and well worth your time. Totally works to get you in the Christmas spirit! read more

Great holiday vibe. Nice drive thru light show. Worth the money and brings a smile to the kiddos faces.

Unfortunately, The wait was excessive . Quite frankly I wish I knew beforehand and came during the weekday, not there fault honestly I blame COVID-19. Just a heads up. read more

Winter Lights Festival - Festivals Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Will agree with the last review. Didn't think it would be this bad but I started waiting in line at 8p. It's now 9:33 and we are still .5 miles away. They don't let cars go in after 9:30. There is no outside assistance to make it easier for cars to get in. Chaos! So disappointed!!!!!!! Wasted time coming here! read more

Winter Lights Festival - Line to get to main road after about one hour and a half. - Festivals Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Loved it so much, we went back again! Unique lights (such as birds flying in the trees) & a long trail to drive along.

Always a fun event to see the holiday lights twinkling brightly. It is especially charming if you have children in the car. I am always delighted by the beautiful displays of castles, bears, reindeers, and other holiday characters. The children's squeals of excitement make the $15 dollar a car entry a real deal. Get there early, because the lines of cars pile up quickly. This was my second time and I was just as enchanted as the first time. The creativity captured by these displays brings holiday cheer, to each and every person, young or older. So, take a short drive to Gaithersburg and leave the Grinches at home. read more

See all

Welcome to Plastic Christmas. No Christmas magic here. Just drive through mounds of plastic and wires to see a bunch of lights arranged in shapes. Stupid waste of resources. read more

This is a fun little drive for the whole family! It's more worth it if you bring a car load of folks since it's priced per car. It's also better to visit on the weekdays since it's cheaper and most likely less crowded. There are some really cute animated lights throughout the park and you should have enough time to snap some photos along the way also. Be considerate to others taking photos and turn off your headlights when driving through since it's well lit around the park for everyone to drive safely. You have to stay in your car at all times though. My favorite displays were the castle and bears. Those were pretty awesome. read more

If you haven't been to the Gaithersburg Winter Lights festival before it's worth checking out. Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind. - The display has not changed in YEARS. It's a great display but when you go year after year...it would be nice to have a few additions to keep it fresh. - The recommended holiday music station has a ton of commercials. I tend to have a playlist of my own ready when going. - They have special days where you can walk through, bring pets, and drink wine. These require special tickets and happen early in the season - plan ahead! - It is a drive through display where you go at a very slow pace with your headlights off. - Be patient! If you come at peak times you may wait a bit to get in. People stop to take pictures of a display but are generally considerate and don't stop for more than a few seconds. Come here when you have an hour/hour and a half to spend so you have enough time to account for a line and time to drive through. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars but ended up giving it four stars for people who are debating on going for the first time. This display is worth coming to see, but they really need to start updating it every few years to keep us repeat customers excited! read more

See all

I can't recommend this one. We arrived at 5:20 with an advertised opening at 6. There were probably 40 or 50 cars in line already. They started the line early, probably 5:45 and the line was out to the street by then. It took us about 35 minutes to drive through because people in front kept stopping to take pictures. By the time we left around 6:20, the entry lines extended several miles in every direction. As for the lights, they're well done but nothing amazing. Lots of animal shapes, lots of teddy bears, elves and other vaugely holiday related scenes in no particular order. If the lines weren't so bad, it would be worth 20 minutes and the price of admission. Even if they offered timed admission tickets it might be a better program but it isn't worth the wait. read more

The lights themselves are very nice but the wait was so ridiculously long that I cannot make a high recommendation. We went on a Saturday and left our house at 6:30 pm (we live less than 10 min away) and we got to the actual admission booth at about 8:15 pm. My son's bed time is 8 pm so he was so exhausted by the time we got in. The actual light show took about 20-25 min and we were going about 5 mph or so with frequent stops due to traffic. If you are willing to wait 1-2 hours then go for it. Otherwise, try to go on a weekday read more

The line was insane. We went two days in order to just get in. Our first day, we went at 7pm but needed to used to restroom so we left the line and by the time we came back it was overwhelmed. We got to the gate at 10pm which is their closing time, so unfortunately we did not get to go in. However, second try (next day) we were in by 9:58pm and the staff made it seamlessly easy to check-in via your phone QR code. The light was great considering there are not many here. read more

Huge and beautiful displays. You don't get to walk, so it goes by too fast, but it's very fun. There are 3 or 4 theme areas, plus a cool view when you drive over the lake twice. For the best experience, pay extra on the week before thanksgiving, when you can walk the path, not have to do by car. read more

What a lovely thing to have locally! The whole family loved this experience. Well worth it!!

I purchased this ticket because last year 2021 my grandchildren and I didn't get to see any festival lights that year, do when I purchased this ticket and told my 6 grand children they were very excited to go, they as well as myself enjoyed every minute of it, when we got there, their were no long drive lines, we were able to go straight through without any hold ups, the ticket check line was great and fast, or was so exciting for my grands kids, they pointed out and named almost every item that was up, they really enjoyed it, I definitely will do this work them next year of its GODS plans to do so, I enjoyed it too myself my youngest grand son is 21/2 years old and her couldn't keep his eyes off it all, if I could give more than 10 stars I would because everything was perfect, thank you winter lights for making me and my grands kids day so memorably great, job well done staff keep up the great work and looking forward to next winter, thanks again and stay safe read more

While it's a nice tradition to come here during the holidays, I'm a little disappointed in the lights this year. It'll run you about $12-$15 depending on the day, and they close on the 31st (I believe). While the kids in my enormous family are always content and ooh-ing and ah-ing at all the lights, I'm a bit bored with them. I wish they'd spice things up a bit. It's a lovely tradition to keep up, but if I see the same lights every year I'm gonna sleep through them or maybe not even come at all. It also would be nice if they played some holiday music or something. Just to add a little flavor, ya know? read more

Terrible. Don't go. We got there an hour before it opened, didn't move for 3 hours and finally gave up. Scrooge would have put on a better show. Terrible crowd control; they have no clue what they are doing, Stay home. Save your money. read more

This is an annual event put on by the city of Gaithersburg; it's the sort of thing family members love because it's part of the season or loath because it's driving in a car looking at lights. Before the grand opening to the public, there are special ticketed events and this year we managed to plan ahead and attend one of them. So nice to feel special and for us, it was a kickoff to the holidays. It's priced by the carload, so $12 is a reasonable evening event for a family of five. We have a small stash of holiday spectacles we bought at a 7-Eleven ages ago. Wearing these makes the sparkling extra special. read more

Nice Christmas tradition for our family. Crowded but moves along. The kids have fun. Takes about an hour to ride through, cost runs 12-15 per car depending on the evening. One suggestion, I wish they would broadcast holiday music, either over speakers or on a radio station that maybe changes with the part of the park you are riding through. Otherwise, you have to listen to their sponsor, WASH FM, which broadcasts Christmas music with two major problems: 1. Delilah could make the happiest person in the world suicidal. Absolutely horrible. Cannot listen to her and Delilah's show is what WASH broadcasts in the evenings. Literally made one of the people in our car cry so we had to turn it off. Why is Delilah even a thing? 2. WAAAAAYYYY too many commercials. You're riding through for an hour, you hear maybe 30 minutes of commercials and 30 minutes of music. We ended up using Pandora to get Holiday music that didn't make us want to stuff gum in our ears.....Did I mention how much I can't stand Delilah? They should broadcast Delilah to the Taliban at Guantanamo.....oh, wait, I think that's considered a war crime......... read more

Fun and entertaining ride! It was drizzling out but that didn't affect the lights so much. There was still plenty of people. Went on a Friday night and it was $17 a car. I think the price is pretty steep. The whole ride took about 20 min. Cool experience, kids would love it. read more

When I was a kid we would always go to the Christmas light displays. And while the Cincinnati OH and Saratoga NY shows are larger and more impressive, I enjoyed the Winter Lights Festival at Seneca Creek State Park. During the regular festival cars are $12-$15 for the 3.5 mile drive. However, before the show officially opens, they host special event nights. Wine Under the Lights (trolly ride and wine tasting), Leashes 'n Lights (bring your dogs and walk the park), and S'more Lights (trolley and S'mores). Pre- registration is required and is $8 per resident of Montgomery County. We did the S'more event. Unfortunately, it was the one night this winter that was actually really cold. So the line waiting for the trolley wasn't much fun. On a normal night it wouldn't be bad, or go later in the evening once all the families are done. Luckily they changed the plan slightly and you could choose to ride on a heated bus instead. Yes please. I don't know if that was always in their plan or they adjusted to the weather. If the latter, good job with contingency planning. I don't know why more people didn't take the bus. True, the trolley is cuter. but we could see the lights relatively well from the bus without freezing. The S'mores where at a tent around small portable fire pits. Stick, large marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers were all included. Hot chocolate was for $1 benefiting a charity whose name I forgot. Music would have been nice but it was probably too cold for any instrument to stay in tune. The lights themselves where beautiful and creative. My favorites where the ones reflecting into the lake and the active teddy bears. The layout seemed a bit confusing to drive around but I think that is because the trolley's did not follow the exact route cars would take in later weeks. read more

I happen to live on the way of these lights. Twice i got stuck in traffic trying to make home for 2 hours. There is NO WAY for people to get home after work on the days of lights. I do not think it is fair. People have small kids, people are tired after work. I have to cancel Christmas this year because of these lights. My family cant get together as the lights will be gathering hellish traffic. This is ridiculous read more

Having been to other park lights in my youth, this was a nice reminder of everything I loved growing up. I listened to other reviews and listened to my own Christmas music while riding through the park. At $12 Monday through Thursday it made my car of three only $4 a person and it only took about 45 minutes to scroll through the park. Definitely worth the drive in my opinion. My father and friend also really enjoyed the park. Especially he unicorn. read more

We've gone to the Winter Lights Festival many times and we were especially excited to go this year as well. Knowing that it was a Saturday night we arrived 30 minutes prior to the park opening. Our wait time was 3 hours just to enter the park! Apparently there are several access roads to the entrance of Seneca Park, and traffic is not managed. A definite disappointment this year!! read more

It's an okay place for little kids we are a family of 5 paid $65 just to walk around for an hour you have to pay for everything even the slides $3 for the slide that is crazy pony rides $3,50 camel ride $7 I don't think it's worth the money at all they have some moon bounces and some barn animals basically that's it and when you leave you take a small pumpkin I could get much more for my money some where else If you have kids 6 and up don't even bother going there is nothing for older kids read more

This is one of my favorite things to do during the Winter Holidays. While it doesn't change that much from year to year they do tweak it a bit and it's still super fun. It's mainly animal themed because it's in a park but Santa and the elves are there too and ice skaters and other fun stuff. My favorite every year is an animated squirrel on one of the arches. I recommend going earlier in the season or not on the weekend because it's not as busy. Bonus- bring some mugs of hot cocoa for the trip. It makes a really great romantic date night for two adults or cram a bunch of kids in your car and watch their little faces - it's the same price per car. I'm not rating it 5 stars because it's not the most amazing thing ever, but if you are like me and enjoy a great light show it can become a fun holiday tradition that won't break the bank. read more

So the holidays were here and you were trying to get into that holiday mood right? Well what better way than to go and look at some lights Holiday lights that is. Each and every year for the past 17 years the park at Seneca has put on a holiday light show in it's state park. Wife and I went a few years ago and liked it so much that she had convinced a couple of her little cousins to tag along this time. Well that was a good idea for about 15mins after arriving then they went back to playing video games on their ipads (Humph! ADD in kids this days). Well anyway say your kids are more old fashion normal and don't have shorter modern attention spans.... now we are talking here some good ol quality family entertainment bonding time here. It just what the doctor ordered to help slow us down and take it all in to relax and truly enjoy these holidays as they do come and go so quickly. With over 360 lighted displays you should get your fill of ooohs and ahhhhs and hopefully a picture or two that does not come out all blurry due to motion. Yes you do drive thru this garden of lights it takes about 45 mins to almost an hour for the whole tour at verrrrry slooooooooow pace around 5 mph or so. It's best to keep your head lights off to add in full effect if your car will allow you to turn them off ours, however, did not but still we got the full picture just fine. The prices have gone up through the years of course so expect to pay (cash only) around 15 bucks a car, if you have a van or big bus expect to pay a lot more. Overall it's a nice simple enjoyable slow trip around the lane even if kids don't get much past the first 15 mins at least the adults can have a nice little time of it as long as the kiddies have their ipads and headphones to keep them still. read more

See all

We came out of him on Christmas Eve and took the kids we very much enjoyed the beautiful light show it was very very well-crafted although took a long time to get through the pay booth and pay it's totally worth it to take out the family and have a great time and enjoy the lights and be together this holiday season read more

It's beautiful but where's the Nativity scene ? Without the birth of Christ, there'd be NO Christmas , no holiday. Where's the real meaning of Christmas here? It's a commercialized light show with no real meaning. read more