Miami Holiday Lights Planner

Last reviewed: November 2, 2026. Sources for this page are listed in its fact sheet.

Short answer first. Miami runs five serious holiday light displays in 2026, and they split cleanly in two: a southern cluster (Zoo Lights, Pinecrest Nights of Lights, and the NightGarden, all in the Coral Gables and South Dade suburbs) and a northern pair (Christmas Wonderland at Tropical Park and Luminosa on Watson Island). Compared side by side below, with the dates, hours, and ticket rules that decide between them, they resolve into two planned routes: one southern night that can hold two displays, and one northern night built around Wonderland. Pick your nights from the table, buy the timed tickets before December weekends sell them out, and do not try to cross the county for a second display in one evening.

Coral Gables after dark, the southern cluster's home turf. The Biltmore Hotel is a landmark near the NightGarden, not one of the five displays. Photo: Matt W, Pexels.

The five displays, compared

Every entry checked against its organizer, most recently on November 2, 2026. Prices are printed only where the organizer publishes them; where a display sells through a ticket shop without a public price list, the entry says so.

Zoo Lights Miami, at Zoo Miami. Dates: 17 select nights, November 27 and 28, then December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 to 23, and 26 to 30. Hours: 6:30 to 10 p.m. The format: a walk through the zoo after dark under more than a million lights, with a 26 foot LED holiday tree, an opening night tree lighting at 7 p.m. on November 27, and Santa appearances through December 23. Ticket note: separately ticketed from daytime admission and sold online only through the zoo's own shop, which does not publish a price list on its event page, so check the shop for current rates. The zoo is at 12400 SW 152nd Street. Note the calendar gap: no Zoo Lights on December 24 or 25.

Christmas Wonderland, at Tropical Park. Dates: opens Thursday, November 12, 2026 and runs into the first days of January (the organizer's own pages give both January 3 and January 4 as the close, so plan on early January and confirm the final nights on the calendar page). Hours: 5 to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday per the organizer's FAQ, with select closed Mondays (November 16 and 30 and December 7 are listed). The format: a full fair, not just lights: unlimited rides included with admission, the 230 foot America 250 Wheel, a Bavarian style marketplace, and SEF: Memory Lane, a tribute built from original Santa's Enchanted Forest displays. Ticket note: kids ages 3 and under enter free and ages 4 to 12 pay a discounted rate; the organizer's FAQ lists online weekday bundles (a single pass at $25 on Mondays, two tickets for $55 on Tuesdays, four for $99 on Wednesdays, three for $88 on Thursdays, each plus fees, sold online only until 5 p.m. on the day). Parking is free, with a trolley from the lots. The park is at 7900 SW 40th Street.

Luminosa, at Jungle Island. Dates: November 13, 2026 to January 10, 2027. Hours: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The format: a lantern festival on a 1.35 mile path through seven zones themed on Miami neighborhoods, lit by more than 43,600 LEDs. Ticket note: the organizer lists tickets from $25.90 for adults and $17.90 for children, checked October 30, 2026, with date based pricing at checkout. Jungle Island is at 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, minutes from downtown, which makes this the easiest display to reach from a downtown or Brickell hotel.

The NightGarden, at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Dates: opens November 12, 2026, on select evenings into early January. The format: an illuminated night walk through the garden, in its eighth season, adding a real ice rink under the palms this year. Ticket note: not every evening is a NightGarden evening, so check the event's ticket page for the exact calendar before you drive out. Fairchild is at 10901 Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables.

Nights of Lights, at Pinecrest Gardens. Dates: select nights December 4 to 27, 2026, 6:30 to 10 p.m., rain or shine. The format: the smallest and most local of the five, lights and a festival atmosphere in a village garden, built for an early night with younger kids. Pinecrest Gardens is at 11000 Red Road in Pinecrest.

Route 1: the southern night

Zoo Lights, Pinecrest, and Fairchild all sit in Miami's southern suburbs, within the same driving shed. The pairing that works is Pinecrest or the NightGarden first, in the early evening slot, and Zoo Lights second: the zoo's 6:30 p.m. opening and 10 p.m. close give you the long second act, and its date list is the most restrictive of the five, so build the night around the zoo's calendar, not the other way around. Do not attempt all three in one night; the driving between them eats the evening. Staying in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, or Brickell keeps the drive home short; our Christmas in Miami guide explains the base choice in full.

Route 2: the northern night

Christmas Wonderland is a whole evening by itself: gates at 5 p.m., unlimited rides, the wheel, and the marketplace. Give it the night. Luminosa pairs with it only across nights, not within one: do Luminosa on a downtown evening, combined with dinner in Brickell or a walk through Bayside, and Wonderland on its own night from a base anywhere in the city. Weekday Wonderland bundles are the value play of the whole season if your trip includes a Monday to Thursday night; buy them online before the 5 p.m. day of cutoff the organizer lists.

Check Coral Gables and Brickell hotel prices for lights season on Expedia

One more night belongs on the calendar if your trip allows it: the Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, December 12, 2026, a decorated fleet running a 12 mile route from 6 p.m. It is a Fort Lauderdale event, about a 40 minute drive in normal traffic, and our Christmas guide treats it as the day trip it is.

A Man Mixing Drinks. Photo: Gustavo Fring, Pexels.

Frequently asked questions

Which Miami light display is best for young children?
Nights of Lights at Pinecrest Gardens: the smallest grounds, a 6:30 p.m. start, and an early finish. Christmas Wonderland is the pick for older kids who want the rides that come with the lights.

Which display is closest to downtown hotels?
Luminosa, on Watson Island at Jungle Island, minutes from downtown and Brickell. Christmas Wonderland at Tropical Park is the next closest of the five.

Can you do two displays in one night?
Yes, in the south: Pinecrest or the NightGarden early, then Zoo Lights, whose gates run to 10 p.m. Do not pair displays across the county in one evening; the drive costs more time than the second display is worth.

Do the displays run on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Zoo Lights is dark on December 24 and 25, per its published date list. Every display runs its own calendar, so check the specific display's page for holiday week nights before you plan around them.

Keep planning

The season in full is the Christmas in Miami guide, the month around it is Miami in December, the zoo itself is in the Zoo Miami guide, and the season's other evenings are in the Hanukkah guide and the Thanksgiving guide.