I think we can all agree that a really fun family tradition is taking the kids to see the Christmas lights in Wichita! I love the Christmas season as a whole and everything that goes along with it! Going to see light displays are some of the most cherished holiday memories I have from my early childhood.
I love revisiting those feelings by seeing my own kids enjoy that part of Christmas wonder. In case you can’t wait any longer to find out, after the next few small paragraphs the list begins!
In our home we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the greatest gift of all, but we also enjoy many other aspects of the holiday in addition to The Reason for the Season. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of year, right!
It should be the case all year long, but this time of year especially is about giving thanks, appreciating and giving to our loved ones, and giving in some way to those we don’t even know. And for many of us this time of year is also about remembering loved ones who are no longer with us.
Those cornerstones along with several other pieces, put together a meaningful and complete Christmas puzzle. The traditions and wonder come together to compliment the Christmas Spirit that is all around us and in our hearts.
So grab some cookies, hot cocoa, or even some pie, and enjoy the ride!
Like a ticking time bomb, Wichita is going to burst with Christmas cheer after Thanksgiving Day when residential areas will be adorned with tens of thousands of lights to officially launch us into the Christmas season!
From small lighting presentations to complex showings with music, there’s a huge array of jolly entertainment for your entire family.
Here’s a list of a few very popular Christmas lighting displays in Wichita:
A number of light displays in the air capital accept contributions for their efforts and others charge a small fee. Additionally, a number of are in residential areas and are free to drive by and enjoy.
Watch out for signs that show a radio station channel to turn to for music corresponding with the lights.
Hi there.
Drive slowly and watch out for kids and elves!
The Arc’s Lights (Drive thru)
Entrance for The Arc’s Lights is at Douglas Ave and St Paul St.
(4 blocks West of Meridian)
Pictures courtesy of the Arc’s lights.
This event is exceptional particularly since almost all the Christmas light spectacles are made by volunteers working tirelessly to put this wonderful series together every year.
The jolly fat man will also be around for photos the very first two weekends. Friday, Saturday, Sunday of the 1st two weekends from
5:30 – 8:30 pm
Nov 29 – Dec 1
Dec 6 – 8
Inside The Arc’s Building
Opening Night: Thanksgiving (Nov. 28- Dec. 28th)—5:30 to 9:00 pm;
Fridays and Saturdays —5:30 to 10:00 pm; $10 Admission nights
Sundays – Thursdays —5:30 to 9:00 pm; $10 Admission night on Sundays and free will donations Mon-Thurs.
Then Christmas Eve— 5:30 to 11:-00 pm; Donation night
For more info. Click: TheArcsLights
Illuminations at Botanica…(Walk thru)
701 Amidon St, Wichita, KS 67203 (Right past Sim Golf Course) Open November 23 – December 31, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Come and be involved in Wichita’s largest light exhibition at Botanica Illuminations. They have no known affiliation with the Illuminati…. 🙂
Gather up and take your family through over 18 themed Christmas gardens. You will love their more than 2 million dazzling lights and 300 lighted trees.
Stop and buy some hot coffee, hot chocolate, or apple cider, then s’mores or some other yummy treats all throughout the displays. Midway through your walk if it’s your thing, wait in line to meet Jolly St. Nich.
There are warming stations along several paths plus the indoor area with music and plenty of seating. And you won’t miss the choreographed show with over 50,000 Christmas lights set to music.
November 29th – January 4th
Sunday – Thursday Hours: 5:30 – 8:30 pm
(shuttle pickups from the South gate and the art museum if you want them)
Friday – Saturday | 5:30pm-9:30pm
Closed Christmas Eve and Closed Christmas Day
Admission: $12 Adults, $8 for military, members, and youths.
Christmas at the McKinneys’
1462 N Coolidge, Wichita, KS 67203
Referred to as a very ideal Christmas light exhibition in Wichita, Christmas at the McKinneys’ is just a typical home where the household takes far more than typical pride in their own holiday merriment. 
The display remains open to all. Donations are accepted and shared among different charity organizations. Open November 22 – December 31
Hours: Opens nightly at 5:30 pm
Admission: Free
Candy Cane Lane
1021 N Azure Cir, Wichita, KS 67235 or anywhere close to that you will see it! Officially opened November 28th.
Admission: Free
Located in West Wichita in the Deer Glen Neighborhood at the intersection of 119th and Central.
This west Wichita display of group holiday effort incorporates many homes in one particular neighborhood who are definitely enthused about the Christmas season.
It is a beautiful display by a bunch of team holiday cheer-meisters! Watch out for kids and elves!
You may want to bring your camera to capture shots like the one above as you go through the whole display, as you can also share photos on their Facebook page.
Lights on Gold Street
Address: 5336 S. Gold, Wichita, Kansas.
(beautiful pic. from their website)
Jump in the car and listen to 99.5FM to see more than 13,000 lights dancing in sync to some great Yule Tide music. This private light series is available to all the Wheat-land people and it has been around since 2009.
Kick off the celebration at Lights on Gold Street around Thanksgiving and adore the display of lights through the New Year.
Hours of Operation:
Sunday – Thursday: 5:30 PM – 10 PM
Friday – Saturday: 5:30 PM – Midnight
620 N. Stratford, Wichita, KS
The effort of a single family will pay off as people will be attracted to the joy of The Marshall Family Christmas lights.
With Christmas light displays at to 5:30 pm, drop by once you get off work and listen to 91.7FM to know the music which matches with the lights.
The display is absolutely completely free of charge.
Check out their cute message below! (from ther FB page)
~Please turn off your lights while viewing… also…
~Please do not block our neighbor’s driveways nor the intersection or street. Limos this means you too!
~Do not crank up your stereo.
~Don’t Litter, Don’t ask to use the restroom, Don’t honk.
~~No Large party buses.
Do ~ Please Do~ Donate and Remember our message:
Jesus is the Reason ~ For the Season!
God bless you and your family!
We will Donate 100% of the money collected to The Lord’s Diner and St. Anthony Family Shelter.
Ha, take that limo drivers!
Open November 22 – January 6
Hours: Opens nightly at 5 pm
Admission: Free
Christmas Lights at the North Pole Express Substation
1841 S. Glenn, Wichita KS 67213
C.L.A.U.S. INC.
This group really represents the Reason for the season! Just check out this pic from their site. Every knee shall bow, even the saints!
Drop by the Sub Station for Christmas lights, then meet the Jolly-C.L.A.U.S. Inc. man and also feel the enchantment of The real Reason for the Season. It’s fun for your entire family!
Santa is happy to announce the dates for the 2019 Christmas Season!
Nov 28, 29, 30
Dec 5, 6, 7
Dec 12, 13
Dec 19, 20, 21 6 pm to 9 pm
Note that Santa will NOT be at the
North Pole (Wichita branch) on Saturday, Dec 14th!
Lights of Matthew 5:16
Music broadcasting on 96.7 FM
These are merely some of the extraordinary light displays in Wichita this year.
Feel free to share more places with great lights in or around Wichita. These are just a few that we enjoy.
Also, we welcome your Christmas memories of any kind that you would like to share below!
Thanks for visiting our blog, our Wichita flag themed clothing store, and our and Shockers merch store!
And again,
Merry Christmas!
Alexa
To Comment Or Read Comments Click Here.
Oh wow! These are absolutely beautiful displays! It must be a wonderful time spent with family. I would love to go see the Illuminationsat Botanica! With a cup of peppermint hot chocolate in hand of course!! Wishing y’all a great Christmas season!
Hi Lisa!
Thanks for your comments! That sounds yuuuumy! Illuminations is our favorite also and with hot chocolate in hand as you wrote!
Wishing you a great Christmas season as as well!
This is an interesting read, how beautiful it is in Wichita!
I think most of those traditions have died out around here… it’s nice to see some places still upholding traditions such as these. We definitely have lights where I live here in Canada, but not nearly as much!
I remember when I was in grade school, when these types of things were more popular around here.
Hi Sonia, thanks for commenting.
Lights and traditions are great but nothing ignites meaning, warmth, and the Spirit of Christmas like having Jesus in our lives.
John 3:3, John 3:16 are great places to start.
I will pray you have a blessed holiday.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your introduction of the great places we can visit during this meaningful season. The details are interesting and exciting and makes it hard to wait for my visit there. The post brings back my memories about my childhood, especially my desire to have a wonderful Christmas with my family and all my good friends!
Although I cannot relive it in my childhood, I can bring my grandchildren to go to there now. The gorgeous Botanica Illuminations should be wonderful for all of them. I hope they will not eat too much candy and have some self control for their diets!
🙂
Dolbe
Hello Dolbe!
Thank you for your comments!
It is definitely fun to revisit those feelings through the eyes of the kiddos. I need to have some of that self control for the Christmas goodies as well. 🙂
Enjoy your visit to Wichita!
Merry Christmas!
Hello!
The world is so big. Thank you for sharing such a great post about the Christmas lights in Wichita. I personally love Christmas much. I always read and collect the Christmas tradition of different places in the world because it lets me feel warm. Christmas is the best festival of a year.
Recently, I’ve been looking for some traditions to share with my daughter. Luckily, I found your post. The most interesting part for me is the lighting displays in Wichita. How can they put so much effort to decorate? The pictures are so beautiful. Honestly, I’m excited now.
If I have time, I will visit and feel the great atmosphere by myself. I will mark all the dates and times down in my schedule.
Thanks for sharing your Christmas traditions with us. That’s so beautiful.
Thank you, CT. Merry Christmas to you and your daughter!
Coming from The Netherlands, but now living in Thailand since 2003, your article makes me somewhat nostalgic. It makes me thinking back of Christmas the way it was celebrated where I was born. I like your thought that in this time you reminisce about loved ones passed away, it makes this feast much more meaningful. I especially like the lights of Botanica and Candy Cane Lane. No such things here in the place where I live. I can see that children will be delighted to see these shows, they possibly will make a life-long impression on them. A bit too far for me though to travel.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your comments, Jerry! I am glad you visited us and liked this post.
And Merry Christmas to you too!
Love this time of year. Like you I also like revisiting the Christmas spirit by taking my daughter to see the Christmas lights. Some people put in a valiant effort indeed. It is like watching a spark start a fire, when you see your kids light up looking at all the marvelous creations.
Thank you, Sam!
I am glad you and your daughter have those special moments together. 🙂
Oh wow, that sounds and looks lovely. I wish I lived close enough to go and have a look at all of those. We usually go to see the Christmas lights too. Some parts you can drive through and other parts it’s really worth getting out of the car and walking around not to miss anything.
Love this season, it’s the best!
Hello Petra,
We enjoy the places where we can walk around and look at all the lights too. Hot chocolate makes it even better. I’m glad you liked the post and thanks for your comments!
You take care. 🙂
This is an incredible article with incredible destinations.to see incredible sights. I wish Christmas lights and decorations were out year round. I am from Edmonton, Alberta Canada and here we also have a Candy Cane Lane. This is a community that closes down their streets, all the houses get decorated. They charge a fee for you to walk through but the money goes to charity.
Wow, that is awesome, Dale!
Edmonton sounds like a beautiful place with generous people. I wouldn’t mind all the lights staying up here year round either :-). Thank you for the kind post!
What a Christmas friendly place, we have street lights here as well but not in that amount like Wichita.
It’s nice to see that some family traditions still have value in today’s world. I’m sure the kids love these pretty lights and also for adults a stroll through the magically decorated streets must be very romantic.
I wonder how much the electrical power usage rises during this time. I have researched solar powered Christmas lights, there’s a big variety and not even that expensive.
I wish you and all Wichita Citizens a wonderful holidays 🙂
Hi Stefan,
It is nice to read of your appreciation for Christmas friendliness and valuable family traditions. I agree that all the pretty lights can be very romantic for adults in addition to being fun for everyone.
Good question. I bet there are a lot of higher energy bills this time of year. I agree with you, solar powered lights appear that they are becoming more affordable these days. L.E.D. lights are certainly a popular low-cost-low-energy option as well.
Thank you for your comments and we wish you a wonderful holiday season as well. 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Stefan.
What a wonderful listing of beautiful places to view the lights of the season. I think I will especially enjoy Candy Cane Lane and Lights on Gold street. My granddaughter, whom I am raising, will truly enjoy the lights and music! We look forward to our visit to Wichita and all the festivity. We, too, love to celebrate the Reason for the Season, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Karin,
It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I see that you are blessed and your granddaughter is blessed with a wonderful Grandma. I am glad you liked my article and thank you for your lovely comments! We are so happy that you celebrate the Reason for the Season and that you know Him!
May you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas.