Guaranteed to get you in the holiday mood, here’s where to see the best Christmas lights in Durham and the Triangle area for the 2019 Christmas season. Use the map below to see them all.
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Mangum Family Christmas Lights
Address: 7510 Guess Rd, Durham
Cost: Free
Tune in to 90.3 FM to hear synchronized music
You have to check out Mangum Family Christmas Lights on Guess Road in northern Durham County. This is a synchronized light show with 100,000 lights that dance to over 40 songs.
Christmas Plugged at Rose of Sharon Baptist Church
Address: 4109 Guess Rd, Durham
Cost: Free
Tune in to 90.1 FM to hear synchronized music
Pull in the parking lot, dim your lights, tune your radio to 90.1 FM, and enjoy the over 20,000 led bulbs which decorate the front of the church as they dance to tunes like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Pentatonix, Mannheim Steamroller, and more. “Christmas Plugged” runs nightly all through December from dusk to midnight.
Marvel at all the lights at American Tobacco Campus
Location: 318 Blackwell Street
Dates: December 6-30
The perfect place for a holiday stroll! American Tobacco Campus will have 20 Christmas Trees artfully designed by American Tobacco Tenants and Community Partners. Illuminated nightly from 5:30 pm -11 pm. And of course, there’s the Lucky Strike Tower that is all decked out for the holidays.
Piper Lights
Address: 5725 Fixit Shop Rd., Wake Forest
2019 Season: Typically opens the day after Thanksgiving and runs until after Christmas
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
A homegrown display that’s turned into a destination, Piper’s Lights features more than 1 million lights. Visitors can drive through the display or stop for a quick train ride and to buy concessions and candy from a small store. It’s free to see the lights and take the train ride (though donations are appreciated). You also can visit with Santa, enjoy some concessions and buy some candy and local holiday crafts.
Fieldstream Farm Lights
Address: 8008 Old Stage Rd., Raleigh
2019 season: Opens Nov. 28
Hours: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday; 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday
Fieldstream Farm features a drive-through light show with 1 million lights decorating acres of farmland. It includes an LED-lit tunnel of lights with more than 200,000 lights. Tickets are based on the number of passengers in a vehicle and start at $22.74 for vehicles with 6 or fewer passengers.
Hill Ridge Farms
Address: 703 Tarboro Rd., Youngsville
2019 Season: Nov. 28 to Dec. 29
Hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday
Cost: Tickets are $9 to $12, depending on your age and on the day you go. Kids under 2 are free. Group tickets available.
The event includes a covered wagon ride through the farm, which is transformed with hundreds of thousands of lights. There also are bonfires; train rides; the giant slide; an old fashioned candy store; and concessions including food at the Chuckwagon Grill, s’mores, hot chocolate and apple cider.
Goldman Family Lights
Address: 6331 Deerview Drive, Raleigh
2019 Season: Opens Sunday, December 1st, 2019. Runs Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m, and Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Tune your radio to 90.9 WGFL to listen to the music while watching the lights.
Approximately 30,000 lights, 4 blowups, 15 deer, 12 wired mini trees, 5 blowmolds – all from the 1970’s – 2-ducks, an owl, flamingo and a penguin, plus some other friends spread around. The highlight of the display is the “Support Our Troops” sign.
Lights on the Neuse
Address: 1620 Loop Rd., Clayton
2019 Season: Opens Nov. 29 and runs on select nights through Dec. 24.
Hours: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. on select nights; 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 24. Check the website for details.
Cost: Tickets are $9 for ages 3 and up. Get a picture with Santa using your own camera or phone for a $6 sitting fee.
You can take a 30-minute Christmas hayride to enjoy the lights and Christmas music; visit with Santa; and treat yourself to some candy, hot chocolate, coffee, kettle corn and s’mores, which you can buy there and make in the picnic area. In the Sugar Barn, visitors can choose and buy cookies to decorate.
Chinese Lantern Festival
Address: Koka Booth Amphitheatre,
2019 Season: Nov. 22 to Jan. 12
Hours: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday (Closed Mondays except Dec. 23 and Dec. 30)
Cost: Date specific tickets are $10 for ages 3 to 12 and $15 for ages 13 and up. Any night tickets are $20 a piece. Children 2 and under are free.
The festival returns for the fifth year and will include more than 20 new displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts and thousands of LED lights.
Lake Myra Christmas Lights
Address: 10 S. Cypress St, Wendell
2019 Season: Wednesday, November 27th to Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Santa will be there Fridays & Saturdays 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: Admission is free, but donations are accepted
For this holiday light display, you’ll head east of Raleigh a bit. I’d recommend bringing blankets to cozy up in and chairs for sitting. These are 30 minutes all the way up to 90 minute light shows set to music they have playing all around the display areas. A charming little bonus is that they have a sweet little hot cocoa stand that serves free hot cocoa to visitors.
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