City Lights Houston 2026 | Holiday Lights & Events

Q: What are the 12 City Lights villages?

The North Pole villages are Winter Wonderlawn, Tinsel Town, Deck the Trees, Jingle Town, Deck the Hall and Christmas on Main. The South Pole villages are Astros Light Up the Park, Holidays at The Marquis, Ice Rink @ Discovery Green®, Peppermint Plaza, Land of Sweets and Twinkle Town.

Q: Where should I park for City Lights?

Use the Park Once zones and walk between villages. Near the North Pole: 611 Texas St., 698 Capitol St., 499 Rusk St.. Near the South Pole: 1905 Rusk St., 1002 Avenida de las Americas, 1710 Polk St., GRB Hall B Parking. All can be reserved ahead on ParkWhiz.

Q: How do I get between the North Pole and South Pole villages?

Walk the Sweet Spots, candy-themed photo stops along Main Street that link the two poles, or ride the Holiday Express, festive METRORail trains on the Green and Purple Lines. Houston City Tours also runs an 80-minute double-decker lights tour.

Q: Where can I see Santa at City Lights?

Free photos with Santa at Deck the Hall; Sundays in December 5–8 p.m. at Winter Wonderlawn; Nov. 21, 22 and 28 at Deck the Trees ($30 per family); Bark the Halls pet photos at Twinkle Town on Nov. 28 and Dec. 12; Sundays with Santa at the Ice Rink @ Discovery Green®; Breakfast with Santa at Land of Sweets Dec. 19–20; and Astros Santa at Astros Light Up the Park on select nights.

Downtown Holiday Magic

NOV. 21 – DEC. 31, 2026

Twelve sparkling holiday villages across Downtown Houston — ice skating, rooftop lights, Santa, live music and candy-coated Sweet Spots in between.

Explore the Villages See the map

In partnership with

Nov20

City Lights Kick-off Party Friday, 5:30–8 p.m. · Avenida Plaza · Free and open to the public. Tree lighting at 6:15 p.m.

Add to calendar

Park once · Explore more

Explore the map

Download printable map (PDF)

NORTH POLE ➜ ⬅ SOUTH POLE

North Pole village South Pole village PParking Sweet Spot Holiday Express rail Park Once zone

Illustrated map — not to scale. Tap a numbered pin to jump to that village; tap a P for parking.

Holiday Villages

Visit Houston’s guide to City Lights 2026: 12 holiday villages light up Downtown Houston from Nov. 21 to Dec. 31, 2026. Most are free, with ticketed experiences at Winter Wonderlawn, Astros Light Up the Park and Holidays at The Marquis. Park once at the North Pole or South Pole and walk the Sweet Spots in between.

Search villages

Follow the Sweet Spots

Whimsical candy displays and photos moments sprinkled along Main Street and select villages.

Getting around

Park Once

Each pole has a Park Once zone of garages, lots and street parking. Park there and walk the Sweet Spots between stops.

See parking on the map

Holiday Express

Festive METRORail trains on the Green and Purple Lines connect the North and South Poles.

METRO trip planner

The City Lights double-decker bus from Houston City Tours, decorated with holiday lights

Houston City Tours · Nov. 20 – Dec. 31

See it all from the top deck

Climb aboard the festive City Lights double-decker bus and let someone else do the driving. Cruise past Downtown’s most dazzling displays with holiday music playing and a warm cup of hot cocoa in hand.

Holiday lights at Houston’s most iconic Downtown landmarks
Classic holiday music the whole ride
Hot cocoa to keep you cozy
Departs from the decorated Visitors Center

Book your tour Perfect for families, couples and groups of friends
$5 discount code CityLights2026

Plan your visit

When is City Lights 2026 in Downtown Houston?

City Lights runs Nov. 21 – Dec. 31, 2026, across Downtown Houston. The free City Lights Kickoff Party is Friday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Avenida Plaza, with the tree lighting at 6:15 p.m. Some villages open earlier and a few run into January and February, so check each village’s dates above.

Which City Lights villages are free?

Most of them. Tinsel Town, Jingle Town, Deck the Hall, Christmas on Main, Peppermint Plaza and Twinkle Town are free. Deck the Trees, Ice Rink @ Discovery Green® and Land of Sweets are free to visit, with some ticketed extras such as skating, shows or brunch. Winter Wonderlawn, Astros Light Up the Park and Holidays at The Marquis require tickets or purchase — Winter Wonderlawn is $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends.

What are the 12 City Lights villages?

Winter Wonderlawn — POST Houston, 401 Franklin St. · Nov. 6, 2026 – Jan. 10, 2027 · $10–15
Tinsel Town — Market Square Park, 301 Milam St. · Nov. 20 – Dec. 31, 2026 · Free
Deck the Trees — Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave. · Nov. 15, 2026 – Jan. 1, 2027 · Free + $
Jingle Town — Lynn Wyatt Square, 600 Louisiana St. · Nov. 20 – Dec. 31, 2026 · Free
Deck the Hall — Hermann Square at City Hall, 901 Bagby St. · Dec. 5, 2026 – Jan. 6, 2027 · Free
Christmas on Main — Main Street Promenade, Main St. at Walker · Nov. 20 – Dec. 31, 2026 · Free
Astros Light Up the Park — Daikin Park, 501 Crawford St. · Dec. 4, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 · Tickets
Holidays at The Marquis — Marriott Marquis, 1777 Walker St. · Nov. 21, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 · $
Ice Rink @ Discovery Green® — Discovery Green®, 1500 McKinney St. · Nov. 13, 2026 – Feb. 14, 2027 · Free + $
Peppermint Plaza — The Plaza at Avenida Houston, 1001 Avenida de las Americas · Nov. 20 – Dec. 25, 2026 · Free
Land of Sweets — Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar St. · Nov. 12 – Dec. 31, 2026 · Free + $
Twinkle Town — Trebly Park, 1515 Fannin St. · Nov. 20 – Dec. 31, 2026 · Free

Where should I park for City Lights?

Use the Park Once zones: park in one garage and walk between villages. Near the North Pole, try 611 Texas St., 698 Capitol St., 499 Rusk St.. Near the South Pole, try 1905 Rusk St., 1002 Avenida de las Americas, 1710 Polk St., GRB Hall B Parking. All can be reserved ahead on ParkWhiz, and every lot is marked with a P on the map above.

How do I get between the North Pole and South Pole villages?

Walk the Sweet Spots — candy-themed photo stops along Main Street that link the two poles — or ride the Holiday Express, festive METRORail trains on the Green and Purple Lines. Houston City Tours also runs an 80-minute double-decker lights tour.

Where can I see Santa at City Lights?

Deck the Hall — free photos with Santa
Winter Wonderlawn — Sundays in December, 5–8 p.m.
Deck the Trees — Nov. 21, 22 & 28, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. ($30 per family; Nov. 22 is sensory-friendly)
Twinkle Town — Bark the Halls Santa photos with pets, Nov. 28 & Dec. 12, 3–6 p.m.
Ice Rink @ Discovery Green® — Sundays with Santa on the ice ($)
Land of Sweets — Breakfast with Santa, Dec. 19–20 ($)
Astros Light Up the Park — Astros Santa and Orbit on select nights

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