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!
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!
Favorite holiday tradition is lighting menorah.
We put our tree up pretty early usually — we’re late this year, we’ll put it up on Thanksgiving Day!
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.
We do several events, like a concert, brunch with Santa and of course gingerbread houses.🎄
My family would love to go there. Hope we win . Merry Christmas
Putting up the Christmas tree
We love enjoying great family time together on Christmas Eve then staying up until midnight to open presents!
We love riding and looking at holiday lights!
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!
Decorating gingerbread houses together and driving around with holiday treats while looking at Xmas lights!
Baking and decorating cookies with my kids
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!
Eating my husband’s favorite childhood dish created by his mother on Christmas Even. It is our way to remember her.
My kiddos and I do a Christmas Eve dinner every year, then Christmas pjs and movies!
Our family loves lighting the tree and playing games together. We drive around Christmas night looking at all the lights.
Baking & decorating cookies as a family
My family loves to make holiday cookies and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Decorating gingerbread house
Making Christmas cookies and decorating them with my family.
Turning on the Christmas tree at night and watching the kiddo’s reaction!
Driving around neighborhoods looking at Holiday decorations while drinking hot chocolate.
Decorating the tree
Christmas jammies and baking cookies!
Seeing the lights!
My Favorite holiday tradition is when my husband makes Latkes!
Decorating the tree. Though with a toddler this year, I imagine the decorations will look much different to protect the breakables!!
Putting up Christmas tree and decorating it with kids.
Movies by the fire place on Christmas night!
Feast of the seven fishes, cutting our own tree, driving around looking at decorated houses!
Time with family is all the tradition I need.
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!
We celebrate Sinter Klaas every December in honor of our Dutch heritage!
Decorating the house and putting up the Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving.
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.
Getting a tree and seeing DC so pretty!
We do truth in the Tinsel every year. Making one ornament per day for 24 days to learn the Christmas story
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!
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.
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!
Baking cookies
Our Christmas tradition is go to Mass on Christmas Eve.
We love to watch the Christmas lights and decorations all around the city.
We love visiting the trains at the Botanical Gardens.
Decorating the Christmas tree!
Favorite holiday tradition is making a tree out of paper or other materials around the house and hang up on the wall.
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.
Our favorite tradition is the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens
Watching polar express with cookie, cocoa and loads of marshmallow
Making all the goodies!!
Playing board games with family!
We love getting hot chocolate and riding around looking at lights.
Wearing matching PJs, even the dog 🙂
Eating seafood on Christmas Eve!
We love another light show, at Meadowlark.
Love to see the lightings. Will enjoy . Merry Xmas!!
We love opening presents on Christmas Day.
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!
Getting a tree and decorating 🙂
Walking through Zoo Lights and making S’mores!
My family loves sharing food and playing games with neighbors during the holiday. We also love to see the lights!
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.
We like making holiday cookies and visiting the train display at the U.S. Botanic Garden.
Our family Christmas Chain! Which includes a family Christmas activities everyday of December leading up to Christmas.
Our family loves to sing songs together!
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!
Our family’s favorite holiday tradition, is drive through holiday light shows. So winning would really make our day! 🙂
Our favorite holiday tradition is baking Christmas cookies.
We love to listen to and sing Christmas music.
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
Our favorite tradition is eating a monkey bread breakfast with the whole family after opening presents!
Favorite tradition is riding around the local towns looking at Christmas lights.
We watch Singing in the Rain every New year’s Eve.
Singing and playing Christmas music!
reading different holiday book for bedtime, chocolate countdown calendar, walking around Christmas tree farm and baking cookies
Christmas Eve Service followed by hot cider at home and opening one gift each
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.
Christmas Eve mass then take out food at grandma and grandpa’s, hot chocolate and making cookies to leave out for Santa.
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.
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!
Decorating cookies and making gingerbread house
Brass caroling!
Going to a Nutcracker performance.
We love going to see the Christmas Carol at Fords Theater. Its amazing!
Light Displays, playing dreidel
We have not been to this event, but would like to – it sounds amazing!
We discovered a few years back