Where to Marvel at Christmas Lights in Miami This Holiday Season
The temperatures might not be dropping, but that doesn’t mean Miami can’t channel the holiday spirit. If you’re wondering where to see Christmas lights in Miami, we’ve got you covered: From quick festive light shows to all-out, immersive experiences, ring in the season with one of these festive holiday light extravaganzas. You may even encounter a magical talking tree!
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1. Symphony in Lights
Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Park
Dates: Through Sunday, Dec. 31, nightly from 6 to 11 p.m.
Cost: Free
Address: 901 S Federal Hwy., Hallandale Beach
Get in the Christmas spirit with this nightly, festive light show at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. The free, holiday-fueled event features more than 250,000 lights, all set to the sounds of crowd-favorite Christmas music and popular tunes. The 10-minute light show begins every hour on the hour from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
2. Santa's Enchanted Forest
Photo courtesy of Santa’s Enchanted Forest
Dates: Through Sunday, Jan. 7, nightly from 5 p.m. to midnight
Cost: $36 and up
Address: 7400 NW 87th Ave., Miami
Returning for its 40th year, one of South Florida’s most popular holiday amusement parks will bring more than 100 attractions to Doral. For the 2023 season, the event will take over a larger, 40-acre space to accommodate even more festive fun. Expect more than 50 food stands, festive games and rides and impressive light displays.
3. Zoo Lights
Dates: Select nights through Saturday, Dec. 30
Cost: $18.95 and up
Address: 12400 SW 152 St., Miami
At Zoo Miami’s 15th-annual Zoo Lights, watch as more than a million twinkling lights sparkle in the shape of life-size animals and palm trees, wander through the grounds through different holiday-inspired light displays, and take part in a digital scavenger hunt to activate an immersive Musical Vines performance. Plus, check out the 26-foot LED holiday tree, enjoy Snowman-themed boat rides, and indulge in hot chocolate and warm cookies. So yeah, there’s a lot to see and do here.
4. Pinecrest Gardens Nights of Lights
Dates: Open Thursday through Sunday and select Wednesdays through January 6 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $18 and up
Address: 11000 Red Rd., Pinecrest
Kick off your holiday season with an elaborate, walk-through light show experience at Pinecrest Botanical Gardens. Depending on the night, activities include a festive-themed pajama party, live holiday performances, and shopping at a seasonal gift bazaar. Enjoy food, cocktails and even holiday concerts, with more lights than ever before.
5. NightGarden
Dates: Through Sunday, Jan. 7. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, from 6 to 11 p.m.
Cost: $25 and up
Address: 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables
Picture this: An enchanted garden with magical lights and a talking tree (no, we’re not kidding). The 23-acre NightGarden is an immersive experience with dazzling lights, holiday-themed scavenger hunts, augmented reality activations and popular local food trucks. You’ll ogle at technicolor flowers, unique light sculptures and outdoor holograms coupled with motion sensing technology, projection mapping and music that brings it all to life. Using the NightGarden FairyScope app, go beyond the lights and fully immerse yourself in an augmented reality experience, too.
6. Historic Holiday Decor: Holidays in Wonderland, A Lewis Carroll Story
Photo courtesy of the Deering Estate
Dates: Through Sunday, Jan. 7, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $7 and up
Address: 16701 SW 72nd Ave., Miami
Channel the colorful characters and topsy-turvy world of Wonderland at the Deering Estate’s Historic Holiday Decor: Holidays in Wonderland, A Lewis Carroll Story. Featuring Carroll’s beloved characters, including Alice, White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, roam through several historic rooms and galleries, and witness the reimagined recreations—including a table set for Mad Tea Party.
7. Magic City Lights
Dates: Through Sunday, Jan. 7. Sundays through Thursdays, from 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, from 5 to 11 p.m.
Cost: $5 and up
Address: 450 Northwest 37th Ave., Miami
Believe it or not, Magic City Casino transforms into the North Pole during the holiday season. You’ll be greeted by a magical display of LED holiday lights that bring your favorite holiday scenes and characters to life. Come hungry, and indulge in local food and drink vendors, and rock out to live music on select nights, too.
8. Sea of Lights
Dates: Select Fridays and Saturdays through Saturday, Dec. 30
Cost: $20 and up
Address: 4400, Rickenbacker Cswy., Miami
New this year, Miami Seaquarium’s Sea of Lights brings together a dazzling holiday spectacle featuring more than 300 light-up displays. Delight in whimsical exhibits like surfing Santa, prancing reindeer and a mega-sized gingerbread house. Bring a letter for Santa and drop it off at the on-site mailbox, and leave with a tasty s’mores.
9. Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade
Dates: Saturday, December 16 from 6 p.m.
Cost: free to watch; $35 and up to enter
Address: Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, 80 Las Olas Circle, Fort Lauderdale
Check out the “World’s Most Watched Boat Parade” this December staging on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, along the docks west of Stranahan House to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The 12-mile, 2.5-hour route will feature a dazzling display of vessels of all sizes (think: Rudolph, Santa, snowmen and more) cruising down the Intracoastal Highway. It’s free to watch and you can also enter your own boat from $35.
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