Top photo: A snowy West Virginia barn dressed for Christmas. Photo: ForestWander, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 US), cropped to 16:9.
There's something about a West Virginia December. The hollows go quiet, the woodsmoke hangs low over the ridges, and then, one by one, the lights come on. Whole parks glow red and green, ballparks shimmer, and little river towns string lanterns down streets that were old when our great-great-grandparents were young.
If you're looking for the best places to see Christmas lights in West Virginia this year, we've rounded up 11 of our favorites for the 2026 season, from the famous six-mile drive at Oglebay to free church and city-park displays that feel like a hug from home. We checked each one's 2026 dates with the organizers' own calendars, and we've included hours, cost and a few insider tips so you can plan your nights out. Pour the cocoa into a thermos and let's go.
Quick Guide: West Virginia Christmas Lights 2026
| Display | Town | 2026 dates | Type | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oglebay Festival of Lights | Wheeling | Nov. 5 – Jan. 3 | Drive-through | $30 suggested donation |
| Light the Night | Charleston | Nov. 13 – Jan. 3 | Walk-through | Ticketed |
| St. Albans Festival of Lights | St. Albans | Nov. 27 – Dec. 23, plus Dec. 26 | Drive-through | Free |
| Winfield United Methodist Church | Winfield | Opens after Thanksgiving | Walk-through | Free |
| Krodel Festival of Lights | Point Pleasant | Nov. 21 – Jan. 1 | Drive-through | Check before you go |
| Heritage Farm Christmas Village | Huntington | Dec. 4, 5, 11, 12 | Walk-through village | Check before you go |
| Mountain Glow | Morgantown | Nov. 27 – Dec. 23 | Walk-through | $10; family 4-pack $32 |
| Celebration of Lights | Fairmont | Opens Nov. 27; select nights into late Dec. | Drive-through; walking Wednesdays | $10 per car |
| Olde Tyme Christmas | Harpers Ferry | Dec. 4–6 and 12–13 | Historic town stroll | Free to stroll |
| Christmas at the Park | Lewisburg | Expected from Nov. 20 through December | Drive-through | Free; donations welcome |
| Holiday of Lights | Bluefield | Nov. 27 – Jan. 3 | Drive-through | Free; donations welcome |
1. Oglebay Festival of Lights, Wheeling
This is the big one, and it has been for more than four decades. Oglebay's 42nd Festival of Lights turns a six-mile loop of the park into a slow, glowing cruise past more than 100 displays spread over 300-plus acres. This year the Wheeling Park Commission put its biggest single-year investment ever into the show, with new walk-through areas so you can get out of the car and see the lights up close. We covered all the new features in our Oglebay Festival of Lights preview.
- 2026 dates: Now through Jan. 3, 2027, nightly from dusk to midnight, holidays included.
- Cost: A $30 donation gets you a season pass plus a rewards book with 2027 offers around Oglebay and Wheeling Park.
- Skip the driving: Guided trolley tours leave Oglebay Lodge hourly from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. They cost $20 Monday through Thursday and $30 Friday through Sunday and on holidays. Holiday pricing applies Nov. 24–27 and Dec. 22–Jan. 1. Reservations open seven days ahead at 304-243-4000.
- Insider tip: Monday through Wednesday nights have the shortest lines, and arriving between 5 and 6 p.m. beats the rush. Don't miss Reflections on Schenk Lake, Santa's Village and Christmas at the Zoo.
2. Light the Night at GoMart Ballpark, Charleston
Charleston's minor-league ballpark becomes a holiday carnival in winter. Light the Night, now in its fourth season, packs more than 2.5 million lights into GoMart Ballpark. It adds a Ferris wheel, carousel, ice skating, mini golf and, new this year, a bumper car rink and a holiday light show synchronized to music. It's a walk-through, so bundle up the kids and plan to stay a while.
- 2026 dates: Nov. 13 through Jan. 3, 2027. Open daily 5 to 9 p.m., until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and closed Christmas Day.
- Where: GoMart Ballpark, 601 Morris St., Charleston.
- Cost: Admission is ticketed through the Charleston Dirty Birds, and rides and skating cost extra. Buy ahead online to save time at the gate.
- Make a night of it: Downtown's free Holly Jolly Brawley festival kicks off on Black Friday with decorated trees along Slack Plaza, Brawley Walkway and Lee Triangle. Capitol Market's Holiday Village fills December with international holiday traditions, gifts and treats. And keep an eye out for the State Capitol's Christmas tree lighting, usually held in early December.
3. St. Albans Festival of Lights, St. Albans
For 38 years, St. Albans City Park has been a free, no-fuss Kanawha Valley tradition. Load the family in the car, turn up the Christmas music and roll slowly through the park's glowing displays.
- 2026 dates: Nightly Nov. 27 through Dec. 23, 6 to 9 p.m., plus a final night on Dec. 26. It's closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
- Cost: Free.
- Insider tip: Weeknights early in the season are the calmest. Afterward, grab a bite on Main Street in St. Albans before heading home.
4. Winfield United Methodist Church Walk-Through Lights, Winfield
Sometimes the sweetest displays are the smallest. Winfield United Methodist Church is putting on its walk-through Christmas lights for just the second year, and the whole town has rallied behind it. Earlier this month, someone deliberately cut strands of the lights. Church members, neighbors and Winfield High School's National Honor Society students pitched in on repairs, and the church says the show will go on. Read our story on how Winfield answered the damage with grace.
- 2026 dates: The church plans to open the display after Thanksgiving.
- Cost: Free to the community, just like last year.
- Insider tip: This one is a stroll, not a drive. Wear good shoes, and consider dropping a thank-you note or a donation for the volunteers who rebuilt it.
5. Krodel Festival of Lights, Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant doesn't do anything halfway, and that includes Christmas. Krodel Park turns into a drive-through landscape of more than 100 displays and millions of lights, with plenty of hometown touches.
- 2026 dates: Nov. 21, 2026, through New Year's Day, with lights on nightly from 6 to 9 p.m.
- Bonus lights: The volunteer-run West Virginia State Farm Museum Holiday Light Show lights up the museum grounds, tractors and all, Dec. 3–23. Christmas on Main Street brings a parade and tree lighting to downtown, with ice skating and hot chocolate on Saturday, Dec. 5.
- Cost: Admission hasn't been posted yet, so check Main Street Point Pleasant or the Mason County visitors bureau before you go.
6. Heritage Farm Christmas Village, Huntington
Tucked into the Wayne County hills just outside Huntington, Heritage Farm Museum and Village turns its log cabins, church and museums into a lighted Appalachian Christmas village. Kids can visit Santa, sip hot chocolate and decorate cookies. It's an old-fashioned Christmas that feels like stepping into a storybook.
- 2026 dates: The 11th annual Christmas Village runs four nights only: Dec. 4, 5, 11 and 12, from 5 to 9 p.m.
- Where: 3300 Harvey Road, Huntington.
- Insider tip: With only four nights, Saturdays get busy, so go early. Downtown Huntington also lights its city Christmas tree on Nov. 24 at the arena plaza, which switches on the Pullman Square lights, and the Holiday Parade of Lights steps off at 6 p.m. on Dec. 1.
7. Mountain Glow at Mylan Park, Morgantown
Mountain Glow is a walk-through holiday trail at Mylan Park, with themed areas including a Christmas Forest, the North Pole, Jingle Bell Junction, a Walk of Angels nativity, and a West Virginia Pride zone that's right up our alley.
- 2026 dates: 21 nights between Nov. 27 and Dec. 23, starting at 5:30 p.m. Most nights run until 10 p.m. Sundays close earlier.
- Where: Mylan Park Track and Field Complex, 1135 Fitness Way, Morgantown. Parking is free.
- Cost: General admission is $10, a family four-pack is $32, and kids 2 and under get in free. You choose a date and arrival time when you buy.
- Insider tip: Food, warm drinks and a merch shack are on site. Weekend arrival times sell first, so book ahead.
8. Celebration of Lights at Morris Park, Fairmont
Now in its 19th year, Fairmont's Celebration of Lights winds 1.3 miles through Morris Park with more than 540 displays. Volunteers set it all up, and it shows in the hometown details.
- 2026 dates: Opening drive night is Friday, Nov. 27, and drive nights continue on the organizers' published calendar into late December, 6 to 10 p.m. Check the schedule before you go, because it doesn't run every night.
- Walker Nights: On Wednesdays in December, the park closes to cars so you can walk the lights. Park at Fairmont Federal Credit Union on the Gateway Connector and ride the shuttle in.
- Cost: $10 per car or $40 per bus. Walker Nights are $5 per person, and kids under 12 get in free.
- Getting in: Enter from the Kingmont or Pleasant Valley exits (133 and 135). Traffic runs one way in and one way out, and exiting cars turn right toward the Gateway Connector.
9. Olde Tyme Christmas, Harpers Ferry
Picture 19th-century streets glowing with lanterns, carolers on the corners and the smell of something sweet drifting out of a shop door. Olde Tyme Christmas fills Harpers Ferry's historic Lower Town with holiday markets, live music, period performances and crafts for the kids.
- 2026 dates: The opening ceremony is Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. Festivities continue the weekends of Dec. 5–6 and Dec. 12–13.
- Parking: Use the free lot at Cavalier Heights and ride the shuttle down to Lower Town, where parking is very limited.
- Insider tip: Dress in layers and wear sturdy shoes, because the cobblestones are uneven and December evenings by the rivers get cold. Planning a longer trip? Harpers Ferry tops our guide to West Virginia towns worth the drive.
10. Christmas at the Park and the Magic of Christmas, Lewisburg
Lewisburg leans into the holidays with storybook charm. The city moved the old state fair light show to a festive drive-through loop around Dorie Miller Park, called Christmas at the Park. Downtown fills with horse-drawn carriage rides, carolers and a Santa's Mailbox.
- 2026 dates: The city's holiday calendar lists the Dorie Miller Park lights starting Nov. 20, though that date is still marked tentative. The lights run Thursdays and Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m. through December. The downtown tree lighting is Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. on the Green Space, and the Christmas parade rolls down Washington Street on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.
- Cost: The light display is free, and donations are appreciated.
- Insider tip: Ten minutes down the road, The Greenbrier is decked out from Thanksgiving through New Year's and has an outdoor ice rink.
11. Holiday of Lights, Bluefield
What started as a small display has grown into one of the biggest light shows in southern West Virginia. Bluefield's Holiday of Lights fills Lotito City Park with displays you can enjoy from your car.
- 2026 dates: Nov. 27 through Jan. 3, 2027. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- Where: Lotito City Park, 1780 Stadium Drive, Bluefield.
- Cost: Free, and donations help add new displays.
- Insider tip: Bluefield's Christmas parade marches down South Street on Saturday, Dec. 5. Pair it with a drive through the park that evening.
Tips for a Merry Light-Seeing Night
- Go early in the week. At the biggest shows, Monday through Wednesday nights mean shorter lines.
- Dim your headlights to parking lights at drive-through displays when staff ask, and keep a safe, slow crawl.
- Bring cash for donations, hayrides and concession stands, since not every small-town display takes cards.
- Check the weather. Ice and heavy snow can close a display for the night, so look at the organizer's page before you leave.
- Make it a road trip. Charleston, St. Albans and Winfield are all within about half an hour of each other, and Morgantown and Fairmont pair just as easily up I-79.
The Bottom Line
From the big, bright drive at Oglebay to a little church walkway in Winfield that neighbors rebuilt strand by strand, West Virginia does Christmas lights with heart. Pick a night, pile everybody in the car, and go make a memory. And if your favorite hometown display didn't make our list, tell us about it on the Almost Heaven West Virginia Life Facebook page. We just might feature it next year.
Dates, hours and prices can change because of weather or other circumstances, so confirm with each display's organizer before you go.