Bellingrath's Magic Christmas in Lights runs Nov. 20 to Jan. 9. Christmas Nights in Lights drive-thru runs through Dec. 27, and Lighting Up Midtown is Dec. 5.

Last checked Nov. 8, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address; the dates below are for the 2026 season. Facts come from each organizer’s page or its listing on the Mobile County community calendar, linked below.

Mobile’s biggest light show is Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, open from Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, to Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027. Closer to home there are free outdoor holiday movies, a Midtown festival with Santa, and a drive-through light show. The city’s Lighting of the Tree (Nov. 20), downtown concerts and The Nutcracker are on our separate Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

Updated Nov. 8: Christmas Nights in Lights posted its 2026 dates, and the city’s tree lighting adds a drone show.

Who to call

  • Bellingrath Gardens and Home: bellingrath.org
  • City of Mobile Special Events: 251-208-1550; text MOBILEEVENTS to 91896 for alerts
  • Mobile Parks and Recreation: 251-208-1600

Light displays

Magic Christmas in Lights, Bellingrath Gardens and Home, 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road, Theodore, in south Mobile County. From Bellingrath and its county listing:

  • Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 9, 2027, 5 to 9 p.m. nightly; closed Nov. 25, Nov. 26, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
  • Tickets go on sale Sunday, Nov. 1. Night tickets are separate from day tickets.
  • Guests walk the 65-acre garden estate under thousands of lights, with live choral performances in the gardens.
  • Workshop: on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 9 a.m. to noon, Bellingrath’s team shows guests how the displays are built and each guest decorates a metal frame to take home. $100 for members, $125 for nonmembers; reservations required. Details

Christmas Nights in Lights, Dauphin Way Baptist Church, 3661 Dauphin St., just off I-65. The drive-through show has more than 1 million lights and displays synchronized to holiday music played on a private radio frequency through your car stereo, according to its ticket page. Tickets are priced per person, and children 3 and under ride free. The ticket page lists these 2026 nights, each with three time slots:

  • November: Fridays to Sundays, Nov. 13-15, Nov. 20-22 and Nov. 27-29, plus Thanksgiving night, Thursday, Nov. 26.
  • December: every night from Friday, Dec. 4, to Sunday, Dec. 27, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Book a slot on the ticket page before you go.

Springhill Medical Center, on Spring Hill. The hospital lights the trees across its campus each December; in 2025 it used 600,000 bulbs for its 50th anniversary and invited the public to drive through, according to Springhill Medical Center. It had not announced its 2026 lighting date as of Nov. 8.

Santa visits

Date Where Details
Friday, Nov. 20, 6 p.m. City of Mobile Lighting of the Tree, Mardi Gras Park Free; Santa arrives at 6 p.m., the tree is lit at 6:20 and a drone show follows at 7. See our tree lighting page
Saturday, Nov. 21, noon to 7 p.m. Semmes Christmas Market and Tree Lighting, City of Semmes Honor Park Free; pictures with Santa, tree lit at 5 p.m. Listing
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 9 p.m. Lighting Up Midtown, St. Mary’s Parish, 1453 Old Shell Road Pictures with Santa, a vendors’ market, live music and seasonal food. Listing
Friday, Dec. 11, 6 to 9 p.m. LODA ArtWalk Celebrates Christmas, Cathedral Square Free; Santa in Cathedral Square, a kids’ zone and artists along Dauphin Street. City of Mobile

Holiday movies under the stars

Both are free and both are Friday, Dec. 4, so pick one:

  • “A Christmas Story” in the Park, 6 to 9 p.m., Azalea City Golf Course, 1000 Gaillard Drive, shown outdoors after sunset by Mobile Parks and Recreation. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and jackets. Listing
  • Wheels & Reels Drive-In: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (PG), 6 to 10 p.m., movie at 7 p.m., Mobile Flea Market, 401 Schillinger Road N. Free parking, first come, first served; no cars admitted after the movie starts. Bring your own snacks; food trucks on site. City of Mobile

Parades, shows and concerts

  • Semmes Christmas Parade, free, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, from Wulff Road to Moffett Road and Firetower Road in Semmes, about 12 miles northwest. Mobile itself does not hold a Christmas parade; its parade season is Mardi Gras. Listing
  • A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, Saenger Theatre, 6 S. Joachim St.: Irish dance, folk music and tap. Tickets $69 to $106. Details
  • Christmas concerts, The Nutcracker and the Gilded Age Christmas tours downtown are listed with times on our Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 12, with the eighth candle lit Friday evening, Dec. 11 (Hebcal). No public menorah lighting in Mobile had been announced as of Nov. 8. Congregations and organizers can send details through our contact page and we will add them.

Frequently asked questions

When does Bellingrath’s Magic Christmas in Lights open in 2026?

Friday, Nov. 20. It runs 5 to 9 p.m. nightly through Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027, except Nov. 25, Nov. 26, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Tickets go on sale Sunday, Nov. 1.

Is there a drive-through Christmas light show in Mobile?

Yes. Christmas Nights in Lights, a drive-through show of more than 1 million lights synchronized to music on your car radio, is at Dauphin Way Baptist Church, 3661 Dauphin St. Its ticket page lists Friday to Sunday dates in November, Thanksgiving night and every night from Dec. 4 to Dec. 27.

Where can I see Santa in Mobile?

Santa arrives at 6 p.m. at the city’s Lighting of the Tree on Nov. 20 at Mardi Gras Park. He poses for photos at the Semmes Christmas Market on Nov. 21 and at Lighting Up Midtown on Dec. 5, and visits Cathedral Square during the LODA ArtWalk on Dec. 11.

When is Hanukkah 2026?

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, and the eighth candle is lit Friday, Dec. 11. No public menorah lighting in Mobile had been announced as of Nov. 8.