Tampa does Christmas lights the way it does everything else in December: outside, in shorts, with a lot of palm trees involved. Here is where to see the best of it this season, what each one costs, and the dates that have been announced so far. We will update this page as the rest are confirmed, and the Thursday newsletter will flag each one the week it opens.

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. The park's whole footprint gets lit, with the Serengeti light show, holiday shows, and the coasters running after dark. It is included with regular admission, so an annual pass covers it. Select dates from November 13, 2026 through January 4, 2027. Official page

Christmas in the Wild at ZooTampa. One of the biggest light displays in the Bay, wrapped around the animal habitats, with Santa and holiday food. Included with zoo admission or a membership. Runs select nights from late November into the week after Christmas; 2026 dates not announced yet. Official page

Christmas Lane, Plant City. A walk-through winter wonderland at the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds: more than 1.5 million lights and a couple hundred decorated trees, about 30 minutes east of downtown. Ticketed. 2026 dates not announced yet. Official page

Tampa Bay Festival of Lights, Dover. The drive-through option: about two miles of lit displays at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, ending at Santa's Village. Priced per car, which makes it the cheapest way to get a full carload through a big display. 2026 dates not announced yet. Official page

Holiday Lights at Largo Central Park. More than two million LED lights across the park, free to walk, with carnival rides and a market on select nights. Last season it ran nightly from late November through New Year's Day. 2026 dates not announced yet. Official page

Tampa Riverwalk Holiday Lighted Boat Parade. Decorated boats run the Hillsborough River past Sparkman Wharf, Harbour Island, and the Convention Center. Free from anywhere along the Riverwalk. Saturday, December 19, 2026, starting at 6:15pm near the Davis Islands lighthouse. Official page

Holiday Happening at Hyde Park Village. The tree lighting, live music, and Santa in the Village, free, usually the Thursday before Thanksgiving. 2026 date not announced yet. Official page

Dunedin Holiday Boat Parade and Tree Lighting. Boats parade the Intracoastal to the Dunedin Marina, then the tree goes on. Free, early December; 2026 date not announced yet. City events page

Some of the best displays in the Bay are on private streets where a whole block goes in together. As of last December, the ones people kept recommending were Streamside Drive in Carrollwood (synchronized to a radio station), the Barrington Oaks neighborhood off Lumsden Road in Brandon, and Adventure Drive in Riverview. These change year to year, so check a neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor before you drive out, go on a weeknight, keep your headlights low, and do not block driveways.

Most displays open the week before Thanksgiving and run through New Year's. The two weeks after Thanksgiving are the sweet spot: everything is open, nothing is sold out, and weeknights are quiet. The Saturdays before Christmas are the crowded ones, especially at Busch Gardens and the drive-through in Dover. Check the forecast; a Florida December can swing 30 degrees in a week.

If you are hanging your own, three things save the most trouble: clips made for shingles or gutters instead of staples, one GFCI-protected outdoor circuit per run so a tripped breaker does not take the whole house down, and a second person on the ground for any ladder work. If the roofline is two stories or the ladder makes you nervous, this is the job most people are happiest paying for.

Presented by Bright Lights Tampa. Tampa Bay's holiday light installers will design it, hang it, take it down in January, and store it until next year, or install permanent app-controlled LED lighting you never take down. 5.0 Google rating. Install dates go fast in October and November.

Or call (813) 550-2293 and mention Tampa Loop.

Tampa Loop is a free Thursday email with the best things to do around Tampa Bay this weekend. Subscribe here and the December issues will tell you which of these opens each week.