‘Tis the season to be merry in Milwaukee! Countdown the days to Christmas by visiting the most spectacular and mind-blowing area light displays, holiday events and gleaming trees that will make it impossi-bell not to feel s-mitten! (What? It is the most pun-derful time of the year after all!) 

It’s snow secret that Christmas in Milwaukee is a winter wonderland – so, that’s why we’ve created a nice list of the best spots inside and out of the city for you to branch out to!

Find the glowing Christmas spirit by driving through these gleaming light tunnels, viewing colossal Christmas trees or treating your loved ones to a holiday event. And make sure to watch OnMilwaukee’s Instagram for Christmas light reels and more this holiday season!

Happy holidays, Milwaukee!

Holiday lights
Holiday events

Holiday lights

A Holiday Snow Globe
524 S. Layton Blvd.
mitchellparkdomes.com
All is calm and bright when you’re surrounded by thousands of picture-perfect poinsettias and holiday decorations! Make your way to the Mitchell Park Domes for their holiday show, A Holiday Snow Globe, open Saturday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Jan. 7. Experience a winter wonderland at the Domes with immaculate floral displays, a colossal Christmas tree, an elegantly set table, playful winter-loving animals and Santa’s sleigh. 

Candy Cane Lane
W. Oklahoma Ave.
candycanelanewi.com
Since 1984, Candy Cane Lane has been a beacon of neighborhood holiday lights in West Allis. Open on Friday, Nov. 24 through Christmas Day, you may expect to see “right turn only” signs as you arrive at Oklahoma Avenue from either 93rd, 94th, 95th, or 96th Street. Once you have arrived, enjoy your walk or drive through the festive display! All donations collected go toward the MACC Fund in support of research, treatment and eventual discovery of a cure for childhood cancers and related blood diseases. 

Christmas Carnival of Lights
8425 HWY 38, Caledonia
wichristmascarnival.com
Take a drive through a Christmas Carnival of Lights this holiday season! Open on Saturday, Nov. 18 through Monday, Jan. 1, experience two million lights bring Christmas cheer on a 1.6-mile path. Light up your night by getting $10 off opening night during the Lights & Flights grand opening event. Get a free photo with a reindeer, witness a drone flight show at 6 and 8 p.m. and sip on whiskey, wine or hot cocoa flights! View the Christmas magic from your own car – or book Santa’s sleigh or a golf cart holiday train to enhance your experience!

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“Community Spirit Park” at Cathedral Square Park
520 E. Wells St.
milwaukeedowntown.com
Take a walk through “Community Spirit Park” and see over 100 trees decorated by local schools and organizations. Each tree has unique decorations, light display and sign on display throughout the park. Also, make your way to the Singing Tree that not only shines bright but twinkles with music.

Enchant Christmas
7035 S. Ballpark Dr.
enchantchristmas.com
Get lost in the World’s Largest Christmas Maze this holiday season! Enchant Christmas will open on Friday, Nov. 24 through Dec. 31 at the Franklin Field Ballpark Commons. Make new holiday memories this year by walking through the massive maze of dazzling lights, visiting the Christmas village, skating on the ice rink, visiting Santa, theme nights and so much more! Purchase your tickets today.

“Felices Fiestas” at Pere Marquette Park
925 N. Old World 3rd St.
milwaukeedowntown.com
Create a memory or two and take a walk through Felices Fiestas, as a part of the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival. From flashing lights to animated elves and reindeer, this light display may be your new yearly Christmas tradition. This holiday aesthetic features Christmas light favorites and memories that can be cherished for a lifetime!

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Holiday Lights on the Hoan
600 S. Water St.
lightthehoan.com
Enjoy holiday lights hosted on one of the most iconic spots in Milwaukee. The Hoan brings you Holiday Lights on the Hoan all season long! Enjoy Friday Night Lights through the end of the year with seasonal colored light shows to celebrate Hanukkah from Dec. 7-15, Christmas from Dec. 24-25 and New Year's Eve on Dec. 31. 

Making Spirits Bright
3030 Calumet Dr., Sheboygan
makingspiritsbright.com
Visit Making Spirits Bright by Sheboygan County Rotary Clubs the Friday after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve from 5-9 p.m. for a drive-thru light show charmingly choreographed to holiday music in Evergreen Park. Admission is free and all pantry donations go directly to Sheboygan County Food Bank. Bring your family, friends and even pets with you on this joyous ride!

Miller Valley Holiday Lites
3897 W. State St. 
[Read more]
millerbrewerytour.com
Miller Valley Holiday Lites show has returned this year until Dec. 27, from 6 to 10 p.m. Tune your radio to 91.1 FM and park between the A-frame signs to enjoy the Miller Valley Holiday Lites show! Each five-minute show gives everyone the holiday joy and spirit right in front of the Plank Road Brewery House next to the Miller Inn. Relax in your car as you celebrate this season with holiday music and lights right outside your window.

Santa’s Celebration Square
Zeidler Union Square, 301 W. Michigan St.
milwaukeedowntown.com
Take a walk and experience the magic of Christmas! Pick from numerous displays all over Zeidler Union Square – take a seat in a glowing oversized ornament or chair, for instance – and don’t miss an opportunity for a group photo or selfie for your Christmas card this year!

The Candy Cane Adventure
2888 Main St., East Troy
easttroylights.com
This unique light show is unlike any other you’ve ever seen. With the help of local businesses and schools, this light show made from custom control boxes has covered downtown East Troy. Get into the holiday spirit with this controllable and interactive light show! Pick up a wand, grab a comic and find the canes to unlock their powers to control the lights from Saturday, Dec. 2 through Sunday, Dec. 31. Plus, Santa will arrive on a 114-year-old East Troy Electric Railroad Santa Parade train to visit this interactive light display on opening night. And make sure to mark your calendars for the East Troy Wine Walk and New Year’s Eve Ball drop surrounded by the light display! 

Wild Lights
10001 W. Bluemound Rd.
milwaukeecountyzoo.org
Enjoy the twinkling lights of Wild Lights at the Milwaukee County Zoo from Dec. 1-31 (except closed on Dec. 4-5, 11-12 and 24-25). This year, the Zoo will feature thousands of illuminated lights throughout the zoo with even more to look forward to than last year. Adventure through sparkling forests, pathways and magnificent animal-themed light displays that’ll have you in awe. 

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Winter Realms
1091 Hidden Cottage Cir, Lake Geneva 
winterrealms.com
[Read more]
Explore the beauty and magic of a real-life fairy tale at Winter Realms in Lake Geneva, open from January through the end of February. This icicle wonderland replaces last year's Ice Castles after it abruptly closed due to warm weather in the past. This year, patrons can look forward to magnificent LED lights that bring sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, chilly chutes and fountains to life. Plus, horse-drawn sleigh rides, winter characters and more can also be found. Make sure to purchase your tickets at winterrealms.com.

Winter Wonders
9400 Boerner Dr.
winterwonders.org
Drive through a 1.4-mile drive-through holiday light show at Boerner Botanical Gardens starting Friday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 31! Enter through the Whitnall Park Golf Course entrance at 6751 S. 92nd St. to enjoy this holiday season with the view of over a million LED lights, the new snow flurry tunnel, holiday gift bag giveaways and nightly holiday short videos. Tickets can be purchased at Boerner Botanical Gardens and Festival Foods locations Greenfield, West Allis, Hales Corners, Sommers, Kenosha and Mount Pleasant. For more information, visit the Winter Wonders website.

Holiday events

Christmas at The Pabst Mansion
2000 W. Wisconsin Ave.
pabstmansion.com
Begin a new holiday tradition this year at the Pabst Mansion! Immerse yourself in its rich history this holiday season during self-guided tours starting Thursday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are only $20 for adults, $18 for college students and seniors 62 years and older, $13 for children ages 6-15, children ages 5 and under and members are free. 

Concerts for a Cause with Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Holiday Train
Multiple locations
travelwisconsin.com
All aboard! The Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Holiday Train is back and chugging through Wisconsin with 13 scheduled stops over three days! Join the fun – all the events are free and guests may bring food or cash donations to benefit local communities in need. It’s the spirit of the season! Singers Tenille Townes and Breland will give you a holiday fun-filled night to remember with their performances – 'cause that’s the way things happen on the CPCK Holiday Train! Check out the full schedule today! 

Deck the Streets and Village at Milwaukee Public Museum
800 W. Wells St.
mpm.edu
Forget decking the halls with boughs of holly: The Milwaukee Public Museum decked the Streets of Old Milwaukee full of holiday magic! Gather your family, friends and favorite people to journey through Milwaukee Public Museum’s Streets of Old Milwaukee and European Village. Experience the magic of the holiday season in this iconic setting now through Jan. 22, through the windows, streetscapes, markets and more. Purchase your tickets today!

Home for the Holidays at Old World Wisconsin
W372 S9727 WI-76, Eagle
oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.com
Take a home-away-from-home trip this holiday season to Old World Wisconsin! Enjoy Home for the Holidays Saturdays and Sundays throughout December from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy this large living history museum full of holiday decorations and cheer for the whole family to enjoy. Participate in activities, explore the 19th-century Crossroads Village, gather by the fireside for stories, enjoy seasonal treats, crafts, shopping and more! Purchase your tickets today. 

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Slice of Ice at Red Arrow Park
920 N. Water. St.
county.milwaukee.gov
Dress your winter best and lace up those skates: It’s time for a night of skating under the lights around the rink during Slice of Ice at Red Arrow Park. Spend an enchanting evening skating the night away with family or friends in the center of Downtown Milwaukee. The rink is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Skate rentals are open at 2 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Fiserv Forum
520 E. Wells St.
fiservforum.com
Get excited, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will bring their full-powered holiday hits to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, Dec. 27! TSO is on their annual holiday tour, "The Ghost of Christmas Eve," including two shows on Dec. 27 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. This year’s tour brings you even more holiday magic with a new presentation that’ll knock your holiday socks off. Don’t miss this must-see event; purchase your tickets today!