Christmas 2026 in Lexington: Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park Nov. 27 to Dec. 31, Santa visits, Ashland Illumination Dec. 5, markets and concerts.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates, times and prices come from each organizer’s own page, linked below. Where an organizer has not posted this year’s details, we say so.

The parade and the tree and menorah lighting downtown on Sunday, Dec. 6, have their own page: Christmas parade and tree lighting. This page covers everything else: the light displays, Santa visits, holiday markets, concerts and craft days.

At a glance

Date Event Time Place
Nov. 27 to Dec. 31 Southern Lights (closed Dec. 25) 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly Kentucky Horse Park
Sunday, Nov. 29 Wreath making 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hisle Farm Park
Dec. 4-5 and 11-12 Winter Village Holiday Market Not yet posted Gatton Park
Saturday, Dec. 5 Ashland Illumination 4 to 7 p.m. Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate
Saturday, Dec. 5 Holiday nature ornaments 1 to 3 p.m. Raven Run Nature Sanctuary
Sunday, Dec. 6 Holiday parade, then tree and menorah lighting 5 p.m. Main Street and Triangle Park
Friday, Dec. 11 LexPhil Holiday Brass 7:30 p.m. Harper Hall
Wednesday, Dec. 16 Youth Holiday Celebration 6 to 8 p.m. William Wells Brown Community Center
Sunday, Dec. 20 Wreath making 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hisle Farm Park

Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park

Southern Lights, in its 33rd year, is Lexington’s big light display: more than a million lights you see from your car on a drive through the Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Parkway.

  • When: nightly from Friday, Nov. 27, through Thursday, Dec. 31, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Closed Christmas Day.
  • Tickets: $35 per carload, online in advance or at the ticket booth.
  • Holiday Village: after the drive, stop at the village for photos with Santa, Animal Land, a mini train ride, a model train display, marshmallow toasting, Tootie’s Peppermint Cafe and the park gift shop, according to the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation. There is no entrance to the village alone; you start by driving the lights.
  • Santa: at the Holiday Village every night from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Everything else in the village stays open after Christmas. Children can download Santa’s list from the foundation’s page and drop it in the North Pole Mailbox.

Downtown: lights, skating and the parade

The Downtown Lexington Partnership runs the Luminate Lexington season, which opens with the parade and the Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting in Triangle Park on Sunday, Dec. 6; details are on our parade and tree lighting page.

The Rink at Triangle Park, the partnership’s seasonal outdoor ice rink, had not posted its 2026 opening date as of Oct. 12. Last season it was open 4 to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, 12:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 8 p.m. on Sundays, with longer hours during Fayette County Public Schools’ winter break, and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Winter Village at Gatton Park

Gatton Park, 795 Manchester St., calls its Winter Village a three-week holiday celebration; the park says the first one, in 2025, drew more than 30,000 visitors. Its new Winter Village Holiday Market runs two weekends, Dec. 4-5 and Dec. 11-12, with about 15 local and regional artists, makers and businesses each weekend. The park had not posted the full 2026 Winter Village schedule or market hours as of Oct. 12.

Ashland Illumination, Saturday, Dec. 5

Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, 120 Sycamore Road, holds its holiday open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. The estate lists the Christmas Shoppe in the Keeper’s Cottage, wreath-making workshops, the Ginkgo Tree Cafe, the Kentuckians Chorus and Ashland Bourbon, in partnership with God’s Pantry Food Bank. More details are to come. Estate: 859-266-8581.

Concerts

The Lexington Philharmonic’s Holiday Brass Quintet opens its Central Kentucky tour at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, at Harper Hall downtown, with a program of holiday music. Tickets are sold through LexPhil. The quintet then plays Versailles, about 14 miles west, on Dec. 12, and a free concert at First United Methodist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Dec. 13.

Craft days and kids’ parties

From the city calendar, Parks and Recreation 859-288-2925:

The Lexington Public Library offers free family holiday photos by the Creative Camera Club at the Northside Branch on Saturday, Nov. 21, 9:30 a.m. to noon, and the Tates Creek Branch on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Closings around Christmas

  • Trash: no city collection Thursday, Dec. 24, or Friday, Dec. 25; both are picked up early, on Wednesday, Dec. 23 (trash and recycling).
  • City offices: closed Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.
  • Library: all locations closed Dec. 24 and 25 (holiday closures).
  • Schools: Fayette County Public Schools’ winter break is Dec. 21 to Jan. 1 (schools).

Holiday store hours are in Black Friday and holiday shopping, and New Year’s plans are in New Year’s Eve in Lexington.

Frequently asked questions

When does Southern Lights open in 2026?

Friday, Nov. 27, 2026. The drive-through display at the Kentucky Horse Park runs nightly through Thursday, Dec. 31, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and is closed Christmas Day.

How much is Southern Lights?

$35 per carload, whether you buy online in advance or at the ticket booth, according to the Kentucky Horse Park.

Where can kids see Santa in Lexington?

Santa is at the Southern Lights Holiday Village every night from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24, 5:30 to 10 p.m., and rides in the Downtown Lexington Holiday Parade at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.

When is the Christmas tree lighting in Lexington?

The Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting is about 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, in Triangle Park, right after the downtown holiday parade.

What is Ashland Illumination?

A holiday open house at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, 120 Sycamore Road, from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, with the Christmas Shoppe, wreath-making workshops and the Kentuckians Chorus.