Be dazzled by Christmas lights in Ottawa and nearby places in 2025!

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Ottawa Christmas lights and holiday lights in Eastern Ontario—along with an illuminated waterfall in the Outaouais—give this season of short days and long nights some extra sparkle. Here are some of the decorated houses, illuminated trails and drive-through holiday light shows in Ottawa and beyond created to delight you in November and December 2024. Bundle up and enjoy!

Winter Lights Across Canada in Ottawa (and elsewhere)

The Winter Lights Across Canada festival will begin on downtown Ottawa on Monday, December 8. Hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights festooning trees and buildings throughout the downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau—a setup officially dubbed the Pathway of Lights—will be switched on that night (as will festive lights in other provincial capitals). The lights will glow nightly until Friday, January 9, 2026.

Fun fact for all you romantics out there: I’m such a big fan of Ottawa’s Christmas lights that my now-husband proposed to me on the Alexandra Bridge on a frosty December night.

Winter Wander on Sparks Street

If your nighttime travels take you downtown, swing by Sparks Street to enjoy the illuminated decorations that are part of Winter Wander, which begins on Tuesday, November 18.

Trail of Lights and Traditions at Mādahòkì Farm

Located between Bells Corners and Barrhaven, Mādahòkì Farm is launching its Trail of Lights and Traditions on Thursday, November 27. From Thursdays through Sundays until December 28 (excluding Christmas Day), you can walk along a trail decorated with woodland animals and light installations to experience Christmas with an Indigenous twist. It’s part of the larger Christmas at Mādahòkì celebrations, which include a vendors’ market, craft workshops, festive meals and more.

Magic of Lights in Nepean

The Magic of Lights is a drive-through Ottawa Christmas lights attraction at Wesley Clover Parks, featuring animations and larger-than-life displays. The event runs nightly from Friday, November 21, through Saturday, January 3. It’s open from 5pm to 9pm every night until December 11, and from 5pm to 10pm from December 12 onward. Admission is cheaper on weekdays than on weekends, and discounted if you visit by December 4, and fees are charged per vehicle, not per person. You can save money on those fees by buying your tickets in advance online. Tickets will be available at the gate, if any spaces are left, but this event is very popular and you’d be wise to plan ahead.

Taffy Lane in Orleans: An Ottawa Christmas lights tradition

Here’s another favourite DIY extravaganza for those who love Ottawa Christmas lights—the inventive home decorations put up by the residents of Taffy Lane, a small street just north of the intersection of Highway 174 and Orleans Boulevard. I’ll confess that I’ve tried to get there TWICE in recent years, but the traffic has been crazy. My advice would be to try on a weeknight. If you have friends nearby who will let you stash your car in their driveway, even better.

Vintage Village of Lights in Cumberland

The Vintage Village of Lights will illuminate the 1920s and 1930s homes, gas station, school and other buildings at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum in Cumberland on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from November 28 to December 21. Drop in on Santa, decorate gingerbread cookies and more while you’re there.

Tickets are $26.14 per group, including taxes (maximum of six people per group, including at least one adult). The event runs from 4pm to 9pm each night that it’s open (last admission at 8pm). Advance online ticket purchase is required. See the event’s website for details.

Stanley’s Holiday Stroll in Edwards

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm in Edwards, on Ottawa’s rural southeastern edge, has run a Christmas Village attraction for years. But since 2022, the site has also offered the Holiday Stroll, a two-kilometre illuminated network of forest trails. It’s taking place this year on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from December 4 to 20, as well as December 27, and January 2 and 3.

A Country Christmas Holiday Light Stroll in Munster

The ever-inventive folks at Saunders Farm in Munster, on Ottawa’s rural southwestern edge, have created a holiday attraction called A Country Christmas that includes a Holiday Light Stroll (select nights from December 6 to 30). This illuminated walking trail is enhanced with a soundtrack of holiday tunes. After enjoying the light trail, you can visit with Santa; shop for gifts, Christmas trees and wreaths; nosh on festive food and drinks; decorate a cookie and a Christmas ornament; visit a miniature Christmas village; warm up at a campfire; and/or sip a cider. (That’s just the tip of the iceberg.) Everyone over age 2 requires a ticket.

Alight at Night in Morrisburg

Alight at Night is a spectacular event at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, where the living history museum’s heritage buildings (and the surrounding trees) glitter with a million glowing Christmas lights. Enjoy carollers, shopping at the bakery and general store, and visits and photos with Santa. You can also have dinner at Willard’s Hotel or the Harvest Barn; reservations recommended. For extra magic, book a carriage ride for an extra fee. On December 3, 10 and 17, Upper Canada Village allows guests with mobility or sensory issues to experience the attraction from private cars. The attraction is open on select evenings from Friday, November 28, through Saturday, January 3.

River of Lights in Brockville

In Brockville, River of Lights on Blockhouse Island (right downtown, on the waterfront) is a free attraction open nightly from Saturday, November 29, until Sunday, January 4, weather permitting. You can enjoy a full sound-and-light show between 6pm and 10pm, or delight in the lights on their own from 5pm to 6pm or 10pm to 11pm.

Clow’s Christmas Trail in Brockville

You can get a dose of Christmas spirit along with some exercise and fresh air on this illuminated, decorated, 1.5km walking trail. Clow’s Christmas Trail in Brockville is open December 5 to 7, then nightly from December 12 to 23.

Festival of Lights at Chutes Coulonge Park in the Pontiac

At the Chutes Coulonge Festival of Lights, you can sip hot chocolate as you walk along an illuminated trail to admire a thundering waterfall lit with coloured spotlights. The falls at Chutes Coulonge Park, an adventure park in the Pontiac region of the Outaouais, will be lit up from 5pm to 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from November 14 to December 28. On December 19 and 20, you can also enjoy a Christmas market, and visit with Santa and the Grinch. You’ll find the park at 100 Promenade Du-Parc-des-Chutes in Mansfield-et-Pontefract, in the Pontiac region of the Outaouais.

Christmas Light Tour in Kingston

In Kingston, you can hop aboard a trolley and leave the driving to others as you enjoy holiday light displays. Kingston Trolley Tours is offering a 75-minute Christmas Light Tour from Wednesday through Sunday from December 4 to 14, and nightly from December 17 to 31.

I hope this wee tour of Christmas lights in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais has given you lots of ideas for places to visit where you can chase away the winter darkness. Enjoy!

For other ideas for holiday fun, check out my guides to local Christmas craft sales and Santa Claus parades!

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.