Weighing in at a total of 2 million pounds, ICE featuring The Polar Express includes elaborate scenes sculpted from 6,700 massive blocks of ice. ICE featuring The Polar Express runs Friday, November 13, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027. Lake Eola Park is a public park located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The highlight of the Tree Lighting Celebration is the lighting of the six-story Christmas tree featuring 88,000 animated lights. The 2026 Tree Lighting Celebration is free.
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center is a hotel and convention center that opened in Kissimmee, Florida, on February 2, 2002. An 11-foot Santa Claus towers over visitors at the North Pole to present the first gift of Christmas. At ICE, children 3 and under are free. Gaylord Palms is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties and operated by Marriott International. Gaylord Palms offers 500,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,718 guest rooms and suites, and its Cypress Springs Water Park was expanded with an action river attraction.
This is a guide to Christmas lights and holiday events in the Orlando area. This guide covers four Orlando-area holiday events, ordered by 2026 start date, earliest first: ICE at Gaylord Palms (November 13, 2026), Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens (November 20, 2026), Now Snowing in Celebration (November 28, 2026), and the Tree Lighting Celebration at Lake Eola Park (December 4, 2026). Dates come from each organizer's own 2026 listing.
Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens runs November 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Leu Gardens contains nearly 50 acres of landscaped grounds and lakes, with trails shaded by 200-year-old oaks and forests of camellias. The mild subtropical climate at Leu Gardens allows a mix of temperate and tropical plants. Leu Gardens is known for extensive collections that include azaleas, bamboo, bananas, camellias, citrus, palms and roses. The Leus traveled the world and brought back many exotic plants and 240 varieties of camellias for their gardens. Dazzling Nights evenings offer gently falling snow and joyful holiday music, plus seasonal treats, food and drinks. The Poinsettia Promenade is new for 2026, a 60-foot-long, immersive tunnel of illuminated poinsettias. Also new for 2026, the Yeti Mine Adventure is an abandoned frozen yeti mine with climbing challenges, slides, glowing caves and hidden crystal caverns.
DriftLands is a high-energy acrobatic dance performance in a wintry world. Guests can marvel at Arctic wildlife and a giant mural made from tens of thousands of points of light at Chilly Celebration. At the new Twinkle Market, visitors find festive classics and poinsettias alongside exclusive Dazzling Nights merchandise. A separate ticket is required for admission to Dazzling Nights. Dazzling Nights tickets are online only and for a specific date and entry time. Timed entry at Dazzling Nights runs between 5:30 PM and close. Dazzling Nights tickets are $35 to $56 for adults and $33 to $53 for children, including fees, plus tax, and children 3 and under are free. Dazzling Nights is an immersive, walk-through experience filled with light, sound and atmosphere, which may include strobe effects, fog and haze and laser projections. Dazzling Nights pathways may be paved, woodchip or fine gravel depending on location. The Dazzling Nights experience begins aboard the Sparkling Express, a complimentary shuttle with a light show, and ADA-accessible shuttle service is available.
Celebration is a suburb of Orlando near Walt Disney World Resort, and it was originally developed by the Walt Disney Company. The town is planned in an early 20th-century architectural style. Orlando area residents know Celebration for its town center, its luxury houses and its walkability. Celebration also has over 23 miles of nature trails connecting the entire neighborhood. The nature trails provide access to scenery and wildlife, and are accessible on foot or by bike. Celebration was named the New Community of the Year in 2001 by the Urban Land Institute. Disney hired graphic designer Michael Bierut to design Celebration community elements including street signs, manhole covers and fountains. The Now Snowing Nightly 2026 event series has a November 28 date from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The Now Snowing Nightly 2026 series is listed as free. Celebration Town Center is at 701 Front Street, Celebration, FL 34747. Celebration Town Center contains shops, restaurants and other commercial establishments, as well as 106 residences. Celebration hosts downtown events for the Christmas season when snow, in the form of small-scale soap flakes, is released into the Town Center.
The 2026 Tree Lighting Celebration at Lake Eola Park is Friday, December 4, 2026, from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM. The 2026 Tree Lighting Celebration is free. Lake Eola Park is a public park located in Downtown Orlando, at 195 North Rosalind Avenue. The highlight of the Tree Lighting Celebration is the lighting of the six-story Christmas tree featuring 88,000 animated lights. The tree lighting countdown takes place at Lake Eola Park's Washington Plaza. The event will include holiday performances at the Lake Eola Amphitheater, food trucks and the return of the Merry Market. The Walt Disney Amphitheater is on the west side of Lake Eola Park and hosts many community events and performances year round.
Lake Eola is actually a sinkhole, and it is famous for its fountain. The Lake Eola fountain was installed in 1912, and a replacement, originally dubbed the Centennial Fountain, was installed in 1957. A 0.9-mile multi-use sidewalk surrounds Lake Eola, a 23-acre lake. On the east side of Lake Eola Park is a Chinese pagoda. Where You LIVE.