As A Theatre Critic, I’ve Ranked Tulsa’s Holiday Lights Shows By—What Else?—Drama

Ever since I was a child, the warm glow of twinkling incandescent lights always had a way of sustaining me through the dreary short days of December. Like a theatrical production with strong technical elements, a good holiday lights display has a way of momentarily transporting you to a new world where life’s tragic realities take a back seat. There are actually quite a few similarities between the two, and since I write a lot about theatre, I thought it would be fun to take a small pivot and get a much-needed serotonin boost by ranking the theatrical elements of the Tulsa area’s holiday lights displays. 

A few things to establish before I begin. All of these locations are currently open. Apart from Kringle's Christmas Land, all sell concessions on site; you can find your hot chocolate, apple cider, and various snacks throughout the walk-through locations and at the entrance of the drive-through locations. There are additional events and programming taking place at most of these locations throughout the holidays, so be sure to check online for those details. If December is just too packed already, you can still catch most of these displays during the first few days of the New Year. 

Whether you gravitate toward a classic Christmas aesthetic or watched the Minecraft movie one too many times, there’s something for you on this list! And if you’re curious about which holiday lights displays are taking a year off (and the reasons why), read until the end. Also, before you fill your phone storage with photos of lights, just know that I (or my friend when I was driving) took every photo that you’ll see in this article and they by no means truly capture the spectacle and whimsy I experienced. Just like with theatre, you’ve got to be there.  

The Attractions

Maximalist Christmas: Rhema Lights
1025 W. Kenosha St., Broken Arrow, OK 74012
Cost: Free
Time Spent: 48 minutes
Great for: No/low cost date nights. The person who likes to experiment with color in their wardrobe. Families trying to entertain kids that are vastly different ages. Teen hangs. Train enthusiasts.
Score: 5/5

The Rhema Christmas Lights have been dazzling residents of Broken Arrow and surrounding areas since 1982. This is the big Broadway extravaganza of Christmas light shows. Because the display is free, it has a reputation of crowding quickly with large families and groups of rowdy teens. This year, I strategically went on a Tuesday early in December so I could fully take in the spectacle with as little distraction as possible. 

As I entered the grounds from the parking lot, the precisely wrapped tree trunks, the rails that line the pathway, and the LED snowflakes that dangle from the branches all pulsed rapidly in time to a pounding playlist of mostly Christian rock Christmas tunes with a dash of mainstream hits like “Let it Go.” The path led me to an expertly constructed tunnel wrapped in lights, which encapsulated me in cozy Christmasy hues of blue, white, green and red. This tunnel is a deftly positioned experience: if you’re not really feeling the Christmas spirit, you will be by the time you exit it and are properly in the park. 

If this all sounds overstimulating, do not fear! Exiting the tunnel, the energy slows to a denouement, if you will, with an array of winding paths that take you through the rest of the display. There are lights of every color, but they stay static, apart from a few gentle twinkles in strategic areas, creating a whimsical and wondrous effect. The further I got from the entrance, the more the music faded to the background, and I enjoyed the lights in the peace of the night. My companion and I strayed from the main area and explored the rest of Rhema’s campus. The entire 110-acre plot of land is decorated and there are some fun hidden gems lurking about. There’s even a train now that will give you a little tour!

Rhema Bible Church is, obviously, a religious organization, so some of their lights have a religious theme; there are a few nativity scenes and a giant rendition of Noah’s ark, complete with the cutest pair of purple hippos. That may also account for the fact that the classic, secular Santa Claus in his sleigh is kind of hidden. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to find him, here’s a hint:

The sheer production value of Rhema’s display—the variety of lights! the charming figures! the massiveness of it all!—plus the free admission makes it a must-see in my opinion, so long as you don’t mind wading through crowds. 

Elegant Christmas: Tulsa Botanic Garden of Lights
3900 Tulsa Botanic Dr., Tulsa, OK 74127
Cost:

• $22 (adults)
• $10 (kids 3-15)
• Discounts for garden members and group rates available

Great for: Type-B meandering Yuletide adventures. Photo ops. Marshmallow lovers. Frolicking in the crisp winter air. The person who gets really excited about birds and bugs.
Time Spent: 2.5 Hours
Score: 5/5

The Tulsa Botanic Garden of Lights has been a favorite of mine since I moved to the city and this year proved that’s still the case. The experience was well-orchestrated from the moment I drove into the parking lot, where attendants confidently directed me to the nearest open spot. I checked in at the Visitor’s Center, where there was a smartly placed drink station. With a hot chocolate in hand, I was ready for a cozy evening of Christmas lights viewing. 

Like a curated art house theater, each section of the park is expertly decorated with different themes: blue, purple and white in the Children’s Garden, classic Yuletide colors in the Tandy Floral Garden, and secular bright pink, blue, and neon green around the lotus pond. The garden employees found fun ways to make use of the whole space—huge points for set design here. Vacant flower beds have lit baubles at varying heights that flash between different colors. Swirling designs cover large patches of grass. The many lit archways and light tunnels make the dark park feel especially cozy. While the sound amplification wasn’t entirely consistent throughout the park, the playlist had all the holiday songs that you’d want to listen to at a Christmas event: Burl Ives, Bing Cosby, Nat King Cole, as well as contemporary classics.

The paths are wide, and thanks to the Botanic Garden’s use of timed entrances, I never felt like it was too crowded. In fact, toward the end of the evening, it felt like my friends and I had the whole park to ourselves. Heat lamps stationed around the park kept us warm. The free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, who deftly positioned our large group so you could see everyone’s face, were a special bonus. If you don’t mind paying for your holiday light viewing, this is one I highly recommend. 

ADHD Techno Gamer Christmas: Jolly Lane Lights
7355 E. Easton St., Tulsa, OK 74115
Cost:

• $30 (week nights)
• $35 (weekend nights and Christmas Eve)
• Discounts if you purchase in advance online
• Upcharge for commercial or oversized vehicle

Great for: Children who hate being cold. Tweens and teens who complain about walking. Large friend groups. That friend who suffers from social media brain rot and doesn’t realize it. The person who maybe plays one too many Nintendo games.
Time Spent: 25 minutes
Score: 4/5

At the beginning of its off-season, the Admiral Twin Drive-In transforms into this drive-through holiday lights experience. This was my first time going, and I’m not going to lie, I balked a bit when I found out it cost $30 per vehicle. That’s on me for not checking the website for ticket prices and taking advantage of the online discount. But by the end, the experience had me completely enchanted. 

This display starts on a calm note, with an LED light tunnel that, due to its spaced out arches and weaker light bulbs, felt underwhelming, making me a bit nervous about the rest of the experience. But then came an array of holiday figures and characters, symmetrically positioned on either side of the road, that robotically lip synced to contemporary Christmas tunes a la “It’s a Small World.” I didn’t recognize all of the songs—they had a younger Gen Z/Gen Alpha feel—but they fit the tone of the display. Bright archways of LED snowflakes and string lights pulsed to the beat. An onslaught of dabbing elves sucked me into a state of holiday glee. 

The spectacle builds as you drive: a satisfying narrative device. Because of the winding nature of the route, at any given moment you can see both the parts of the display that you’ve already passed and the elements to come, which builds anticipation. Each leg follows a theme, from something simple like singing penguins and lightbulbs with faces, to whole stretches dedicated to the movie Elf, the Nintendo Mario franchise, and Santa’s workshop. There’s even a fake snow effect at the halfway point that had me howling. 

I went in a bit skeptical, but the Jolly Lane Lights ended up being a bright and flashy winter wonderland that earned my attention and excitement. While I wouldn’t normally pay the $30 for just myself, I would definitely plan a large outing with my friends in the future to split the cost. It’s also a great deal for families.

Minimalist Christmas: Magical Lights Adventure at Tulsa Raceway
3101 N. Garnett Rd., Tulsa, OK 74116
Cost:

• $30 per vehicle
• Discount if you purchase in advance online
• Upcharge for oversize vehicles

Great for: Children who hate being cold and have a short attention span. People whose favorite part of the train ride at the zoo is the tunnel.
Time Spent: 15 minutes
Score: 3/5

Magical Lights Adventure is Tulsa’s newest Christmas lights display, kicking off its second season at the Tulsa Raceway this year. After turning onto the grounds from N. Garnett Road, you have to drive quite a bit off the main road, in the dark, to get to the actual light route entrance. If there was directional signage, I couldn’t see it, and I almost went the wrong way at one point. When I got to the entrance, the staff was kind and personable. They gave clear directions, detailing the route and offering a collection of tasty-looking treats for purchase. 

This display featured a collection of holiday and Christmas-themed figures positioned on either side of the path. I visited this drive-through after Jolly Lanes and noticed some of the same LED figures in both, but there were differences. I’d say about half of the figures here were stationary, while the others lip-synced to the music on the site’s designated radio station, which featured more contemporary and classic Christmas hits that I recognized, so you bet I was singing along as I drove. The figures were also widely spaced out, probably due to the vastness of the field surrounding the route, which made the display feel empty in some moments. Larger displays where the lights created the effect of movement—like the tall Christmas trees made of string lights, the display of a child sledding down a hill, and a display that depicted fans watching a car race—helped give the experience more bulk. 

The tunnels and archways also helped. The attraction started on a high note with a tunnel whose lights flashed on and off in red and green, and its destination “longest Christmas lights tunnel” had several fun effects, making it one of the more dynamic tunnels in the Tulsa area. Given how dark and vast the space was, I wanted more of them! I think emphasizing these elements would help the overall display feel more intentional. 

Magical Lights Raceway is a fine option if you’re looking for a shorter drive-through experience, or if you live in the North Tulsa/Owasso area and don’t want to travel far for some holiday cheer. I deducted points because some of the displays were malfunctioning or off when I attended, and because of the lack of lights and wayfaring signage leading up to the entrance and at the exit; the experience ends abruptly and then you have to navigate in the dark back to the main road. 

Vintage Christmas: Kringle’s Christmas Land
12520 S. Date Pl., Jenks, OK 74037
Cost: Free
Great for: The person who spends all their disposable income in antique stores. The person whose favorite Christmas movie was made before 1970. Puppet enthusiasts. Any tech theatre or production nerds. If you want to reconnect with your inner child. Actual children.
Time Spent: 10 minutes
Score: 5/5

Kringle’s Christmas Land is another new-to-me lights display at the southernmost part of Jenks (basically Glenpool). I saw photos online during my research but had my doubts. It’s just a house. How good could it really be? But I quickly ate my words. As I drove up to the property for the first time, I felt an overwhelming sense of childlike glee as I took in the spectacle. 

Every inch of this space is utilized to its maximum potential. The roof is covered in red and twinkling white and yellow hues and outlined with rainbow lights. The fence is lined perfectly and accentuated with bright, sparkling candy canes. The front lawn has a giant twinkling Christmas tree with two patriotic nutcrackers guarding it. To one side, there’s a nativity scene; to the other, a statue of Santa. There’s music as well, playing through an unseen speaker, and, allegedly, fake snow on the weekends! 

But you’ll find the real magic in the windows, where dozens of vintage animatronics create nostalgic tableaux. In the garage, I saw Santa and the elves tending to the reindeer. At the window by the front door, I found a chaotic but mesmerizing display of Santa’s work room. I stared at this display for several minutes because the more I looked at it, the more treasures I found. I didn’t want to leave it as soon as I did, but a party bus of children pulled up and I didn’t want to block their view. One window on the other end of the house had its curtains drawn and bore a note that indicated an expansion of the display is coming soon. 

Getting to Kringle’s Christmas Land is a bit of a drive from midtown (25 minutes), which is its only real drawback for me. If you live in the area, are planning a residential Christmas lights tour, or don’t mind a longer drive for a single destination, you should definitely keep this place in mind. It’s now on my “must visit” holiday list. 

A Very Merry Treesmas: Glow on the Green
111 Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK 74103
Cost: Free
Great for: If you’re just too busy this holiday season. The multitasker. Park enthusiasts and tree huggers. If you kinda want to see Christmas lights but don’t want to commit to “a whole thing.”
Time Spent: 9 minutes
Score: 4/5

My coworker and I decided to visit the Guthrie Green lights during the December First Friday Art Crawl. This display uses Christmas lights to amplify the assets that the park already has: trees. Strands of every color encompass the trees from bottom to top, extending to the tips of the branches, which helps make the endless night sky less foreboding. In fact, this is one of the only displays where every tree is entirely wrapped, which really goes a long way in creating an intimate and festive setting. Rainbow lights also wrap the poles and line the ceiling of the pergola, creating a very beautiful tunnel that just cannot be captured on an iPhone, to my dismay. 

To our delight, there was also an art market happening along Reconciliation Way, which let me get some much needed holiday shopping done at the same time. While we lingered for more than an hour, most of that time was spent shopping, not looking at the lights, but I think that’s the beauty of this display. It allows you to microdose the holiday spirit while attending to other obligations: work dinners, parties, concerts that you booked months ago, shopping. 

Compared to the other displays in town, Glow on the Green is not as extravagant, but it’s a strong reminder that simplicity goes a long way. These lights do what they need to do: add an immense amount of cheer to December Downtown Tulsa excursions. 

Bougie Christmas: Philbrook Festival of Lights
2727 S. Rockford Rd., Tulsa, OK 74114
Cost:

• $27 (adults)
• $10 (kids 17 and under)
• Discounts for members and optional add-ons

Great for: If you want to walk around outside and look at lights, but not only do that. The art enthusiast. The person who has a Pinterest board for Christmas tree decoration inspo. Getting that perfect, festive, Instagrammable photo. If you like an activity with your activity.

Due to the fact that it opened later in the season, it’s only open on the weekends, and my schedule is insane this month, I am not able to attend the Philbrook Festival of Lights until the end of the month. However, I have seen this light display in the past and feel confident in saying that it definitely belongs on your list. If you’re looking for an experience that allows you to have cute wintry moments outside amid a dreamy lights display while also reveling in stunning decorations from the warmth of indoors, this is your event. 

Outside, paper lanterns outline the walkways through and around the grounds, creating the sort of fairytale experience that you’d expect at Philbrook. The museum and gazebo are beautifully illuminated with lights that, along with some projections, wave, flash and pulse with a DJ mix of classic Christmas songs. Inside, you’ll find an array of expertly designed Christmas trees and other classic holiday decorations that make your museum-going experience all the more festive—because, surprise, your Festival ticket does give you access to view the museum’s collection on display. 

On top of regular nightly programming like photos with Santa, take-and-make projects and live music, Philbrook also has a calendar filled with indoor holiday-themed programming, like wreath workshops and Christmas movie screenings. It’s a full-on Hallmark experience over there! 

RIP To Some Real Ones (For Now)

Route 66 Christmas Chute (Sapulpa)

To my distress, a Christmas lights attraction I have not seen yet, the Route 66 Christmas Chute, is closed this year due to heavy construction in the downtown Sapulpa area. It will reopen in 2026.

Amber Marie Mansion

The $75 tours (and $200 VIP tours) of Amber Marie Manor (the Maple Ridge home of Amber Welch, owner of Utica Square boutique Amber Marie & Co) have been canceled for 2025. But you can still get a look inside the beautifully decorated home through videos that have been posted to Facebook. There’s also a tree decorated by Amber Marie & Co at Philbrook this season!

Paragon Industries (Sapulpa)

The IYKYK drive-by Christmas lights experience along Highway 117 at Paragon Industries is not taking place this year. In other Paragon news, its CEO was arrested on federal wire fraud charges last month. 

Happy holidays!