Christmas Lights in Ashburn, VA

Popular picks this season include Bull Run Festival of Lights (Nov 14 – Jan 3), ZooLights at the Smithsonian's National Zoo (Nov 20 – Jan 3), Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (Nov 11 – Jan 3) and Frosted at Franklin Park (Nov 13 – Jan 9). In all, 18 displays are mapped in and around Ashburn, from decorated houses and neighborhoods to ticketed light shows.

Free options include Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Frosted at Franklin Park, Festival of Lights at the Washington DC Temple and Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens. 12 of the 18 displays near Ashburn are free to visit; most home and neighborhood displays cost nothing to drive by.

Yes. Bull Run Festival of Lights ($30 per car or van online (buses $75)) and Winter Lights Festival ($15 per car Mon-Thu, $25 Fri-Sun). Drive-thru shows usually charge per car, and buying tickets online ahead of time is often faster.

Yes. Festival of Lights at the Washington DC Temple, Old Town Fairfax Festival of Lights & Carols and Horn Family Lights (tune to 89.7 FM). Synced displays broadcast their soundtrack on a low-power FM station so you can listen from your car.

The earliest Ashburn-area displays turn on Nov 11, and most are running by the weekend after Thanksgiving. Many stay lit through New Year's; check each display's page for its exact dates and nightly hours.