Starting on Thanksgiving night, City Park’s annual Celebration in the Oaks holiday light display opens for walking and driving tours.
For those impatient with the typically long line of cars awaiting entrance to the popular attraction, the new “Celebration in the Oaks Dasher Pass” will allow drivers to “skip the line” for a $40 fee added to the $40 regular cost of admission.
The 30- to 45-minute automobile tour passes by the usual array of lighted hanging ornaments and snowflakes, plus glowing dinosaurs, flamingos, a pirate ship, and other LED-lit sculptures, scattered along a winding route through the park. Bike-only hours have also been built into the schedule, on Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.
For yuletide pedestrians, the Botanical Garden will be elaborately decorated with special features such as the “dripping” icicle oak, the towering scarlet Poinsettia Tree, historic model train display, the classic “Cajun Night Before Christmas” animated musical display, and the return of the animated “12 Yats of Christmas.” Self-directed tours last 90 minutes or more.
The carnival rides and miniature train will be in operation in Carousel Gardens during the holiday attraction, and refreshments will be available.
Celebration in the Oaks, which is City Park's largest annual fundraiser, reportedly draws more than 135,000 visitors each year.
- The attraction is open Nov. 23 – Dec. 30, nightly except for Mondays. The attraction is closed Christmas Eve.
- Admission to the driving tour is $40, with vehicles limited to eight passengers. Some Wednesday and Thursdays will be discounted to $25. Bike tours are $5 and limousine tours are $150. The driving tour entrance is located at 4 Friederichs Ave. To cut the line is $40.
- Walking tours are $35, with children under 3 feet tall free. Walking tours begin at 7 Victory Ave.
- For more information and tickets, visit the Celebration in the Oaks website.