23 Awe-Filled Christmas Lights Shows Full of Holiday Magic in 2025
Christmas lights shows have a way of stopping you for a moment. Even the busiest streets feel different when they’re glowing, and people slow down just enough to take it in together. Research published in Psychological Science found that moments of awe — the kind you get when something feels bigger, brighter or more magical than your everyday routine — can ease stress and help people feel more connected.
That’s part of why wandering through Christmas lights has become a holiday ritual around the world. From historic town squares to oversized city displays and small neighborhoods that go all-out, each place brings its own version of that feeling and turns an ordinary evening into something a little more memorable.
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- Best Christmas Lights in Europe
- Best Christmas Lights in North and South America
- Best Christmas Lights in Asia
- Best Christmas Lights in Australia and Beyond
- Best Christmas Lights FAQs
Best Christmas Lights in Europe
Europe goes big at Christmas. Cities lean all the way into the season with grand avenues lit end-to-end, markets that glow long after dark and historic buildings transformed by light. Wander almost anywhere in December and the whole place feels charged with that festive energy people look for when choosing things to do on Christmas Day.
1. Paris, France
If you’re on the hunt to see the best Christmas lights in the world, travel to Paris and enjoy Christmas in France. While the location is already called “the City of lights”, the location lights up even more around Christmas time for some of the most beautiful Christmas lights shows in Europe.
Thousands of fairy lights are strung on trees along the Champs-Élysées from the end of November to the beginning of January. On top of that, you'll also find one of the best Christmas markets in Europe throughout December, featuring traditional food, holiday-themed vendors, and even more Christmas lights shows. You won’t want to miss the beautiful City of Lights during the holiday season.
2. Madrid, Spain
Gran Via and Paseo del Prado, two of Madrid’s main boulevards, shine with bright displays that pull you down the street without trying. Nativity scenes, known locally as Belen, pop up across the city.
If you’d rather not walk, book a tour on the Naviluz, a double-decker Christmas bus that will take you around the city to view the stunning Christmas lights shows. You can also visit the city’s beloved holiday market at the Plaza Mayor to purchase fun holiday gifts or view even more Christmas lights.
3. Vienna, Austria
Vienna already looks like a storybook, but the beautiful Christmas lights shows take it up a level. Walk Graben or Kärntner Strasse, then head to the Rathaus, Vienna’s town hall, where the entire building glows like a fairytale set. It’s one of those cities where every corner has something bright to look at.
4. Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm lights more than 40 streets and squares for the season, including its stunning 120-foot-high Christmas tree that’s resurrected each Christmas in the old town. The whole city feels crisp and bright, with plenty of small markets and warm spots along the way to keep the walk going.
5. London, England
Travel to Covent Garden in London to see one of the city’s standout Christmas lights shows, or wander along Oxford Street as the whole stretch lights up overhead.
You can also head to the Ellesmere Port shopping center in Cheshire to admire its 90-foot tree glowing with more than 100,000 bulbs. And if you want something a little more atmospheric, make time for Christmas at Kew — one of London’s most beautiful illuminated walks.
6. Nuremberg, Germany
If you’re spending Christmas in Germany, Nuremberg is a great city to enjoy Christmas lights shows. Start with the Christkindlesmarkt, where you can join a sightseeing tour, browse the stalls and enjoy the food while you take in the displays. Then wander through Old Town for more lights and decorations threaded through the historic streets.
Best Christmas Lights in North and South America
Across the Americas, the style is bold, creative and sometimes wonderfully over the top. From skyline displays to waterfront parades, everything is built to impress — and to pull whole crowds outside even on the coldest nights.
7. New York City
For some of the most impressive Christmas lights shows in the world, New York City is hard to beat. It has that same larger-than-life magic you see in everyone's favorite Christmas movies for kids: Home Alone, only brighter in person. Start with the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, then make your way up Fifth Avenue to see the window displays in full holiday mode.
Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s at Herald Square put on their own light shows while you shop, and if you’re nearby, stop at the Plaza Hotel to see the world’s largest menorah, an impressive part of their Hanukkah decorations.
8. Newport Beach, California
For one of the most beautiful Christmas lights shows on the water, head to Newport Beach. The city’s long-running holiday boat parade turns the harbor into a floating festival of color, with yachts and small boats decked out in lights, trees and over-the-top displays.
Many of the homes and businesses along the waterfront join in too, which gives the whole harbor a nautical winter-wonderland feel. Grab a hot chocolate and watch from the pier as the procession passes by.
9. Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls turns into a full-scale holiday spectacle this time of year. With more than 125 installations and three million colored bulbs wrapping the whole area in color and the falls themselves glow under shifting spotlights. It’s one of those places where you can’t help but stop and take it in for a minute.
From early November through late January, the CAA Winter Festival of Lights adds even more to the scene, including an illuminated Canadian–American flag and a beautifully lit menorah.
10. Medellin, Colombia
Medellín goes all-in on Christmas, and its Christmas Lights Fiesta proves it every year. Millions of lights stretch across the city in bright shapes and scenes — everything from towering trees to glowing animals — turning the night sky into part of the celebration.
Walk along the Río Medellín or wander through downtown and you'll see some of the most beautiful Christmas lights displays the city has to offer. It’s one of those cities where the lights feel like they’re everywhere you look.
11. Gramado, Brazil
Gramado treats Christmas like a full season, not just a day, and its Natal Luz, or Christmas of Light, celebration shows it. For two months, the town turns into a kind of holiday stage, with a traditional Christmas tree light show paired with a festive orchestra.
Stick around and the energy ramps up with the Grand Christmas Parade and Nativitaten, an outdoor opera with dancers, music and bursts of firework-style effects. It’s a quaint mountain town, but it delivers a holiday atmosphere that feels surprisingly big and remarkably charming.
12. Monterey, Mexico
Festival Luztopía is Monterrey’s big holiday centerpiece, and it earns its reputation as one of Mexico’s largest Christmas lights shows. The waterfront fills with illuminated figures, small vendors and a fire pit area that people naturally gather around as the night cools down.
The illuminated white castle is the crowd magnet, but the street performers scattered through the grounds give the whole event its festive pace. If you’re spending Christmas in Mexico, head to Monterrey; this is the place that delivers the Christmas lights shows that make the season feel larger than life.
13. Boothbay, Maine
The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens turns Boothbay into a full-scale winter spectacle. More than 250 acres glow after dark, and the walking paths feel almost otherworldly once the lights come on.
Grab your friends and just follow the trails as the displays unfold. Before you head home, the small gift shop is worth a stop for locally made soaps, honey and a few light-themed souvenirs that make easy Christmas gift ideas.
Best Christmas Lights in Asia
Asia brings a different kind of magic to the season. Cities use light as art — choreographed shows, futuristic installations and streets that completely change character after sunset. It’s Christmas with a high-tech heartbeat.
14. Singapore
Singapore goes all-in on holiday lights, and Orchard Road is where it really hits you. An open-top bus ride lets you see the whole stretch glowing above you, with building after building trying to outdo each other for the city’s Best Dressed title.
If you time it right, you can catch the Celebrate Christmas in Singapore (CCIS) festivities too, with a week of music, performances and brightly decorated floats rolling down the main street.
15. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo treats Christmas lights like an art form. With the city’s tech edge behind it (many of the world’s high-tech companies are located in the city), the Christmas lights shows feel modern, immersive and sometimes a little surreal. Caretta Shiodome leans into a full ocean-themed show, while Roppongi Hills turns its streets into a glowing, galaxy-style corridor.
If you’re chasing lights that feel a bit different from the classic winter look, Christmas in Japan delivers some of the most memorable displays in Asia.
16. Hong Kong, China
Christmas in Hong Kong doesn’t unfold the way it does in most cities. It’s louder, taller and reflected across Victoria Harbor. The Symphony of Lights sets the pace with its choreographed neon Christmas lights shows, and from there the night drifts into markets, concerts around the city for a festive holiday season.
17. Tbilisi, Georgia
Some cities try to impress you with size; Tbilisi wins you over with mood. Liberty Square glows at the center of it all and the Saint George monument becomes a towering Christmas tree. While in town, make sure to indulge in the traditional cuisine and extravagant shopping for a fun Christmas holiday. It’s the kind of place where the lights are only half the experience — the rest is everything happening around them.
18. Bangkok, Thailand
In Bangkok, Christmas lights don’t wait for you to seek them out — they come at you from every direction. Entire malls turn into illuminated landmarks, the Siam district hums like a single giant display, and even side streets feel like they’re putting on their own version of the holiday.
The city’s playful side shows up strongest at Chocolate Ville, where the boats gliding through the canal pick up the reflection of the Christmas lights shows and turn it into something almost theatrical. Bangkok isn’t gentle about Christmas, but it is wildly entertaining.
Best Christmas Lights in Australia and Beyond
In the Southern Hemisphere, warm evenings keep everyone out longer, and the displays reflect it. Neighborhoods, parks and waterfronts glow late into the night, giving the season a relaxed, open-air feel that’s its own kind of festive.
19. Melbourne, Australia
Christmas in Australia just feels different and summer's warm nights make Melbourne a top southern destination. You can wander the city after dark and still be in a T-shirt, which makes the Christmas Lights shows along Swanston Street and Bourke Street, Fed Square and the riverfront lights feel like part of one long evening out.
While you're downtown, head to the annually changing lights display at the Myer Department Store on Bourke Street, a holiday tradition for the locals. And don't skip the suburbs, they get in on it too — The Boulevard is basically a community project at this point, with whole streets joining the tradition.
20. Auckland, New Zealand
Franklin Road is the kind of street where everyone seems to know the assignment — nearly every house joins the display, and the whole road glows because of it. For something with a nostalgic twist, the Glenbrook Vintage Railway runs trains through illuminated holiday scenes that feel reminiscent of Polar Express. You’ll also be sure to spot Sky Tower with its annual display of red and green lights to ring in the holiday season.
21. Adelaide, Australia
Some cities treat Christmas lights like decorations; Adelaide treats them like a neighbourhood sport. Families map out the best streets, locals swap tips and entire suburbs lean into the tradition with house-by-house displays.
Whether you’re in the Northern Suburbs or Adelaide Hills, there are tons of beautiful Christmas lights shows to take in this holiday season. Make sure to also save time to stop by the beautiful Christmas tree in Victoria Square.
22. Sydney, Australia
Sydney’s Christmas lights shows feel different because the city’s landmarks do so much of the work. St Mary’s Cathedral turns into a full-scale projection show, Martin Place glows with its towering tree and even the Queen Victoria Building gets wrapped in its own holiday colour.
Whether you’re located in the Eastern Suburbs or South Sydney, there are tons of local neighborhoods to explore to see the most beautiful Christmas lights shows in the city. Add in the long summer evenings and it becomes less of a “light viewing” and more of a night out.
23. Timaru, New Zealand
Timaru keeps things wonderfully local. Residents sign up to showcase their houses, transforming whole pockets of town into glowing streets you can explore at your own pace. It’s simple, community-driven and genuinely charming. Scroll the list of entrants in the Timaru Christmas Parade Trust Lights to discover the most spectacular homes and times to view the Christmas lights in a variety of neighborhoods, including Temuka and Pleasant Point.
Best Christmas Lights FAQ
What is the biggest Christmas lights show in the world?
Enchant Christmas is one of the largest walk-through Christmas lights shows you can see. Stadiums and outdoor venues turn into glowing mazes with millions of twinkling lights, oversized ornaments and photo spots at every turn. With locations across the United States, it’s an easy add to a December getaway or a festive night out.
Which city has the best Christmas lights?
If you’re looking for the best Christmas lights shows, New York City and Paris usually top the conversation. While NYC has the iconic Rockefeller Center tree, bright storefronts and whole blocks that feel lit from the inside out. Paris has extravagantly illuminated boulevards and a holiday atmosphere that spreads through the entire city. Either one will make you feel like you stepped into a holiday movie.
Where is the best Christmas celebration in the world?
If you’re looking for authentic Christmas traditions around the world, Finland is the place to celebrate your holiday! Travel to Rovaniemi, officially declared the hometown of Santa Claus in 2010.
The town leans into the season with cozy markets, glowing villages and enough Christmas lights shows to make December feel truly magical. You can visit Santa Park, explore snowy trails and take in some of the most charming holiday displays anywhere.
From quiet neighborhoods to cities that light entire skylines, Christmas lights shows have a way of making the season feel bigger and a little more magical. Whether you stay close to home or plan a Christmas vacation for your family, wandering through glowing streets and bright displays brings that familiar mix of warmth and wonder. It’s one of the simplest ways to slow down, look up and feel the holiday spirit settle in.
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