The Wichita area’s best drive-by Christmas light displays in 2020
Here’s a list of must-see light displays we’ve heard about since we first published our story on Dec. 4. Know of any other addresses we missed? E-mail dneil@wichitaeagle.com and we’ll get it added.
WINFIELD: 417 E. 10th: Not only does Winfield have its famous Isle of Lights display, but while you’re there, you can continue to The Old Granville House at 417 E. 10th St., which the homeowner has turned into Bedford Falls from the famous movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Visitors are free to walk around the display, which includes recreations of famous scenes from the film.
WICHITA: 1101 N. Hickory Creek: Lights are on from 6 to 10:30 p.m. nightly. Santa will be out waving to the kids on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
WICHITA: 924 N. Perry: This Riverside house has been described by a neighbor has having “every square inch of lawn covered.” There’s also music that emanates from the display. It’s on the way for families visiting Christmas at the McKinneys or the drive-through display at Botanica.
WICHITA: 727 N. Golden Hills: This home near 119th and Central features a big light show set to music.
WICHITA: 212 N. Robin Road: This home near Maple and Tyler has a display worth seeing, its owners say.
WICHITA: 6047 N. Custer Circle: This homeowner has a vintage collection of plywood displays from the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s, including a few pieces that once belonged to the city. Among them: Hanna-Barbera-style carolers and elves, Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, and a manger scene. The address is near 61st Street North and Meridian.
GARDEN PLAIN: Council of Hope Lights, Main Street, Garden Plain: This big light display, which includes more than 17,500 lights, is set upon Main Street near the baseball field in Garden Plain. It’s in its second year and features a large tree, a lighted tow truck and other pieces that dance to music. There’s a drop box for letters to Santa, and kids who leave them have been getting answers. It’s open from 6 to 10 p.m. nightly.
MAIZE: 11608 Cedar Lane: Mark Schnieders puts up this yearly display, which fills a 180 foot-long front yard with hand-made light sculptures, candy canes, a big color-changing tree, a toy land and Santa and his reindeer on the roof.
ROSE HILL: The Griswold House, 1610 Tanglewood Road: This big display has been going up for 15 years and features a yard that’s covered with lights, displays and more. It’s open from 6 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 6 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. It’s been described as “worth the drive.”
CHENEY: 15379 SE 20th St.: The Marty Chance home features a drive-through light exhibit that’s similar to the big display put on by The Arc in Wichita, says a tipster.
PRATT Lemon Park Lights: If you want to really put in some miles, people in the Pratt area say that their park’s mile-through light display is worth a trip. Its open through Jan. 1. The park is on South Pine Street.
Famous displays in Wichita
The Marshall Family Christmas Lights, 620 N. Stratford Lane, near Central and Rock: Mark Marshall and his big family are veterans of the Wichita light scene, and they’re back at it in 2020. This display, which they’ve been putting up since 2007, covers the family’s large home with more than 140,000 dancing Christmas lights on 270 individually programmed channels, all choreographed to Christmas songs found on FM station 97.1. The Marshalls always set out a box at the curb to collect money for charities, and this year, they’re giving to The Lord’s Diner and St Anthony Family Shelter. The display runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on weeknights and until 11 p.m. on weekends through Jan. 6.
Lights on Longview Lane, 3805 Longview Lane, near Kellogg and Hillside: This display, which Clayton Gosset has been putting up for the past 14 years, is made of more than 75,000-lights that dance along to trippy electronica music found on the FM dial. You can usually see bits of it from Kellogg when you’re nearing Hillside. It’s open from 6 to midnight daily.
Christmas at the McKinneys, 1462 N. Coolidge: This popular North Riverside display is a 23-year tradition put up by homeowner Steve McKinney. The display encompasses both McKinney’s and his next-door neighbor’s houses and features at least 100,000 lights that dance in sync to music you can hear by tuning in to a radio station on your FM dial. (Hint: Watch for Santa and his reindeer flying high above the garage.) McKinney accepts donations at his display and gives them to HumanKind Ministries and the Kansas Humane Society.
Lights on Brummett Street, 3721 Brummett, near South Ridge Road and MacArthur: This homeowner, also a dedicated Halloween decorator, always puts up a big, dancing holiday light show. It is turned on from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Christmas on Crestline, 914 N. Crestline, near Central near Maize: This display, which started back in 2011, features a mid-century home decked out in more than 80,000 neon-colored lights that dance to music on the FM dial. It also usually has a hologram projected onto it that makes it appear that Santa is busy at work inside as well as a segment dedicated to the Kansas City Chiefs and their 2020 Super Bowl win. Bonus: The home’s enthusiastic owner Charlie Byers also has a YouTube channel where he posts frequent webisodes that include product reviews and goofy live videos. The display is turned on from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; from 6 p.m. to midnight Fridays, Saturdays; and from 6 to 10:15 p.m. Sundays.
Candy Cane Lane, Azure Circle near Central and 119th: One of Wichita’s biggest displays is put together with the cooperation of a whole lot of people in one neighborhood. Candy Cane Lane features at least 18 neighboring houses on the cul-de-sac on North Azure Circle that are completely covered in lights. The display has been going on for 19 years. On Dec. 11 from 6 to 11 p.m., the neighbors will be accepting cash or new toy donations for Wichita Children’s Home. Lights are usually on until at least 10 p.m. nightly, and organizers suggest visiting on weeknights if you don’t like traffic jams.
Reindeer Road, Firefly Street, Central and 119th: Another popular neighborhood display is Reindeer Road, which is set up one street to the west of Candy Cane Lane. This display gets bigger each year too, and it features many houses with lighted 16-foot-tall reindeer in their front yards.
Lights of Matthew 5:16, 835 Longbranch Circle, Maize: This show has been a tradition since 2016 and features dancing lights set to music. The show, which has a religious tone, is on from 6 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 6 to 11 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
Lights on David, 409 N. David St., near 119th and Central: This longtime show includes lights and inflatables and is open from dark until 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from dark until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It will run through Christmas Day though not on nights with heavy rain, ice or high winds. The website is lightsondavidstreet.webs.com.
Carols on the Court, 1358 N. Aksarben Court, near 13th Street and 135th Street West: This show is made using more than 4,000 RGB pixels that allow the homeowners to control every light and modify the color and brightness. It’s turned on from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Ninth Street Lights, 3821 W. Ninth St., near West Street and Ninth Street: This longtime display includes more than 35,000 lights running on 192 computerized channels. Like most, it features dancing light shows set to music. It runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 6 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It won’t be turned on in wet weather. The website is https://9thstreetlights.weebly.com.
Lights on Ocieo, 6726 W Ocieo, near Ridge and 49th Street North: Joshua and Mildred Clyborne have once again created their annual display, which includes 60,000 lights, 17,000 LED lights and 27-foot mega trees. It’s open from 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.
College Hill: Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood has lots of festively decorated houses, and driving around its streets is always worth the time. Don’t miss the 100 block of North Pershing, which is always famously lined with multicolored sticks of lights in an array of colors planted in the ground. Just across Douglas, the 100 block of South Pershing is always lined with luminaria. Just follow the glowing curb-level lights.
Christmas Story house at 818 N. Cedar Park: Fans of the classic movie “A Christmas Story” will love the display at this house near Central and 119th. Put together by homeowner Alan Grossman, it always includes homemade scenes from the famous film, including Santa at the top of the slide, Ralphie in his pink bunny suit, Flick with his tongue stuck to the frozen pole and the very “fragile” leg lamp. This year, you can also spot the Bumpus hounds preparing to devour the Christmas turkey.
Willing to drive?
AUGUSTA: Lights on Tawakoni, 10813 SW Tawakoni Road: The Socha family has been putting up its giant Augusta display, which is spread out over about four acres, for the past 16 years. They’re up to 80,000 lights, which they use to create static and animated scenes, like Santa and his reindeer flying through the sky, a penguin slide, a fire-breathing sea monster and a life-sized stagecoach being pulled by six horses. To find it, head east on 54 toward Augusta and turn right onto Tawakoni Road, which is just past the Augusta Municipal Airport.
PARK CITY: Lights on Sunnyslope, 2602 E. Sunnyslope St., Park City: This display, which grows bigger each year, features Christmas lights dancing to music. It’s on from 5:45 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 5:45 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
VALLEY CENTER: Lights in the Valley, 210 Southwind Drive: This homeowner has put up 35,000 lights and synchronized them to Christmas music. Hours are 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturdays.
NEWTON: Meister Family Christmas light show, 3 Hickory Court, Newton: This rock-and-roll themed light show features a long line of lighted Christmas trees that blink while synced to music. It’s open from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 5:30 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
GODDARD: Magic of Christmas, 143 E. Fourth: This house always features thousands of blinking lights, strobe lights and hand-made animated displays. It’s open from 6 to 10 p.m. daily.
CAN’T-MISS INSTITUTIONAL DISPLAYS
The lights at Kennedy Plaza: Saluting soldiers. A waving Santa. A happy snowman. And a swimming dragon that keeps watch in front of Century II. All of the city’s classic, throwback lighted figures are back and can be found on and near Kennedy Plaza.
The Arc’s Lights, Douglas and St. Paul: This longtime drive-through display has been around for 23 years and now features more than a million lights. Among the displays visitors will see: a rainbow tunnel, a nativity scene, a fire-breathing dragon and soldiers standing at attention. It’s open from 5:30-9 Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30-10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Dec. 21-23. It will also be open until 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. A $10 per-carload admission is required Fridays through Sundays, and free-will donations are accepted Mondays through Thursdays. Visitors also can get pre-purchased $8 admission tickets at any QuikTrip or on The Arc’s website, arc-sedgwickcounty.org. The final day for the display is Dec. 28.
Illuminations new drive-through exhibit at Botanica, 701 Amidon: Start or end your light-viewing trip with a spin through Botanica’s all-new drive-through section of Illuminations. Though a modified version of the walking tour is still available, crews worked for three months assembling a half-mile route through the venue’s main parking lot that is full of a dizzying number of dancing trees and displays. It will be open nightly through Jan. 30 (except Dec. 24-25) Tickets will be pre-sold in 30 minute increments from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The drive takes about 10 minutes. Tickets are $20 per car Sundays through Thursdays and $25 per car Fridays and Saturdays. They’re available at botanica.org.
Going dark this year
Christmas Lights on Gold Street, 5336 S. Gold, near 55th Street South and Seneca: This longtime display has been going since 2009, but this year, its owners have decided to take a break.
CLAUS, Inc. 1841 S. Glenn, near Harry and Seneca: These homeowners were known for their “North Pole Express Substation” and live Santa who would pose for pictures. But as of 2020, the display is permanently closed, according to its website.
Lights on Texas, 11603 W. Texas, near 119th and Maple: They’ve long been famous for their elaborate light display, but Brad Short and Scott Lawrence are for the second consecutive year scaling back their giant display. They’ll still put up lights, but it will be more “traditional,” they say.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 5:01 AM.
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