Margarita Madness At The Purple People Bridge : May 17th

Coney Island's Nights of Lights Drive-Thru Holiday Display Returns This Month

Nights of Lights features a two-and-a-half-mile track through the park with more than 2 million colorful lights set up in dazzling and festive scenes, all synced to holiday music.

Nov 1, 2023 at 11:41 am

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Photo: facebook.com/coneyislandpark

Coney Island Nights of Lights

A beloved holiday tradition will return to Coney Island this month.

Nights of Lights is a drive-thru display featuring a two-and-a-half-mile track through the park, with more than 2 million colorful lights set up in dazzling and festive scenes. The lights are also synced to rocking holiday music, featuring all the classics.

Scenes include tunnels of lights, larger-than-life Christmas trees, glowing snowflakes, dancing candy canes and more. There will also be new light features and music this year, say organizers.

Holiday Junction Train Display Rolls Back into Union Terminal This November: All aboard for one of the most beloved Cincinnati holiday traditions.

Nights of Lights will open Friday, Nov. 10. On opening night from 5:30-6 p.m., Coney Island is partnering with the Salvation Army to honor a local veteran by inviting them to flip the switch for the first night of the season. The ceremony will be held at the park’s Lakeside Pavilion and will be livestreamed for the public.

The display will be open nightly through Dec. 31 starting at dusk, and gates will remain open until 10 p.m. Refreshments, including hot cocoa, caramel corn and cotton candy, will be available to purchase on select nights. There will also be an exclusive, Nights of Lights collectible souvenir tumbler available for purchase.

Lace Up Your Skates For the Return of the UC Health Ice Rink at Fountain Square: Nothing quite says "holiday season" like ice skating in the heart of downtown Cincinnati.

Tickets can be bought online or at the gate and are $30 per carload for up to eight guests. For vehicles with nine to 15 passengers, tickets are $50 on weekdays and $100 on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets for vehicles carrying 16-plus guests are $75 on weekdays or $150 on Fridays and Saturdays. RVs, tour buses and limos with more than a 35-person capacity and vehicles over 24 feet long will not be admitted for safety reasons. The maximum vehicle height is 13 feet, 6 inches.

Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township. More info: coneyislandpark.com.

Slideshow

15 Ways to Have a Day Straight Out of a Hallmark Christmas Movie in Cincinnati

Support a small business while shopping at local holiday marketsWith some hard work and just a dash of Christmas magic, you can be the protagonist who saves the day and a struggling small business – or you can just do your part to support small businesses by shopping local for your holiday gifts. We have a handy gift guide you can use, or you can visit one of the holiday markets happening around the city. The Servatii Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt pops up at Smale Riverfront Park every week with local vendors, and City Flea is hosting a weekend-long holiday market Dec.16-17 at Washington Park.

Go ice skating at Fountain Square, Summit Park or Fifty West BrewingNothing screams wholesome Winter Wonderland more than people lacing up their skates for a glide on the ice. At Fountain Square, you can twirl underneath the glow of the Christmas tree – or drive bumper cars – after doing some holiday shopping in the many small businesses in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine and visiting the Shillito’s Elves in their new home at the Foundry. Summit Park in Blue Ash has their Warm 98.5 rink set up underneath a color glass canopy, and the four on-site restaurants have plenty of food, hot chocolate and DORA drinks for sale. And Fifty West Brewing has brought back their ice rink, along with fire pits, heated tents and hot drinks to keep you warm after a spin on the ice with that cute baker you just met.

Pick out a Christmas tree at a local market or farmThe visual centerpiece of any good Hallmark holiday movie is the meticulously decorated Christmas tree decked out in lots of colorful lights, ornaments and garland. And if your childhood crush who grew up next door to you and is back for the holidays can come over and help you decorate it — even better. Find a list of places where you can grab a tree, some hot chocolate and maybe even pet a reindeer here.

Visit a small town, like Lebanon or Metamora, and revel in the Christmas aestheticThere are lots of charming small towns close to Cincinnati that go all out for the holidays. Lebanon is known for its distinct Hallmark-movie vibe this time of year. Metamora, Indiana, breaks out tons of lights and decorations for its annual Old Fashion Christmas Walk, and Historic Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio, lights up with millions of bulbs each year.

Go sledding, glow snow tubing or tobogganingThis one requires some participation from Mother Nature, but you can always dream of a white Christmas. If it does happen to snow, some popular sledding hills include Embshoff Woods in Delhi, Stanberry Park in Mt. Washington, Devou Park in Covington, Harbin Park in Fairfield and Mt. Storm Park in Clifton. If you’d rather hit the slopes or careen downhill on an inner tube, you can take a trip out to Perfect North in Lawrenceburg for skiing, snow tubing and warming up with a treat in the lodge. You can also plan a holiday road trip to Mansfield for after-dark glow snow tubing. Just make sure to load your road trip playlist with lots of holiday carols and songs.

Take a wintry hike at the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve and other scenic trailsHiking is a great way to help you reflect and think things over. Do you want to quit your job in the big city to open a coffee shop in a small town? Do you want to leave your aloof, corporate-y significant other for the humble, kind and attractive veterinarian? Probably! But you can decide on the trail. Hamilton County’s Great Parks has 78 miles of trails throughout its 17 parks, including nature trails ranging from just the 0.15-mile Woodlot Trail at Winton Woods to the 2.1-mile Timberlakes Trail at Miami Whitewater Forest. Cincinnati Parks also boasts some amazing nature trails at French Park, California Woods and Ault Park. And in Delhi is the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve that offers stunning views of the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky. Find more stunning hike suggestions here.

Click to View 15 slides

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About The Author

Katherine Barrier

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she oversees the digital and social media strategies, edits web and print content and writes for the dining and arts...