If you’re looking for the twinkliest of lights in Tampa Bay, you have plenty of options. From boat parades, to parks covered in fake snow and entire neighborhoods that go all out with laser shows, here are some of the best ways to experience Christmas lights this year.

Symphony in Lights @ Wiregrass November 16 – December 31 Check out some giant (fake) trees with a crap-ton of lights on it in the Wiregrass mall. They start the shows (light shows, fake snow, music from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra) at 6 p.m. and run it until 9 p.m. every night. It’s free admission too, so you won’t have to break the bank. Photo via Symphony in Lights/Facebook
Enchant Christmas @ Tropicana Field November 22 – December 29 In case you miss seeing the warehouse/nuclear plant lookin’ thing that is Tropicana Field, visit there for Enchant Christmas. Enchant will have a maze and a market, with Christmas lights galore. They have several options for ticket packages, but the base price is $19.99 for adults and $16.99 for the kids. Photo via Enchant St. Petersburg/Instagram
Hyde Park Village December 1 – December 27 Hyde Park’s “Color me Mine” events will take place Fridays and Sundays, featuring ornament painting on Fridays and painting with Santa on Sundays. The ornament painting will be $5, and the painting with Santa will start at $40. Painting with Santa will include “pictures, Santa story time, & refreshments.” Photo via Hyde Park Village/Facebook
Christmas Town at Busch Gardens November 16 – January 6 Bring the kids, as Busch Gardens features Christmas Town, which has a Sing-Along Train, millions of lights, and visits from the classic Christmas characters, Santa and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. You do have to pay for a park ticket to get in though, which costs $84.99, plus any money you want to spend for food and drinks. Photo via Busch Gardens/Facebook
River of Lights Pirate Taxi November 29 – December 30 The Pirate Taxi will be taking people on a boat tour of River of Lights for $18 a pop for the kids and $28 tickets for adults. The tour will include hot chocolate and a “holiday cookie,” with Christmas Carols sung and a pretty nice view of downtown Tampa. Photo via River of Lights/Facebook
Largo Central Park November 28 – January 1 Go see over two million LED lights in Largo Central Park, as well as participate in some other family-friendly activities such as a Ferris wheel and a carousel. Admission to the park is free, but the rides are $5 each. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Christmas in the Wild @ ZooTampa November 29, 30, December 6-7, 13-15, 20-23 Christmas in the Wild @ ZooTampa will have “twinkling lights, delectable holiday treats, and new jolly adventures.” Tickets can be purchased online for $26.95, in addition to any money you may spend at the new Melitta Christmas Market. Photo via ZooTampa/Facebook
Treasure Island’s Lighted Boat Parade December 13 6 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Described as “Las Vegas on water,” Treasure Island’s Lighted Boat Parade features boats “of all kinds,” starting at The Club at Treasure Island at 6:15 p.m., making their way to the Treasure Island Causeway Bridge at 7 p.m. and ending at 8:15 p.m. at John’s Pass. The event is open to the public, you just have to find a good spot in Treasure Island to watch the boats go by. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Florida Botanical Gardens November 29 – January 4 More LED lights (only one million this time), plus some laser lights and a model train during opening week can be found at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. Admission is a “suggested donation of $5” for anyone over the age of 13. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Tarpon Springs Christmas Parade December 14 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tarpon Springs will be hosting a Christmas Parade that will travel through the downtown area, with their annual candy cane hunt also taking place at Craig Park following the parade. Kids up to 12 years old can participate in the hunt. The website doesn’t say if the event has an admission price, but it seems like the type of thing that would be open to the public. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Annual Festival of Lights Illuminated Boat Parade in Madeira Beach December 14 6:30 p.m. With two designated viewing areas (one at ROC Park, the other being John’s Pass Village), Madeira Beach’s boat parade is free to the public. They’ll have boats with their “best Christmas lights.” There’s even an awards ceremony the following Wednesday, December 18 for the best boats. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Oakdale Christmas Display November 29 – January 3 According to their website, this display has been featured nationally, on People magazine, NBC’s Today Show, and HGTV’s All Out Christmas. It’s also free and located in St. Pete off of Oakdale St. Photo via Oakdale Christmas Display/christmasdisplay.org
Redington Beach & Indian Shores Holiday Boat Parade December 22 6 p.m. The Redington Beach & Indian Shores Holiday Boat Parade will have two public locations to view the parade, including the Indian Shores Town Hall and the County Boat Park. The parade is free to the public, and there will be an awards ceremony at Caddy’s Pub in Indian Shores for the top boats. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Sundial November 29 – December 31 Some fake snow to go along with your visit to the downtown St. Pete mall (or shopping plaza, whatever you want to call it), plus a photo opportunity with Santa and thousands of twinkling lights. It’s free to the public, so unless you do any shopping of your own this can be a free way to keep the kids entertained. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Candlelight Tour of Homes December 8 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. The 22nd annual tour of Historic Old Northeast Homes in St. Pete is $25 for tickets purchased ahead of time and $30 for the day of. The event is hosted by the Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association (HONNA), and involves local homeowners opening their historic homes and allowing people to tour them. Photo via Candlelight Tour of Homes/Facebook
Gulfport & BCYC’s Holiday Boat Parade December 14 6 p.m. The 34th annual boat parade will be taking place this year, hosted by Boca Ciega’s Yacht Club. The fee to get in is two or more unwrapped Christmas presents or a check written out to “Operation Santa,” Gulfport’s annual toy drive. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Celebration of Lights in Spring Hill December 6 – December 21 Every Friday and Saturday night during the duration of the event the Celebration of Lights will take place in Spring Hill. Tickets are $10 per car, as you will be able to drive through a show of bright Christmas decorations. There’s also going to be opportunities for Santa photos at the end. Screengrab via Celebration of Lights at Safety Town/YouTube
Light of Lake Park/Lake Park Estates December 1 – December 31 With over 3 miles of Christmas decorations and lights for the public, The Lights of Lake Park Estates has been going on since 1993. The event is free, but donations will be accepted at the Suncoast Hospice Cart. 100% of the donations will go to Suncoast Hospice, and the event has raised over $800,000 since the event started. Photo via Lights of Lake Park/Facebook
Clearwater Holiday Lighted Boat Parade December 14 6 p.m. This free and family-friendly event will begin at the Mandalay Channel, with the boats traveling under the Memorial Causeway Bridge turning into the Clearwater Marina Channel, then proceed south through the navigable canals to Clearwater Point. The boats will be festively decorated, and the event is hosted by Island Estates Yacht Club, which is celebrating its 43rd year. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park November 22 – January 5 Featuring an ice rink and a lights display, Curtis Hixon Park is home to the Winter Village. Individual tickets cost $15, but group rates can lower the price in case you have a large group of people trying to celebrate Christmas at the riverfront. Photo via Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park/Facebook Credit: Photo Via Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park/Facebook
St. Petersburg Waterfront Light Display November 30 – January 1 Holiday lights and decorations will cover North and South Straub Park, Pioneer Park, Al Lang Park, and Albert Whitted Park in downtown St. Pete this Christmas. It’s open to the public, as long as you can handle walking around St. Pete a little bit. Photo via St. Pete Parks and Rec/Facebook
Indian Rocks Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade December 21 6:45 p.m. Indian Rocks Beach will host its annual parade featuring boats with different Christmas decorations and prizes for the most well-decorated boat. The event is free to the public as long as you can find a good spot on the parade’s route to watch the boats. The parade will start at the Holiday Inn fuel dock, travel under the Walsingham Bridge and end at Harbor Drive North. Photo via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater/visitstpeteclearwater.com
Wonderland of Lights/Santa’s Village November 28 – January 4 Located at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Brandon, Wonderland of Lights and Santa’s Village has a drive-thru lights show with a village at the end featuring circus attractions, a wolf exhibit, camel rides, and the obligatory photo with Santa. They charge by the car instead of person, with $25 per car (1-8 people) and $65 for a mini-bus (9-26 people). Photo via Wonderland of Lights/Facebook
Old Fashioned Christmas & Holiday Parade December 14 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. In case you’re in Dunedin looking for something to entertain the kiddos, this Old Fashioned Christmas & Holiday Parade will take place on Douglas Avenue. The parade will kick things off, with horse-drawn carriage rides, train rides, a snow slide, kids crafts, old fashioned games, s’mores, live music featuring “Late Night Brass” and “Soul Benders,” entertainment, and snow flurries following. The event is free, but donations are accepted. Photo via Old Fashioned Christmas & Holiday Parade/Facebook