Mother holding a child under a Christmas lights display at night.

Ultimate Guide to Christmas Lights Displays Around Oklahoma

Mother holding a child under a Christmas lights display at night.

The ABCs of an Oklahoma Christmas

What’s the best way to have a holiday to remember? By getting off the beaten path and taking a fresh approach to your treasured traditions. At TurfWorks, we like to get just as creative with our seasonal celebrations as we do with our spectacular landscaping and design, so we’ve put together 26 unique ideas for a Yuletide you won’t forget. From El Reno to Idabel, Guthrie to Ardmore, and everywhere in between, TurfWorks has your Oklahoma Christmas experience covered from A to Z.

 

  • The Ardmore Festival of Lights at Ardmore Regional Park is one of the largest holiday light displays in Southern Oklahoma, boasting more than 125 animated displays along a 1.5-mile driving route.
  • Head to Bartlesville and the Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights at the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve. See the historic ranch transformed with more than 750,000 lights decorating the grounds and buildings. Enjoy wagon rides and a unique view of the property from across Clyde Lake.
  • The nationally recognized Chickasha Festival of Lights was created 31 years ago to inspire the idea of “Christmas through the eyes of a child.” Every year, the 43 acres of Shannon Springs Park come alive with holiday sparkle, from the 4 miles of lighted walkways—including a lit pedestrian bridge over the park’s lake—to the 172-ft Christmas tree. As a bonus, stop by World Largest Leg Lamp, a 50-ft homage to Chickasha-native Noland James’ influence on the 1983 movie, A Christmas Story.
  • Go Downtown in December and discover all the best Oklahoma City has to offer during the Christmas season. Water taxi rides through Bricktown are free in December, giving visitors a chance to see the river in its holiday finest, while can’t-miss light displays adorn nearly all the districts, including Automobile Alley and the Lights on Broadway as well as the Midtown Christmas Tree and Holiday Pop-Up Shops.
  • Elk City’s Christmas in the Park features millions of lights and hundreds of displays, all of which you can experience from onboard a double-decker bus, miniature train, or horse-drawn wagon! You can also take a spin on the Centennial Carousel.
  • The Fort Reno Christmas Guns in El Reno are an old-fashioned flashback to a historic holiday tradition started by German immigrants, who discharged firearms like cannons and gums with the belief that it would dispel evil spirits before the upcoming holiday.
  • Gaze upon the Garden of Lights in Muskogee, which takes Honor Heights Park—famous for its spring azaleas—into winter in style. The park’s 130 acres of trees and water areas are brilliantly decorated with over one million dynamic lights and displays, including rose and azalea bushes illuminated in lights imitating the plants’ natural state during blooming.
  • Have fun at the Holiday River Parade, sponsored by Braum’s. Held at Riversport in the Boathouse District, you’ll be treated to water-skiing elves and holiday-themed boats taking over the Oklahoma River, with an evening presentation of fireworks and a laser light show.
  • Idabel is home to The City of Lights Parade, one of the most beautiful and well-attended parades in the region. Held the first Saturday in December, the parade kicks off the holiday season in McCurtain County, drawing approximately 25,000 visitors and over 100 entries, including bands from local and area schools, pageant winners from the Miss City of Lights Pageant, and decorated floats. Santa also makes his first official visit to Idabel during the parade in a fire truck provided by Idabel Fire Department.
  • Jenks’ historic downtown becomes a winter wonderland during LightsOn!, an annual event that helps usher in the holiday season with food trucks, a parade, live entertainment, carriage rides, and a visit from Santa. While you’re in town, head out to Kringle’s Christmas Land, a Christmas Light Fight-winning display delivered every year by Ben Summer, who’s also won a national Christmas competition. Kringle’s Christmas Land is a vintage family Christmas come to life, featuring a voice-narrated holiday story with life-size animated displays from the 1940s and 1950s, hand painted human animations, special effects, and realistic snow blizzard
  • In Ketchum—the “Gateway to the Grand Lake Christmas Parade”—you can explore the Winter Wonderland Christmas Light Tour at the Pine Lodge Resort. With free admission, visitors are welcome to drive through the property along the shores of Grand Lake as many times as they like to explore log cabins, woodland animals, and historic cars decked out in over 500,000 Christmas lights.
  • See one of the largest fresh-cut Christmas trees in the world in Enid, Oklahoma. Standing 140 feet tall, this evergreen, dubbed “The Christ Tree” and covered with 20,000 multi-colored lights and 10,000 ornaments, serves as the centerpiece of a 40-day Christmas extravaganza known as “The One.” A bonus L attraction: the holiday Laser Light Show at Turner Falls in Davis, a one-night-only Christmas laser light and fire dancing show held at Oklahoma’s largest waterfall.
  • Midwest City hosts one of the state’s largest drive-through light displays at the Holiday Lights Spectacular in Joe B. Barnes Park. You’ll see more than 1 million lights and 100 animated light displays along the 1.5 mile route, including a dancing forest display choreographed to traditional Christmas songs. Make sure to catch a carriage ride and get up close and personal to the 118-ft Christmas tree.  
  • North Pole Adventure in Oklahoma City is a one-of-a-kind interactive Christmas attraction and theme park. This 25,000 sq. ft. replica of the North Pole recreates the magic of Santa’s world, including Mrs. Claus’s Kitchen, Elf University, the Elf Clubhouse and Bedroom, and the reindeer barn. Visitors will also get a chance to see Santa’s Post Office, Toy Workshop, and House.
  • Outdoor ice rinks across the metro and the state offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy Oklahoma’s mild winters. Check out Devon Ice Rink in downtown Oklahoma City and Crest on Ice in Norman, as well as the ice rinks of Yukon’s Christmas in the Park and Chickasha’s Festival of Lights.
  • The Poinsettia tree inside the Crystal Bridge Conservatory in OKC is the perfect way to end a stroll through the Myriad Botanical Garden’s 15 acres of festive lighting. Featuring 16 feet of carefully stacked poinsettias, the tree is an annual tradition that can’t be missed. Psst…also be on the lookout for a special Meet Santa Blair event in the Lobby of the Crystal Bridge Conservatory.
  • The Quapaw Nation Children’s Christmas Committee hosts an annual Children’s Christmas party at the historic Coleman Theater in Miami, which is open to all Quapaw Nation tribal members, and you’ll find craft vendors, holiday candies and baked goods, and a hot meal—chili, a cinnamon roll, and drink for $10—at the Winterlicious Market held at the Quapaw Farmer’s Market in Quapaw and benefitting the All Tribes Education Consortium (ATEC).
  • Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow has been amazing visitors for over 40 years with the Rhema Christmas Lights, a synchronized musical display of trees and dancing snowflakes that covers 110 acres. This renowned event attracts over 500,000 people with the stunning Rhema Park Bridge, carriage rides, and a 50-figure nativity scene.
  • Sapulpa’s got the Christmas spirit, and they want to share it, with their Route 66 Christmas Chute. Three blocks of Dewey Ave. on historic Route 66 are closed off in downtown and canopied by nearly 800 feet of Christmas lights and décor in 10 different themes, adding a fun and festive atmosphere to the area’s retailers, shops, restaurants, and pop-up shops. Pro tip: check out the scavenger hunt and see what hidden Christmas treasures may be surrounding you!
  • The Territorial Christmas Celebration in Guthrie is an annual tradition held in the home of the largest Historic Preservation District in the country. For more than 35 years, locals and visitors alike have been dressing in old-fashioned Victorian-era attire and meandering around historic downtown to revel in 1900s-decorated store windows, carolers, candlelit trolleys, and a living nativity event. Watch as the new territorial governor is announced following the Christmas parade, take a Distinctive Homes tour, or enjoy a leisurely Victorian Walk Evening.
  • Utica Square, Tulsa’s upscale outdoor shopping center, has kicked off the start of holiday season for the last 50 years with their own lighting ceremony tradition, including 700,000 lights and Christmas carols by local Tulsa musicians, hosted by local journalist and meteorologist Julie Chin. Take photos with Santa and sit in his sleigh, wander glittering gardens, and explore Amber Marie & Company, the first and only all-Christmas store in Tulsa.
  • Visit Vinita for a charming small-town celebration that includes a Christmas Parade of Lights, breakfast with Santa, a tree lighting, and plenty of caroling, hot chocolate, and children’s activities.
  • Woodword’s Crystal Christmas in northwest Oklahoma is proud to be hosted “by the community, for the community.” The town sets Crystal Beach Park aglow with over two million Christmas lights, while the Opening Night Celebration features live music, train rides, ax throwing, and more.
  • The Polar Express, hosted by the Oklahoma Railway Museum, brings to life the magic of the popular movie and children’s book with a 1-hour round-trip journey complete with pajamas, hot cocoa, cookies, caroling, and sleigh bells.
  • Yukon’s Christmas in the Park is chock full of holiday delights. Over 100 acres spanning 3 interconnecting parks, this Oklahoma staple features Santa Express Train Rides, an ice rink in Chisholm Trail Park, photo ops with your favorite Christmas characters—like the Grinch, Rudolph, Elf on the Shelf, and Frosty the Snowman—and a 3-mile drive-through display boasting 5 million lights and over 500 unique installations.  
  • The OKC Zoo’s annual Safari Lights provides a unique holiday experience, giving visitors the opportunity to drive through the zoo and view more than 59 wildlife-themed light sculptures. The event also offers a walking tour through the Children’s Zoo and Dino Safari, where you’ll find animated light displays, festive treats, kids’ activities, and weekend visits with Santa.

 

Make a Christmas to Remember with TurfWorks

TurfWorks is a locally-owned professional landscaping company providing comprehensive lawn care services to homes and businesses throughout the Oklahoma City metro area, including seasonal services like Christmas light installation. Contact us today for a free quote and consultation, and see how we can help make your Oklahoma Christmas truly magical.