Holiday Light Festival Attendance and Economic Impact Report
The Impact of Holiday Lights
A holiday light display does something few attractions can – it fills the quietest weeks of the year. From early November to the first days of January, a park or garden that would otherwise sit empty draws hundreds of thousands of people, and those people buy gas, dinner, tickets and hotel rooms in towns that have little else going on in December.
To better understand the impact of these seasonal attractions, we’ve brought together available data on holiday light displays across the country. How many Americans go to see lights, what the biggest displays draw, what visitors spend, and the measurable impact these experiences have on local economies.
Key Findings
- 70% of Americans planned to look at holiday lights in December 2025, and 56% planned to put up lights of their own [1].
- 122.4 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more over the 2025 year-end holidays, a record, and 89% drove [2].
- The largest ticketed displays now draw 650,000 to 700,000 visitors a season, and A Longwood Christmas has grown roughly 42% since 2019 [5, 6].
- Oglebay's Festival of Lights draws more than 300,000 visitors a season to Wheeling, West Virginia, and has generated an estimated $3 million to $5 million in local economic activity in past seasons [7, 8].
Demand: Who Goes to See Holiday Lights
Seven in ten Americans make time to enjoy holiday lights in December. It is one of the few holiday traditions nearly everyone shares, and it almost always happens from a car. Year-end travel keeps setting records, and about nine in ten of those trips are on the road.
70%
Americans who plan to look at holiday lights. YouGov, Dec. 2025 [1]
56%
Americans who plan to put up holiday lights. YouGov, Dec. 2025 [1]
88%
Households decorating for the holidays. Lombardo Homes, Nov. 2025 [4]
122.4 million, up 2.2% from 2024
Year-end holiday travelers, 50+ miles (Dec. 20, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2026). AAA, 2025 [2]
109.5 million (89%)
Year-end holiday travelers going by car. AAA, 2025 [2]
1.01 to 1.02 trillion
U.S. holiday retail sales forecast, Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. NRF, 2025 [3]
Attendance at Major U.S. Holiday Light Displays
Attendance can be measured differently across holiday light displays. Some attractions track individual visitors, while others count vehicles, and not all publicly report attendance. The figures below reflect the most recent information shared by each operator, using their respective methods of measurement.
Riverside Festival of Lights, Riverside, CA | Downtown walk, free | 700,000 (2023 season) City of Riverside [5]
A Longwood Christmas, Kennett Square, PA | Garden walk, $45 adult ticket | 650,000 (2024-25); 458,000 in 2019-20 Philadelphia Inquirer [6]
Oglebay Festival of Lights, Wheeling, WV | Drive-through, 300 acres, 6 miles | 300,000+ per season Oglebay; WTOV9 [7, 8]
Philadelphia Zoo LumiNature, Philadelphia, PA | Zoo walk, $25 to $29 | Nearly 70,000 (2024-25) Philadelphia Inquirer [6]
Drive-through displays often welcome significantly more visitors than attendance figures alone might suggest, as these attractions typically track vehicles rather than individual guests. For example, a display reporting 100,000 vehicles could represent an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 visitors, assuming an average of three to four passengers per vehicle.
Economic Impact and Visitor Spending
While many holiday light displays draw visitors from near and far, few publicly report their broader economic impact on surrounding communities. Oglebay's Festival of Lights is one exception, with local officials estimating that the event generates millions of dollars in economic activity each season. These benefits extend well beyond the park, supporting restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and other local businesses throughout the Wheeling area. At the same time, as families become more mindful of their spending on holiday decorations at home, visiting a professionally curated light display offers an inviting and memorable way to celebrate the season together.
Estimated local economic activity, Oglebay Festival of Lights | $3 million to 5 million per season WTOV9 [7]
Visitors per season, Oglebay Festival of Lights | More than 300,000 Oglebay; WTOV9 [7, 8]
Average household spend on holiday decorations 2025 | $148; 35% plan to spend less than last year Lombardo Homes [4]
What the Numbers Say
The popularity and interest in attending light shows continues to expand every year. A Longwood Christmas went from 458,000 visitors in 2019-20 to 650,000 in 2024-25, and it raised adult admission to $45 along the way. The Philadelphia Zoo and Elmwood Park Zoo both had record seasons in 2025 [6]. At home, meanwhile, national data suggests that decorating budgets are flat or shrinking, and a third of households say they plan to spend less this year [4]. As families become more mindful of their holiday decorating budgets, many may be choosing to enjoy the magic of community light displays rather than investing as much in decorations at home.
One of the greatest opportunities for holiday light displays is encouraging visitors to extend their experience with an overnight stay. With nine in ten holiday travelers choosing to travel by car [2], destinations that offer on-site accommodations have a unique opportunity to turn an evening of holiday festivities into a memorable seasonal getaway.
At Oglebay, the Festival of Lights has helped make November and December two of the park’s busiest months, generating economic benefits that extend throughout the Wheeling community. As Oglebay Foundation President and CEO Eriks Janelsins shared, visitors “stop at our local restaurants, they stop at gas stations, they stay at other hotels” [7].
For destinations like Oglebay, on-site lodging provides an opportunity to capture additional overnight stays and guest spending, while community parks and gardens without accommodations contribute to the success of nearby hotels and other local businesses.
Oglebay's Festival of Lights by the Numbers
The Festival of Lights is a drive-through display across a 2,000-acre destination resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, where lodging, dining, a zoo and a spa sit on the same property as the lights [8].
- Visitors per season: More than 300,000
- First season: 1985, more than 40 consecutive years
- Area and route: 300 acres, 6-mile drive-through, more than 100 displays
- 2026-27 season: November 5, 2026 to January 3, 2027, nightly
- Estimated local economic activity: $3 million to $5 million per season in past years
- Lodging inside the display: Over 250 Lodge guestrooms, plus 54 cottages,cabins, and vacation homes sleeping up to 30
Sources: Oglebay Park Resort [8]; WTOV9 [7].
To plan a visit or an overnight stay during the Festival of Lights, visit oglebay.com/stay/offers/festival-of-lights-package/.
2026 edition. Compiled by Oglebay Park Resort from operator reports, a municipal economic impact study and national surveys.
Methodology
This report compiles publicly available figures from display operators, one municipal economic impact study, news coverage and national surveys published between January 2024 and December 2025. Attendance is reported in the unit each operator uses (people or vehicles). Economic impact figures are taken from the cited sources without adjustment and should be compared with care. The report is updated each November as new seasons report.
References
- YouGov. (2025, December). All I want for Christmas is data on Americans' holiday traditions, trees, and travel plans. YouGov. https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/53715-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-data-on-americans-holiday-traditions-trees-and-travel-plans
- AAA. (2025, December 10). Year-end holiday travel expected to set new record. AAA Newsroom. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/12/aaa-year-end-holiday-travel-forecast/
- National Retail Federation. (2025, November 6). NRF expects holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion for the first time in 2025 [Press release]. NRF. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-expects-holiday-sales-to-surpass-1-trillion-for-the-first-time-in-2025
- Lombardo Homes. (2025, November). Most popular Christmas decorations 2025 [Survey of 1,000+ U.S. adults]. Lombardo Homes. https://lombardohomes.com/decorating-for-the-holidays/
- Spatial Market Research Institute. (2024, January 22). 2023 Riverside Festival of Lights economic impact report. City of Riverside, California. https://riversideca.gov/fol/2024%20Riverside%20Festival%20of%20Lights%20EIR%20Report-1.22.pdf
- McCarthy, E. (2025, December 23). Can't score a Longwood Gardens reservation this week? See these other festive Philly-area options. The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/business/holiday-attractions-tickets-philadelphia-longwood-gardens-20251223.html
- WTOV9. (2024, November 7). Festival of Lights at Oglebay: A 40-year tradition that lights up local economy. WTOV9 News. https://wtov9.com/news/local/festival-of-lights-at-oglebay-a-40-year-tradition-that-lights-up-local-economy
- Oglebay Park Resort. (2026). Festival of Lights drive-through experience. Oglebay Park Resort. https://oglebay.com/page/drive-through-experience/