Light up your holidays with these events across RI and nearby

Light shines on the longest and darkest nights of the year – if you know where to look.

In addition to the valiant efforts of your festive neighbors, you and the family can enjoy holiday light displays featuring thousands of twinkling bulbs strung through trees, draped over lobster traps or lining the paths at mansions for a glow that promises to warm you from within.

Here are some sources of holiday lights to brighten your nights.

Festival of Lights with railroad theme

Edaville Family Theme Park (edaville.com), 5 Pine St., Carver, Massachusetts, Thursday to Sunday through Dec. 31, hours vary by day. Tickets start at $12.95 for general admission and a visit with Santa. Steam train and vintage amusement rides are an additional fee. More than 250,000 lights adorn the theme park, with local businesses and crafters onsite for a holiday market feel.

Sparkling lights at The Breakers

The Breakers (newportmansions.org/events), 44 Ochre Point Ave., Newport, through Dec. 30, 4-8 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adult members, $40 for adult non-members, and $10 for youth. Be embraced by the Gilded Age as you stroll a half-mile path around the mansion, duck into tunnels of lights and past illuminated displays, all while festive music plays and holiday surprises await.

Themed displays with music at a farm

Confreda Farms (holidaylightshow.com/rhodeisland), 2150 Scituate Ave., Hope, through Dec. 31, opens at 5 p.m., closing time varies by day. Tickets range from $16 to $20 per car for general admission, with an extra charge to arrive without reservation. Seasonal passes are $48 per car. Stay warm in your car, enjoying your own snacks, as you drive past thousands of illuminated themed displays that create a festive feeling. The light shows, synchronized to music played on the car radio, dazzle along the 1-mile route.

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Nautical Christmas display in Connecticut

Lobster Trap Tree (lobstertraptree.com), 1 High St., Stonington, Connecticut, Nov. 23 to Jan. 9, 4:30-9:30 p.m. Free. This unique art installation towers 35 feet into the air, with 420 traps forming the shape of a tree that visitors can walk through. The traps are adorned with more than 1,000 lights and 420 buoys decorated by more than 100 Rhode Island and Connecticut artists and local children.

Christmas Festival of Lights at La Salette shrine

National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette (lasaletteattleboroshrine.org/christmas-festival), 947 Park St., Attleboro, Massachusetts, Nov. 23 to Jan. 1, 5-9 p.m. Free. Walk the grounds and explore the illuminated story of Jesus and the first Christmas, follow an alphabet display around a reflection pond loaded with lights, enjoy a visit to the creche museum or a kiddie ride, and warm up beside a firepit with some hot chocolate.

Holiday light show at the zoo

Roger Williams Park Zoo Holiday Lights Spectacular (rwpzoo.org), 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, Nov. 24 to Dec. 31, 5-9:30 p.m. Tickets, online only, are $14 for adults, $12 for children age 2 to 12, and free for age 1 and under. Members enjoy a discount. Zoo teams illuminate the 40 acres of pathways meandering through the zoo, so it glows with more than 3.5 million lights against a chorus of holiday music. Santa will be there on select Thursday nights, and other sights include gentle reindeer and dazzling snow people. Food – including roast-your-own s’mores – is available for sale.

Holiday lights at the campground

Holiday Festival of Lights (wawaloam.com/christmas), Wawaloam Campground, 510 Gardiner Road, West Kingston, weekends from Nov. 24 to Dec. 30. Tickets are available online at $25 per carload. The winding paths of the campground are transformed into a drive-through light display featuring millions of lights moving in sync with the holiday music playing on your car radio.

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Blithewold aglow

Sparkle! (blithewold.org), Blithewold Mansion and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Road, Bristol, Nov. 24 to Dec. 31, 5 and 6:30 arrival times. Non-member tickets are $70 per carload of four, $55 for two-person cars, and $30 per additional adult ($5 per child). Members get a discount. Visits inside the mansion are $10 extra per non-member. Be transported back in time to the opulent era when families returned to their vacation mansions for the holiday season. The gardens, grounds and mansion are bedecked with lights, and visitors can join a scavenger hunt, enjoy seasonal music with hot beverages or adult drinks, and also take in the majestic decorations inside.

Providence rings in the holidays

Three Nights of Lights (goprovidence.com), Providence, Dec. 1-3. The city flips the switch on its lights and invites visitors of all ages to enjoy free events across the city, all incorporating the theme of light. There are tree lightings, a shimmery ice sculpture garden, a WaterFire basin lighting, holiday market, live performance by FirstWorks, Irish step dancing performances, and murals and sculptures activated with lighting, sound and culture.

Winter fun at Slater Park

Pawtucket Winter Wonderland Festival (on Facebook), Slater Park, 825 Armistice Blvd., Pawtucket, Dec. 2-3, Dec. 9-10, lights are on from 4-9 p.m. More than 30 acres of Slater Park glow with the spirit of the holiday season with more than 650 sponsored trees, many decorated with whimsical and meaningful themes, Victorian houses, more than 100 light displays and several mega trees. The first two weekends, there will also be chats with a gigantic snowman, food vendors, visits with Santa, rides on a mini train or carousel and musical and dance performances.

Admire the artic at Mystic Aquarium

For the first time, Mystic Aquarium has launched its "Home for the Holidays Lights Extravaganza" with lights both in the indoor and outdoor aquarium spaces, including by the exhibit for the artic-dwelling beluga whales. The event will be going on select nights through Dec. 30 from 6 to 9 p.m., and there will be performances from local carolers, the Mystic River Brass Ensemble, Ice Sculpting Demos and appearances by holiday figures such as Santa, elves, the Nutcracker and movie characters.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Christmas light events in RI and nearby brighten up the season