Giveaway: Enter to Win Free Admission to the Merriweather Symphony of Lights!


The Symphony of Lights has been a time-honored Howard County holiday tradition enjoyed by many for over 25 years. Set in historic Merriweather Post Pavilion and made up of more than 300,000 bulbs, this family-oriented spectacular is a display of larger-than-life animated and stationary holiday light creations. With the addition of new lights and a refreshed course, your time through the twinkling, winding path will surely be a night to remember!

The drive through opens November 27 and will be open every night, including all holidays, until January 1. Take part in the “Secret Phrase” contest for a chance to win fun prizes. And this year, enjoy three separate chances to walk through the Symphony of Lights! Festive Families on December 1 5:30-8pm kicks off with an exclusive holiday family photo booth, food trucks, face painting and Santa! On December 9 6-7:30pm, the Symphony of Lights is taken over by dogs during Tail Lights! Owners and their pups can enjoy the holiday lights, get a fun caricature, and take part in our first ever doggie costume contest while munching on cookies and dog treats. Midnight at 7 is our New Year’s Eve celebration from 5-7:30pm with food, activities and fireworks at 7pm — plenty of time to get the kids into bed and enjoy your own New Year’s Eve parties.

Thursdays are Military Nights! Tickets are $10 for active military and veterans, valid with ID at the gate. Regular admission is $20/vehicle. A portion of all proceeds benefit the Howard County General Hospital. (Please note, the Symphony of Lights is not affiliated with the walk through Ice and Fire event happening on the adjoining property at Symphony Woods produced by The Inner Arbor Trust. There is a separate admission charge for each event.)

Make the season bright and include Symphony of Lights among your family’s holiday festivities!

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Giveaway: Two KFDC readers can win a drive-through ticket for admission to the Symphony of Lights. For a chance to win one, simply leave a comment below letting me know your family’s favorite holiday tradition. Get an extra chance to win by entering on the KidFriendly DC Facebook Page, too. This giveaway will run through Wednesday, November 27, 2019, then a winner will be drawn at random and notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!


This post is sponsored by Merriweather Symphony of Lights, however, I only promote events, places, and programs that I genuinely believe in and think will be of interest to KFDC readers.


85 Comments

Filed under 2019, All ages, Annual, Christmas, DC, Exhibit, Fall, Giveaway, Holidays, Maryland, Seasonal, Weekdays, Weekend, Winter

85 Responses to Giveaway: Enter to Win Free Admission to the Merriweather Symphony of Lights!

  1. Danielle

    Favorite holiday tradition is lighting menorah.

  2. Charmaine

    We put our tree up pretty early usually — we’re late this year, we’ll put it up on Thanksgiving Day!

  3. We have a Holiday party for the kids in our neighborhood court on the last day of school each year. We do an ornament exchange for them, and caroling. They love it.

  4. Wendellyn Worthington

    We do several events, like a concert, brunch with Santa and of course gingerbread houses.🎄

  5. Uzma Hareem Khan

    My family would love to go there. Hope we win . Merry Christmas

  6. Uzma Hareem Khan

    Putting up the Christmas tree

  7. Angela Escobar

    We love enjoying great family time together on Christmas Eve then staying up until midnight to open presents!

  8. We love riding and looking at holiday lights!

  9. DaniBPowell

    We’re still figuring out our family traditions (with children aged 4, 3 and 1), but last year we all donned our comfy pj’s and watched Christmas movies and ate goodies together as we put up our Christmas decorations as a family. Simple and easy – but the kids absolutely loved it!

  10. Vanessa

    Decorating gingerbread houses together and driving around with holiday treats while looking at Xmas lights!

  11. Rebecca

    Baking and decorating cookies with my kids

  12. Our favorite holiday tradition is preparing a leftovers lunch after Thanksgiving and inviting friends over to an evening of games and photos in our pajamas!

  13. Rachel E. Bradford

    Eating my husband’s favorite childhood dish created by his mother on Christmas Even. It is our way to remember her.

  14. Leslie

    My kiddos and I do a Christmas Eve dinner every year, then Christmas pjs and movies!

  15. Shanika Eastman

    Our family loves lighting the tree and playing games together. We drive around Christmas night looking at all the lights.

  16. Carrie

    Baking & decorating cookies as a family

  17. Cristina Lucas

    My family loves to make holiday cookies and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

  18. Cyril E

    Decorating gingerbread house

  19. Laura

    Making Christmas cookies and decorating them with my family.

  20. Lauren

    Turning on the Christmas tree at night and watching the kiddo’s reaction!

  21. Elaine

    Driving around neighborhoods looking at Holiday decorations while drinking hot chocolate.

  22. Terri

    Decorating the tree

  23. Kate Spigler

    Christmas jammies and baking cookies!

  24. Jenny

    Seeing the lights!

  25. Shera Faith Sacks

    My Favorite holiday tradition is when my husband makes Latkes!

  26. Stephanie

    Decorating the tree. Though with a toddler this year, I imagine the decorations will look much different to protect the breakables!!

  27. jane

    Putting up Christmas tree and decorating it with kids.

  28. Jason Wenrich

    Movies by the fire place on Christmas night!

  29. Cheryl

    Feast of the seven fishes, cutting our own tree, driving around looking at decorated houses!

  30. Time with family is all the tradition I need.

  31. Laura

    We do an activity advent calendar – it may be something simple, like watching a holiday movie, or something big, like going to see the lights at Meadowlark!

  32. Larry R

    We celebrate Sinter Klaas every December in honor of our Dutch heritage!

  33. Sonia Mena

    Decorating the house and putting up the Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving.

  34. Crystal Simms-Hines

    Seeing lights – either walkthrough or drive through- is something we do every year. We also drive around neighborhoods nearby to see lights on Christmas Eve.

  35. Emily Jacobs

    Getting a tree and seeing DC so pretty!

  36. Suzanne

    We do truth in the Tinsel every year. Making one ornament per day for 24 days to learn the Christmas story

  37. Ade

    So many! Decorating our Christmas tree and baking cookies has to be our favorite. As for outdoor activities… Caroling at the Rotunda is up there!

  38. Demetria Ball

    My family’s favorite holiday tradition is having a sleepover over my Sister’s house on Christmas Eve. During that time, we wrap gifts and sing Christmas songs. Christmas Day we make breakfast and watch Christmas movies.

  39. Melissa B

    We love visiting different christmas light installments throughout MD, VA and WV!

    We cant wait to check out the Merriweather Symphony of Lights this year!

  40. Jean L Holman

    Baking cookies

  41. Our Christmas tradition is go to Mass on Christmas Eve.

    We love to watch the Christmas lights and decorations all around the city.

  42. Katy Lambert

    We love visiting the trains at the Botanical Gardens.

  43. Tara Ghodrat

    Decorating the Christmas tree!

  44. Brenda B

    Favorite holiday tradition is making a tree out of paper or other materials around the house and hang up on the wall.

  45. Theresa Wallingford

    We love seeing light displays. We used to go to the same one every year, then we started a new tradition of seeing a different one every year. It is something fun to look forward to.

  46. DanV

    Our favorite tradition is the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens

  47. Danielle D.

    Watching polar express with cookie, cocoa and loads of marshmallow

  48. Stacee W

    Making all the goodies!!

  49. Carlie

    Playing board games with family!

  50. Beth

    We love getting hot chocolate and riding around looking at lights.

  51. Kristin

    Wearing matching PJs, even the dog 🙂

  52. Aimee L

    Eating seafood on Christmas Eve!

  53. Dawn

    We love another light show, at Meadowlark.

  54. Love to see the lightings. Will enjoy . Merry Xmas!!

  55. Lynn in MD

    We love opening presents on Christmas Day.

  56. The Barefoot Family

    We usually visit Meadowlark Botanical Gardens or Bull Run Festival of Lights every year. We like to make a gingerbread house at home as a family after we decorate the house and tree. This year I am also taking my 5yo to see The Nutcracker, which I hope to continue as a Christmas tradition. My family would love to visit the Symphony of Lights!

  57. Emily

    Getting a tree and decorating 🙂

  58. Amy

    Walking through Zoo Lights and making S’mores!

  59. Hyejin

    My family loves sharing food and playing games with neighbors during the holiday. We also love to see the lights!

  60. Stacy Himpelmann

    My family loves putting up our Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving dinner. Our neighbors are always surprised. We have an annual attempt at making gingerbread house which ends up with a lot of eating candy and houses that don’t stay up but it’s so much fun.

  61. Emily

    We like making holiday cookies and visiting the train display at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

  62. Morgann Holyoak

    Our family Christmas Chain! Which includes a family Christmas activities everyday of December leading up to Christmas.

  63. Kervin Cunanan

    Our family loves to sing songs together!

  64. Sonia B.

    Hi,
    We discovered a few years back, thanks to the KFDC blog, the train exhibit at the Botanic Garden in D.C. We have been going every year, kids or not!

  65. Jennifer Adams

    Our family’s favorite holiday tradition, is drive through holiday light shows. So winning would really make our day! 🙂

  66. Dana Chong

    Our favorite holiday tradition is baking Christmas cookies.

  67. Marcela

    We love to listen to and sing Christmas music.

  68. Brianne Little

    Listening to Christmas music in the car throughout the season and giving them Christmas ornaments as gifts each year for them to have for their trees when they grow up

  69. Cara Kuiper

    Our favorite tradition is eating a monkey bread breakfast with the whole family after opening presents!

  70. Hillary Boyd

    Favorite tradition is riding around the local towns looking at Christmas lights.

  71. Jojo

    We watch Singing in the Rain every New year’s Eve.

  72. Emily

    Singing and playing Christmas music!

  73. KC

    reading different holiday book for bedtime, chocolate countdown calendar, walking around Christmas tree farm and baking cookies

  74. Doug

    Christmas Eve Service followed by hot cider at home and opening one gift each

  75. Jess Watkins

    We have created a Thanksgiving tradition where we write notes of gratitude and get small gifts for each family member. We stuff those into a paper turkey, hide it and make them hunt for it. To get a clue, like, “you’re getting closer,” they have to flap their arms and gobble. Its fantastic.

  76. Hilary H.

    Christmas Eve mass then take out food at grandma and grandpa’s, hot chocolate and making cookies to leave out for Santa.

  77. Michelle Germany

    My family get together the evening before Christmas and prep the & cook most of it. Christmas morning we feed the less fortunate , and then come home and open gifts. Later that evening we have dinner with some family.

  78. Steve

    When I was a kid, we would all go to the dollar store and shop for Christmas gifts for each other. it was especially fun that sometimes we would end up getting the same thing more than once, or we would get the same thing that we gave someone else. Now that I have my own kids, we do the same thing, and the kids love it!

  79. KC Kwon

    Decorating cookies and making gingerbread house

  80. Michelle

    Brass caroling!

  81. SY

    Going to a Nutcracker performance.

  82. Claudia Evans

    We love going to see the Christmas Carol at Fords Theater. Its amazing!

  83. Amy

    Light Displays, playing dreidel

  84. Helen

    We have not been to this event, but would like to – it sounds amazing!

  85. We discovered a few years back

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