Triangle holiday light shows start this month, and tickets are on sale now
It’s only November, but tickets for three major holiday light shows in the Triangle are already on sale.
We’ve compiled information about the dates and hours of operation for each, along with ticket options, costs and weather policies.
The light shows won’t actually start until later this month — but if you’re ready to fill your calendar with some holiday cheer, you can start making plans now, using our guide.
NOTE: Always check the website for each event to confirm this information before you head out.
NC Chinese Lantern Festival
One of the state’s most popular holiday attractions, the N.C. Chinese Lantern Festival returns to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre for a sixth year this holiday season.
Traditionally, the Chinese Lantern Festival represents the end of the Chinese New Year — set for February 2022 — but this holiday event begins in mid-November and runs through early January.
The light show features acrobatic, martial arts and musical performances, along with large-scale lanterns that are handmade in China, then shipped to North Carolina.
Guests walk through the amphitheatre to see the lanterns, and it takes between 45 to 75 minutes to see the full display. The paths are wheelchair accessible, but the venue does not provide wheelchairs.
Location: Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary
Dates: Nov. 19 through Jan. 9
Hours: Gates open nightly at 6 p.m. The event closes at 10 p.m., and you must arrive by 9 p.m. to enter.
Tickets: There are several ticket options available, with various levels of flexibility and add-ons to the basic ticket experience. Tickets are required for all guests ages 3 and older. Children 2 and under can attend for free, with no ticket required.
▪ Any night tickets are $25 each for all guests ages 3 and up. This option offers the most flexibility — you are able to use the ticket for any night of the festival. Note: tickets are one-time use only.
▪ Date-specific tickets allow you to pick a specific night you want to attend the festival. Prices vary according to which day you want to attend and the age of the ticket-holder:
- On Fridays, Saturdays and holidays (Nov. 25, Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1), tickets for guests ages 13 and older are $20 if purchased in advance and $25 if purchased on the night you attend. For guests ages 3 to 12, tickets are $15 in advance and $20 night-of.
- On Sundays through Thursdays, tickets for guests 13 and older are $16 in advance and $18 night-of. For guests ages 3 to 12, tickets are $11 in advance and $13 night-of.
- Discounts are available Sunday through Thursday for seniors ages 55 and older, military members and college students. These groups can buy tickets for $13 in advance or $15 night-of. You must show a valid ID to receive the discount.
▪ “Twilight Experience” tickets are $25 for guests ages 13 and up, and $15 for guests ages 3 to 12. This option allows you to enter the festival early and experience the lanterns during “golden hour,” 90 minutes prior to opening. This is a good option if you want to avoid larger crowds. Twilight Experience tickets are only available Thursdays through Sundays, and tickets must be purchased in advance.
▪ VIP (Very Important Panda) tours provide a 45-minute guided tour through the lanterns where you’ll learn “insider information” about the festival and how the lanterns make it to North Carolina from China each year. VIP tickets are $35 for ages 13 and up and $20 for guests ages 3 to 12. Tours begin at 4:30 p.m. and are only offered Mondays through Wednesdays. Reservations are required, and sales are cut off five days before the event.
Weather policy: The NC Chinese Lantern Festival is a rain or shine event, but organizers may decide to close on nights they feel walking conditions are unsafe. Visit boothamphitheatre.com or call the venue’s weather hotline at 919-459-8332 in the case of extreme weather or slippery road conditions.
Other information:
▪ Masks are not required.
▪ The amphitheatre has a clear bag policy.
▪ Outside food and beverages are not allowed, but you may bring in two factory-sealed water bottles per person. Concessions will be available on-site during the event.
▪ Parking is free in amphitheatre-owned lots. A limited number of handicap accessible parking spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis with the proper hang tag or license plate.
For additional information, visit boothamphitheatre.com. You can call the amphitheatre office at 919-462-2025 for general questions, or call 800-514-3849 to purchase tickets.
Magic of Lights at Walnut Creek
Magic of Lights is a “unique and dazzling” drive-through holiday lights experience with locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, including Raleigh’s Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.
Throughout the 1- to 2-mile course, you’ll enjoy your favorite holiday scenes and characters lit up by LED technology and digital animations — all from the comfort of your car.
New this year is the drive-through Blizzard Tunnel, and returning favorites include the 12 Days of Christmas, Winter Wonderland and The Night Before Christmas.
Location: Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh
Dates: Nov. 19 through Jan. 2
Hours:
▪ Sunday through Thursday: 5-10 p.m.
▪ Fridays and Saturdays: 5-11 p.m.
You may enter the event at any time during operating hours.
Tickets: Magic of Lights charges a single entrance fee for each standard-sized vehicle. A standard vehicle is one with three rows of seating or less. Limos, party buses and other bus-sized vehicles are not permitted.
The cost per car depends on when you attend:
▪ Beginning Nov. 19: $20 per car to attend Monday through Thursday. $25 per car to attend Friday through Sunday.
▪ Dec. 13 through Dec. 17: $25 per car.
▪ Dec. 18 through Dec. 26: $32 per car.
▪ Dec. 27 through Dec. 30: $25 per car.
▪ Dec. 30 through Jan. 2: $32 per car.
You can purchase tickets online in advance or at the gate. To buy tickets online for the Raleigh event, visit magicoflights.com/events/raleigh.
Weather policy: Magic of Lights is a rain, snow or shine event unless a weather emergency is declared. If this is the case and you are holding a ticket for this date, you will be notified by email. Weather alerts and notifications for the Raleigh event may also be posted online at magicoflights.com/events/raleigh.
Other information:
▪ All sales are final. No refunds, exchanges or date transfers are provided.
▪ You must stay in your car at all times.
▪ Dogs are allowed to attend as long as they stay in your car.
▪ Passengers are not allowed to ride in the back of a pick-up truck.
For more information, visit magicoflights.com.
WRAL Nights of Lights at Dix Park
WRAL’s popular Nights of Lights returns for its second year at Raleigh’s Dix Park, this year with fewer tickets available to avoid traffic jams and back-ups.
The 1.3-mile trip takes you through the park’s towering oaks, rolling hills and open fields as you enjoy illuminated trees, festive light displays and local art installations.
The light show is generally a drive-through event, but this year there’s one night for people to walk or run through the event, and two nights for people to bike through it. It takes about 15 to 30 minutes to drive through the event in a car.
Location: Dorothea Dix Park — Use the entrance at 75 Hunt Drive, off Western Boulevard. VIP ticket holders may use the entrance at Umstead Drive, off Lake Wheeler Road.
Dates: Nov. 20 through Dec. 24. The event will not be held on Nov. 22 through 25, Nov. 29 or Dec. 6.
Hours: 6-10 p.m. You purchase tickets for a 30-minute time block. You should arrive no more than 10 minutes before your time block begins.
Tickets:
▪ Tickets must be purchased in advance. You can purchase tickets online at wral.com/lights at or by phone at 800-514-3849.
▪ You purchase tickets for a 30-minute time block on a specific date.
▪ Admission for a vehicle that holds up to eight people is between $20 and $30. Tickets are more expensive as it gets closer to Christmas.
▪ Admission for commercial vehicles that hold nine people or more is between $30 and $35. Tickets are more expensive as it gets closer to Christmas.
▪ Limited numbers of VIP Fast Lane tickets are available within each 30-minute time block. VIP tickets are $40 before Christmas week (Dec. 17 through Dec. 24), and $50 during Christmas week. VIP ticket holders enter through a separate entrance and can expect to wait five to 10 minutes to enter the event, compared to at least a 30-minute wait for general admission ticket holders.
Weather policy: Nights of Lights is a rain or shine event, unless there is major inclement weather. Announcements will be made in event of cancellation. If cancellation occurs all purchased tickets would be rescheduled. Make-up nights would take place Dec. 26 through Dec. 30.
Other information:
▪ You must remain in your car during the event.
▪ You can bike through the event on two nights: Nov. 21 and Dec. 13. Bike tickets are $10 and are purchased through a separate page from car tickets.
▪ To walk or run through the event, enter the Nights of Lights 5K on Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. The entry fee is $35 until Nov. 19, and $40 until race day.
For more information about Nights of Lights, visit wral.com/lights. If you have general questions about the event, you can email nightsoflights@wral.com.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 3:37 PM.
