Best Christmas Lights in Georgia 2026

Georgia’s best Christmas lights for 2026 range from Callaway Gardens’ 10 million-light drive in Pine Mountain to a free, music-synced show in downtown Macon. The first big shows open in early November, most run into early January 2027, and the ticketed ones sell out on December weekends, so book ahead.

• Biggest showFantasy in Lights, Callaway Gardens
• Best drive-through near AtlantaMagical Nights of Lights, Lanier Islands
• Best free showMacon Christmas Light Extravaganza
• Opens firstStone Mountain Christmas, Nov. 7

• Top 15 at a Glance
• Callaway Gardens
• Lanier Islands
• Macon
• Free Town Lights
• Lake Lights
• By Region
• Common Questions

Georgia’s 15 Best Christmas Light Shows at a Glance

1. Fantasy in Lights, Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain: Nov. 13 – Jan. 3, 2026-27. Drive-through; ticketed.

The biggest light show in Georgia: a seven-mile route through Callaway Resort & Gardens with more than 10 million lights across 18 themed scenes. Drive it in your own car, or book the trolley, a Pink Jeep tour or the bicycle-only Bike Night. The Callaway Christmas Village adds a 40-foot lighted tree, Santa visits and s’mores stands. Peak December weekends sell out, so buy ahead and budget two to three hours. More in our Presidential Pathways Christmas lights.

2. Magical Nights of Lights, Lanier Islands

Buford (Lake Lanier): Nightly, Nov. 20 – Jan. 3, 2026-27. Drive-through; priced per vehicle.

A six-mile drive past more than a million lights on the islands of Lake Lanier, about 45 minutes north of Atlanta, open nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. Passes are sold per vehicle, which makes it one of the better values for a full car. The resort’s Snow Island opens the same night with snow tubing and an ice rink. More in our Lake Lanier Christmas lights guide.

3. Stone Mountain Christmas

Stone Mountain Park: Weekends and holidays, Nov. 7 – Jan. 3, 2026-27. Walk-around; $39.99 adults.

The first big show to open, with more than two million lights, a nightly Christmas parade at 6 p.m. and a drone and light show over the mountain at 8:20 p.m. Tickets are $39.99 for adults and $36.99 for children 3 and up, plus parking. More in our Atlanta Christmas lights guide.

4. Enchanted Garden of Lights, Rock City

Lookout Mountain: Nightly, Nov. 13 – Dec. 31 (closed Dec. 24), 2026-27. Walk-through; timed tickets.

More than a million LED lights across five themed trails on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, a tradition for more than 30 years. Timed tickets are sold online only and vary by date: $31 to $49 for adults and $21 to $39 for children 3 to 12. This season ends on New Year’s Eve. More in our Historic High Country Christmas lights.

5. Garden Lights, Holiday Nights

Atlanta Botanical Garden, Midtown: Nightly, Nov. 14 – Jan. 10, 2026-27. Walk-through; timed tickets.

Glowing orbs, light tunnels and displays synced to music fill the Garden’s Midtown grounds, with holiday model trains running over the same dates. The show runs until midnight with last entry at 11 p.m., and late Night Light admission after 9:30 p.m. starts at $19.95 for adults. More in our Atlanta Christmas lights guide.

6. Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza

Downtown Macon: Nightly, Nov. 27 – Jan. 3, 2026-27. Walk-through; free.

The best free light show in the state: more than a million lights across five and a half downtown blocks, synced to music by the Macon Pops. Shows start on the hour from 6 p.m., and opening night, November 27, kicks off with a free Macon Pops concert. This is the display’s 10th season. More in our Macon Christmas lights guide.

7. Lights of the South

Grovetown, near Augusta: Nov. 20 – Dec. 30, 2026-27. Walk or hayride; ticketed.

More than five million lights across about 100 acres just off I-20 west of Augusta, seen on foot or from a hayride, with a Christmas Tree Maze, a Candy Land playground, marshmallow roasting and Santa’s House. Parking is free, and children 3 and under get in free. More in our Augusta Christmas lights guide.

8. Wild Adventures Christmas

Valdosta: Select nights, Nov. 21 – Dec. 31, 2026-27. Theme park; ticketed.

South Georgia’s biggest ticketed show: more than two million lights at Wild Adventures Theme Park, with a Carol of the Animals lake show and Santa visits. It runs select nights only, so check the park calendar before you drive down. More in our Plantation Trace Christmas lights.

9. Holly Jolly Jekyll

Jekyll Island Historic District: Nov. 27 – Jan. 3, 2026-27. Walk or trolley; mostly free.

More than half a million lights across Jekyll Island’s Historic District, with fireworks on December 21 and themed weekends through the season. It pairs well with the trolley Tour of Christmas Lights on nearby St. Simons Island, which runs December 12 through 24. More in our Georgia coast Christmas lights.

10. IllumiNights at Zoo Atlanta

Grant Park, Atlanta: Select nights, Nov. 21 – Jan. 17, 2026-27. Walk-through; ticketed.

Lantern-lit animal sculptures and holiday displays fill the zoo grounds, open select nights from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (last entry 8 p.m.). Tickets run $20.99 to $24.99 for ages 12 and up, and it runs later into January than most Georgia shows. More in our Atlanta Christmas lights guide.

11. Mountain Country Christmas in Lights

Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, Hiawassee: Nov. 26 – Dec. 31 (see schedule), 2026-27. $12 per person; $25 per car on drive-through nights.

A drive-and-walk light show with Christmas music, vendors and Santa, open Thursday through Saturday evenings from November 26 to December 12, nightly December 17 to 24, and drive-through only December 26 to 31. Children 12 and under are free on walk-through nights. More in our NE Georgia Mountains Christmas lights.

12. Lights of Life

Life University, Marietta: Nightly, Nov. 26 – Dec. 31, 2026-27. Drive or walk; $15 per car.

Metro Atlanta’s best bargain: more than a million lights, tunnels, carnival and train rides on Life University’s campus, for a flat $15 per car, not per person, paid at the gate. More in our Atlanta Christmas lights guide.

13. Lockerly in Lights

Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville: Fri. and Sat., Nov. 20 – Jan. 2, 2026-27. Walk-through; $15 adults.

A paved, mile-long walk-through light trail at Lockerly Arboretum, open Fridays and Saturdays. Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 3 to 12. More in our Macon and Middle Georgia Christmas lights.

14. December Nights & Holiday Lights

Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, Savannah: Nov. 27 – Dec. 24, 2026-27. Walk-through; timed tickets.

The University of Georgia’s 50-acre gardens south of Savannah, lit for an hour-long nighttime walk. Tickets are sold online by time slot, and proceeds support the gardens. More in our Georgia coast Christmas lights.

15. Holiday in the Park, Six Flags Over Georgia

Austell: Select days, Nov. 21 – Jan. 3, 2026-27. Theme park; ticketed.

Six Flags brings back a reimagined Holiday in the Park for 2026, with themed holiday lands, nightly tree lightings, live shows and rides, just west of Atlanta. More in our Atlanta Christmas lights guide.

Free Christmas Lights in Georgia’s Small Towns

Some of the best holiday nights in Georgia cost nothing. Whole downtowns light up, and most kick off with a free tree lighting or parade:

• Helen lights its Bavarian-style village at Riverside Park on Friday, November 27 (5 to 7 p.m.), and holds its Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 12, at 6 p.m.
• Dahlonega lights the square on November 27, runs a Christmas Market in Hancock Park December 5 to 13, and holds its parade on Saturday, December 12, at noon.
• Light Up Blue Ridge runs November 27 and 28, 2026: Blue Friday, then Light Up Saturday with the Great Tree lighting, plus a parade, live reindeer and Santa at the City Park gazebo.
• Thomasville’s 40th Victorian Christmas fills downtown on December 10 and 11, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m.
• Albany’s Celebration of Lights Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 6 p.m.
• Augusta’s Christmas Parade and Light-Up Spectacular fill downtown on an early December Saturday; see Augusta Christmas lights.

Christmas Lights on Georgia’s Lakes

Lake Lanier: Magical Nights of Lights at Lanier Islands in Buford is the state’s best-known lake light show, a drive-through running nightly November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027.

Lake Sinclair, Christmas Cove: Neighbors along one cove of Lake Sinclair near Milledgeville light up their boathouses each season, and the display can only be seen from the water. Georgia’s Lake Country lists it from November 26 to December 31, 2026. Bring a boat or rent one from a local marina, and go after dark on a calm night.

Lockerly in Lights, Milledgeville: Lockerly Arboretum turns a paved, mile-long loop into a walk-through light show on Fridays and Saturdays from November 20, 2026 to January 2, 2027. Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 3 to 12.

Lake Oconee: The lake does not have a big public light show, but The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee sets up a 5,000-square-foot lakeside ice rink each winter, and nearby Madison holds its Holiday Tour of Homes on December 4 and 5, 2026 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with candlelight tours 5 to 9 p.m.) and its Christmas parade on Saturday, December 12 at 4 p.m.

Christmas Lights by Region

Each of Georgia’s travel regions has its own guide to local light shows, parades and tree lightings:

• Atlanta Christmas lights: Stone Mountain, Garden Lights, IllumiNights, Lights of Life, Six Flags and Lanier Islands
• NE Georgia Mountains: Lanier Islands, Helen, Dahlonega and Hiawassee
• Historic High Country: Rock City, Blue Ridge, Ellijay and Rome
• Coast and Islands: Jekyll Island, St. Simons, Savannah and the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens
• Macon and Middle Georgia: the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza, Lockerly in Lights and Lake Sinclair
• Augusta and the Classic South: Lights of the South, the Augusta parade and Evans
• Presidential Pathways: Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens
• Plantation Trace: Thomasville, Albany and Wild Adventures
• Magnolia Midlands: Statesboro, Dublin and Vidalia

More Ways to Celebrate the Season

Cut your own tree: Georgia’s choose-and-cut farms open from mid-November. See our Christmas tree farms in Georgia guide for 24 farms and their 2026 opening days.

Ride a Santa train: Holiday trains run in Blue Ridge, Kingsland, Cordele and Nashville. See Christmas train rides in Georgia.

Start on Thanksgiving weekend: Many displays and tree lightings open November 26 to 28; see Thanksgiving in Georgia and the holiday events calendar.

Visit a decorated historic home: Several historic homes and state historic sites, including the Chief Vann House in Chatsworth, decorate for the season. Browse Georgia’s historic sites to find one on your route.

Tips for Your Holiday Lights Trip

Go on a weeknight if you can: The biggest displays draw heavy weekend traffic in December. A weeknight usually means shorter lines and easier parking.

Buy timed tickets early: Callaway Gardens, Rock City, Garden Lights and Stone Mountain sell their best December dates weeks ahead.

Dress warm: Drive-through shows keep you in the car, but walking displays in the mountains get cold fast after sunset.

Making a weekend of it? See Christmas in Helen, Christmas in Dahlonega and New Year’s Eve in Atlanta and Georgia, or browse the Georgia festivals and events calendar.