The holidays are here and despite Florida’s fiery temperatures, there are still many ways to feel the holiday spirit and catch some holiday twinkle. Here are 20 ways to see some over-the-top Christmas lights in Orlando this year, including holiday festivals, light shows, parades, illuminated walks and more. 

Lake Nona’s “Oh, What Fun!” holiday festival
6955 Tavistock Lakes Blvd., Orlando
Lake Nona’s “Oh, What Fun!” holiday event features nightly “snowfalls,” live entertainment, holiday photo-ops, Santa meet-and-greets and plenty of twinkly lights. Credit: Lake Nona/Facebook

A Merry Winter Garden Light Show
300 W. Plant St., Winter Garden
Winter Garden hosts an annual holiday light show on select dates throughout December. The light show tradition sees the façade of Winter Garden City Hall decked in holiday lights and synchronized music from 6 to 9 p.m. Credit: A Merry Winter Garden Light Show

Dinos in Lights at the Orlando Science Center
777 E. Princeton St., Orlando
Daily through Jan. 6, guests can head over to the Orlando Science Center to catch their favorite prehistoric pals decked out in festive holiday lights. This shimmering display happens every 30 minutes between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Credit: Orlando Science Center/Facebook

Holidays at Legoland
1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven
The Winter Haven park turns into a brick-ified holiday wonderland through Dec. 1 with truly impressive Lego Christmas builds, plenty of lights and decor, character experiences and festive food and shopping. There are five holiday villages throughout the park featuring opportunities to build toys and a sleigh for Santa, sing-alongs, scavenger hunts and meet-and-greets with Lego Santa, Lego Gingerbread Man and Lego toys. Credit: Legoland Florida/Facebook

Give Kids the World Village
210 S. Bass Road, Kissimmee
Hosted at the 89-acre GKTW facility, Give Kids the World’s holiday events offer guests the chance to enjoy escorted VIP tours to select venues on the Avenue of Angels, view a dazzling tree trail, explore holiday vignettes and take festive photos. Credit: Give Kids The World/Facebook

Lake Eola Park Tree
Lake Eola Park
Through December, Orlando’s 64-foot Christmas tree will be lit up and adorned with 2,000 ornaments at Lake Eola’s Washington plaza. Keep a look out for holiday performances at the Walt Disney Amphitheater, as well as food trucks, a holiday market, vendor village, Santa visits, Florida “snowfall” and more. Credit: Downtown Orlando/Facebook

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration
7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando’s popular Christmas Celebration features a slate of holiday shows, live entertainment, immersive decor and snow flurries on the Waterfront. Popular attractions include the “O Wondrous Night” stage show retelling the story of Christmas through life-sized puppets and animal actors and “Mrs. Claus’ Magic Kitchen” cooking show. There’s also the Sea of Trees in the park’s lagoon, ice skating at Bayside Stadium, meet-and-greets with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus, and the Holiday Reflections Fireworks Finale every night. Credit: SeaWorld/Facebook

Winter Garden Christmas Golf Cart Parade
Downtown Winter Garden
Winter Garden’s annual Christmas Golf Cart Parade takes place in 2025 on Saturday, Dec. 6, and sees decked-out holiday carts take to the streets starting at 6 p.m. Credit: Downtown Winter Garden/Facebook

Celebration’s Now Snowing Festival
Between Highway 192 and I-4 near Walt Disney World
Through Dec. 31, Celebration’s “Now Snowing” offers a synthetic ice rink, plus community performances by local talent, a tree lighting event, ice skating, train rides, horse-drawn carriages, and special concert events throughout the holiday season. Credit: Celebration/Facebook

Lake Mary Christmas Celebration
100 N. Country Club Road, Lake Mary
Throughout December Hosted at Central Park, the Christmas celebration will include a holiday tree-lighting ceremony, dancing light show and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus. There will also be plenty of activities such as a winter maze, balloon artists, holiday carolers, food vendors and more throughout the holiday season. Credit: Lake Mary/Facebook

Creative City Project’s Dazzling Nights
Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave., Orlando
This family-friendly event transforms Leu Gardens into a stunning winter wonderland featuring twinkly lights, shining forests, magical displays, music and festive sculptures. Credit: Creative City Project

Holidays at Universal Orlando
6000 Universal Boulevard, Orlando
Holiday festivities at Universal Orlando run through Jan. 4 at parks and CityWalk. That includes Grinchmas in Islands of Adventure, Christmas in the Wizarding World, the Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s and new menus of festive eats. Credit: Universal Orlando/Facebook

Christmas in Mount Dora
530 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora
Keep the celebration going throughout the entire month of December in festive Mount Dora. With activities like Snow in the Park, the Lighted Boat Parade and Christmas at the Market, there are plenty of ways to remain cheery and bright through the season. Credit: mountdorachristmas.com

Santa Experience at Disney Springs
1486 Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista
Disney Springs offers both a Santa Experience and Christmas Tree Stroll during the holiday season. Credit: Santa Experience at Disney Springs/Facebook

International Drive Christmas Tree
8375 International Drive, Orlando
Through December, the 50-foot-tall tree on I-Drive is worth braving the deepest pits of tourist hell. There’s also a Santa Workshop Experience and plenty of Icon Park-centric things to do. Credit: Icon Park/Facebook

Christmas at the Gaylord Palms
6000 W. Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee
Though not a theme park, Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee is known for having theme park-level attractions and entertainment and for being a destination vacation spot during the holidays with activities like the ICE! show, a naughty-or-nice escape room, a scavenger hunt, photos with Santa and more. It’s also one of the few places that Floridians can experience true winter temperatures. Credit: Gaylord Palms/Facebook

Kissimmee Festival of Lights
421 Broadway, Kissimmee
Through Jan. 6, Kissimmee’s Historic Downtown will be covered with holiday decor and lights with four Festival of Lights events: a tree lighting ceremony, movie in the park, Jingle Bar Hop, and a Festival of Lights parade. Credit: Kissimmee.gov

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
This annual ticketed event is a Christmas sensory overload at Magic Kingdom. Mickey’s after-hours Christmas party promises low ride wait times, strolling for cookies and cocoa around the park, meet-and-greets with characters in their holiday outfits, exclusive holiday treats and merchandise, and a dizzying amount of live Credit: Disney Parks

Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays
Disney World’s Epcot
Over at the prototype community of tomorrow, the Festival of the Holidays showcases wintertime traditions from around the world. Stroll through festive decor and hear holiday tales from storytellers at select countries in World Showcase, like Norway’s Barn Santa and Italy’s La Befana. Indulge in classic and cultural food fare at outdoor kitchens around the park, and partake in the popular Christmas cookie stroll to take home a sweet souvenir. Credit: Disney Parks

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