Check out tree lightings, drive through light displays and Kansas City’s biggest Christmas trees! For our guide to the best neighborhood light displays in Kansas City metro, check out our Neighborhood Lights Guide.
Winter Magic and Holiday Light and Magic
November 17 – January 1
Briarcliff Holiday Lighting Celebration
November 12, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Come celebrate with the Village this year at our Annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony and Fireworks Display! Take your picture with Santa, enjoy balloon animals, a bounce house, hayride and face painting as well as shopping discounts.
Legendary Tree Lighting
November 12, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
The Legendary Tree Lighting is back and brighter than ever with a new state-of-the-art synchronized music and light show, face painting, balloon twisting and live music featuring Mr. Stinky Feet & The Hiccups! A 45-foot tree returns this year as the Legends Outlets’ main centerpiece, located at the center of the Civic Courtyard Fountain in front of AMC Legends 14 Movie Theater. Upgraded with a brand new LED light show that’s synchronized to music, the Christmas tree will continue to brighten spirits until early January 2023.
Overland Park Mayor’s Holiday Tree Lighting
November 18, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Kick off the holiday season in Downtown Overland Park at this FREE community event! Join the Mayor, along with FOX4 reporter Abby Eden, as they light the tree in Thompson Park at 6 p.m. Come listen to live music, get your picture with Santa, do some holiday shopping. Additional activities include visits with the Snow Princesses, KC Photobooth Camper, balloon artist, inflatable snow globe, family hayrides, carolers, the Grinch sightings and more.
Mayor’s Tree Lighting: Lee’s Summit
November 18, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Join us at 6:30 p.m. in Howard Station Park as we light Downtown in thousands of sparkling lights. Featuring choir performances, a visit from Santa, and much more to get you in the holiday spirit. Enjoy late night shopping, live window displays, and a holiday light show in City Hall Plaza.
Mayor’s Tree Lighting: North Kansas City
November 18, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Zona Rosa Holiday Lighting Celebration
November 19, 4 p.m.
Excelsior Springs’ Lighted Christmas Parade
November 19, 6 p.m.
It’s Excelsior Springs BIGGEST event of the year! Join us for the GREATEST parade, the Lighted Christmas Parade! The parade kicks off following the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting! Pick a spot on Broadway or Thompson and enjoy the show! Parade begins at approximately 6:05 PM.
Christmas in the Park at Longview Lake
November 23-December 31
Now in its 35th year, this magical winter wonderland features one million lights and 175 animated displays, all designed and built entirely in-house by our talented crews! Your drive to the Longview Lake Campground begins at the Frank White Jr., Softball Complex. Admission is free. Voluntary exit donations benefit 39 local charities. Since its inception, Christmas in the Park has donated more than 1 million dollars to charities right here in our community. Mom Tip: Visit weeknights early in the season to avoid long lines!
Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane
November 24-January 8
If you love festive holiday light displays, then head to Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead and watch sparkling lights synchronized to music with animation, lighting effects, patterns and messages. This year’s show which will feature all your favorite holiday scenes, plus lights and music from some of the most popular movies. Just bring some cocoa, cookies and blankets as you view the lights and hear the music from the warmth of your car.
Paulie’s Penguin Playground
The Craig family Christmas display started off in 2004 with 15 penguins and a few Christmas lights; now, this regional favorite for those in Olathe and surrounding areas has grown to 150 lighted figures which fill most of Paul’s yard. Many of the figures move, some play music and there are even penguin videos playing on the roof.
The Annual Plaza Lighting Ceremony
Thanksgiving Day, 5 p.m.
The Plaza Lighting Ceremony returns! “In 1925, Charles Pitrat, head of the Nichols Company maintenance operation, placed a single six-foot strand of sixteen colored light bulbs across the doorway of the Suydam building, the Plaza’s first building … The tradition grew just the way the Plaza did. As buildings were added, so were lights. When the Plaza Theatre was completed in 1928, Pitrat strung lights across 47th Street to reach the theater building. The next year he outlined the buildings and towers with lights. And so it went, adding more lights to frame more buildings. Putting up those first lights took one man and a ladder. The chore is definitely more difficult today.”
Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting
November 25, 5:30 p.m.
The 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree, one of the nation’s tallest, is the centerpiece for an illuminating holiday celebration. As part of this re-imagined event, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and a special guest will flip the switch to light the tree. The tree is a symbol of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, which is dedicated to assisting the people of Kansas City during the holiday season. Program begins at 5:30 p.m. No admission fee.
Lee’s Summit Magic Tree
A celebratory landmark at I-470 and View High Drive in Lee’s Summit. Over the years, the lighting of the tree has offered sentiments of hope, goodness, peace, and love as visitors enjoy the simple elegance of the tree, take advantage of the beautiful and unique photography setting, as well as give to those who are in need in our community.
Holiday Luminary Walk
November 25 + 26 , December 2 + 3, 8-10, 15-17
During the four weekends following Thanksgiving, take a stroll along the lit pathways to experience the magical Gnome and Fairy Villages, serene winter woods by candlelight, and the colorful Children’s Garden. Enjoy musical performances in four different locations and visit with Santa in his Woodland Depot. The gardens are bright with color – while the quiet woods are lit with candles lining the walkways. Trees, buildings, and bridges are all part of the show, with thousands of lights aglow.
Take the family or enjoy an Adults-Only Candlelight Stroll on December 1.
Powell Gardens’ Festival of Lights
November 10 – December 30
During Evergy Festival of Lights at Powell Gardens, more than 20 miles of lights turn Kansas City’s botanical garden into a winter wonderland. Enjoy a breath of fresh air during a hectic holiday season! Bundle up with family and friends while you stroll a lighted outdoor path, pausing for plenty of Instagram and holiday-card worthy photo moments along the way. Encounter immersive botanic installations that show off the exceptional architecture and landscape elements of the Gardens and accentuating the natural joy of the most festive season. Wednesday-Sunday, 4-10 p.m.
Nottingham On the Green, 129th & Quivira thru 129th & Pflumn to 133rd St. Overland Park… all trees lining the streets are decorated along with houses within the neighborhood .. Stop and see the house at 129th & Bradshaw for lights synced to music and turn your radio to 90.5 FM.
A real treat and not far away.