Raleigh holiday lights 2026: Fieldstream Farm's drive-thru lights from Nov. 27, the sold-out Holiday Express Dec. 1-17, the Nutcracker and Hanukkah.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates and prices come from the organizers, linked below.

Raleigh’s holiday season runs from the North Hills tree lighting on Nov. 21 to New Year’s Eve, with the city’s Holiday Express at Pullen Park in the first half of December. The downtown tree lighting and the Raleigh Christmas Parade, Nov. 20-21, are on our Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

Updated Oct. 19: Holiday Express tickets sold out after the Oct. 15 sale. Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker show times are on our Nutcracker page.

Who to call

  • Raleigh Parks: 919-996-3285
  • Fieldstream Farm: 919-374-8822
  • Emergency: 911

At a glance

Dates Event Where
Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 to 7 p.m. Christmas at North Hills, Santa and tree lighting (free) North Hills Commons
Nov. 27 to Dec. 31 Fieldstream Farm drive-thru light show 8008 Old Stage Road
Dec. 1-17 Pullen Park Holiday Express ($21) Pullen Park, 520 Ashe Ave.
Dec. 4-12 Hanukkah Citywide
Dec. 4-20 “Cinderella” Raleigh Little Theatre
Dec. 10-24 Carolina Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
December, dates to come Illuminate Art Walk Downtown Raleigh

Pullen Park Holiday Express, Dec. 1-17

The city’s biggest holiday event turns Pullen Park into a lighted winter village. A ticket includes a ride on the park train through the lights, the Enchanted Elevator “to the North Pole,” Santa’s Toy Shop in a caboose workshop, carousel rides, crafts, games, a Yeti scavenger hunt, and Candy Cane Lane, Glistening Glen, Arctic Avenue and an igloo run by the Rotary Club of Crabtree. Sensory-friendly sessions with limited noise and crowds are 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.

Tickets are sold out. They went on sale at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at $21 a person plus tax and fees, only through Ticketmaster. The city allows resale only at face value through Ticketmaster and lists no waitlist. Hours are 5 to 9:30 p.m. Most of the event is outdoors, and it runs rain or shine in light weather (city announcement; Holiday Express page). Every rule and time is on our Pullen Park Holiday Express page.

Light displays

  • Fieldstream Farm, 8008 Old Stage Road in south Raleigh: a drive-thru show of more than 3 million lights, Nov. 27 to Dec. 31, with an LED tunnel of more than 200,000 lights. The farm had not posted 2026 hours or ticket details when we checked (Fieldstream Farm).
  • Illuminate Art Walk, downtown: light art installations around downtown each December since 2020. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance says it returns this December with a North Carolina theme; dates were not out yet (Illuminate).

Santa and tree lightings

  • Christmas at North Hills, Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 to 7 p.m., North Hills Commons. Santa arrives and the 41-foot tree is lit, with live entertainment, kids’ crafts and a vendor village (North Hills).
  • Downtown tree lighting, Friday, Nov. 20, at Moore Square, with free photos with Santa: see our tree lighting page.
  • Santa’s Toy Shop is part of every Holiday Express night at Pullen Park, above.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, and ends Saturday, Dec. 12. Last year, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and Chabad Young Professionals lit a public menorah in downtown Raleigh each evening of the holiday, according to the alliance’s Illuminate page. The 2026 lighting schedule was not posted when we checked; we will add it when it is.

Holiday shows

  • “The Nutcracker,” Carolina Ballet, Dec. 10-24, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. Tchaikovsky’s score is played live. Evening shows are at 7 p.m., with matinees most weekends and the final show at noon Christmas Eve (performance list; venue page).
  • “Cinderella,” Raleigh Little Theatre, Dec. 4-20, in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with a preview at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, according to the theater.

Holiday closings

City of Raleigh offices close Thursday, Dec. 24, through Monday, Dec. 28, according to the city’s holiday calendar. GoRaleigh runs its regular schedule on Christmas Eve, with last trips in the 7 p.m. hour, and no buses on Christmas Day (GoRaleigh holiday hours).

What this means for you

  • Holiday Express is sold out; buy resale only through Ticketmaster, at face value.
  • Free options: Christmas at North Hills on Nov. 21, the downtown tree lighting on Nov. 20 and the Illuminate art walk.
  • For gift shopping and holiday markets, see our holiday shopping page.

Frequently asked questions

When is Holiday Express at Pullen Park in 2026?

Dec. 1-17, 2026, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets went on sale Oct. 15 at $21 a person plus tax and fees and are sold out, the city says; resale is allowed only at face value through Ticketmaster.

Where can I see Christmas lights in Raleigh?

Pullen Park’s Holiday Express runs Dec. 1-17, Fieldstream Farm’s drive-thru light show on Old Stage Road runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 31, and downtown’s Illuminate Art Walk returns in December.

Where can kids see Santa in Raleigh?

Santa arrives at Christmas at North Hills on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Holiday Express at Pullen Park has Santa’s Toy Shop, a walk-through caboose workshop, Dec. 1-17.

When is the Nutcracker in Raleigh in 2026?

Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker runs Dec. 10-24, 2026, at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, with live music.

When is Hanukkah 2026?

Hanukkah begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, and ends Saturday, Dec. 12. Downtown Raleigh lit a public menorah each evening last year; 2026 times were not posted when we checked.