You don’t need tickets to see Christmas lights around Indianapolis. This list sticks to free displays, from the lights on Monument Circle to walkable park trails, drive-by neighborhood tours and family-run light shows set to music on your car radio.
Related Article: The Ultimate Guide to Holiday Fun in Indianapolis
Free Christmas Lights Near Indianapolis 2026
Most of these pair easily for a do-it-yourself lights night. For ticketed light shows like Winterlights and Christmas Nights of Lights, see our guide to the best Christmas lights in Indianapolis.
Circle of Lights (Monument Circle)
- Location: Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis
- Lighting celebration: Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Price: Free
- More info: Downtown Indy Alliance: Circle of Lights
Downtown Indy Alliance lights Monument Circle the night after Thanksgiving, with Santa, live music and food trucks, and a child chosen through a coloring contest flips the switch. If the lighting-night crowd is too much for your crew, the display is just as pretty on a quiet weeknight later in the season. Park in a nearby garage.
The Lighted Trail (Greenwood)
- Location: Amphitheater Park (behind the Greenwood Community Center), 100 Surina Way, Greenwood
- Dates: Starts Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026; open dusk to dawn
- Price: Free
- More info: City of Greenwood: The Lighted Trail
A walk-through trail with 42,840 lights, including a lighted bridge, five arches, a 12-arch candy cane tunnel and 18 standing figures. It’s easy to fit around dinner and bedtime because the lights stay on all night. The trail itself is free, but the ticketed KiD CiTY Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, adds a train ride through it, selfies with Santa, cocoa and a craft from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $10 (kids under 2 are free), and tickets are on sale now.
Magnificent Monon (Carmel)
- Location: Monon Greenway from Carter Green to Main Street, Carmel
- Dates: November through January
- Price: Free
- More info: City of Carmel: Magnificent Monon
Lights and seasonal décor line the Monon Greenway through the middle of Carmel, so you can walk the display and then duck into Midtown, City Center or the Arts & Design District for a warm drink or dinner. The city’s Holidays in Carmel kickoff, with Santa visits and the city tree lighting, is Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026.
Mooresville Christmas Light Tour (Drive-Your-Own Route)
- Location: Self-guided drive through Mooresville; tour map and details
- Dates: Dec. 1 to 31, dusk to 10 p.m.*
- Price: Free; optional donations go to a local nonprofit
Volunteers organize a route of decorated homes and businesses, and families drive it at their own pace. This one is drive-by only, so stay in the car and keep out of driveways. You can vote online for your favorite display, and kids can print a scavenger hunt from the tour website. The interactive map goes up Dec. 1, 2026. See the calendar listing.
*2025 dates and hours. The 2026 tour has not been announced yet.
Christmas Acres (Franklin)
- Location: 6211 N. 500 East, Franklin (east of New Whiteland)
- Opening night: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026
- Price: Free; food donations for the InterChurch Food Pantry are welcome
- More info: Christmas Acres on Facebook
Created by Payton “Griswold” Bohler, Christmas Acres covers a five-acre property with more than 160,000 lights. Drive in the driveway and around the circle for an up-close look, and you can be home before bedtime.
Trees of Plainfield
- Location: Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex, 451 S. Vestal Road, Plainfield
- Dates: Dec. 4 to 6 and 11 to 13, 2026, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Price: Free
- More info: Town of Plainfield: Trees of Plainfield
A walk-through trail of Christmas trees decorated by local businesses, groups and families. Each night brings free activities in a heated tent, plus snowball fights, s’mores by the fire and food trucks. Trees of Plainfield feels like a full holiday event without the ticket price.
Brownsburg Holiday Lights (Town Hall and Arbuckle Acres Park)
- Location: Brownsburg Town Hall, 61 N. Green St., and Arbuckle Acres Park, 200 N. Green St.
- Dates: Dec. 5 to 31, 2026, lights on 5 to 11 p.m.
- Price: Free
- More info: Town of Brownsburg: Christmas Lights Drive-Thru
Park at Town Hall and tune to 88.5 FM for a light show synchronized to music, then drive through Arbuckle Acres Park for displays from gingerbread men to a lighted Santa. The drive-thru opens Dec. 5, 2026, right after Christmas Under the Stars, the town’s parade and tree lighting. Santa also poses for photos in the Town Hall lobby on Dec. 5 and 12, 2026.
City of Lights in Highland Park (Kokomo)
- Location: Highland Park, 900 W. Defenbaugh St., Kokomo
- Dates: Not yet announced*
- More info: Visit Kokomo: City of Lights
A drive-through display with more than 50 scenes across Highland Park, including a carousel, reindeer, a Christmas village and the decorated Vermont Covered Bridge. It’s about an hour north of Indianapolis, so pair it with dinner in Kokomo.
*2026 information has not been released yet. We will update as soon as it is announced.
Powers Christmas Lights (Sheridan)
- Location: 6893 N. 1000 E., Sheridan
- Dates and hours: Not yet announced*
- Price: Free
- More info: Powers Christmas Lights on Facebook
A family-run light show synchronized to music on your car radio. The owners ask viewers to watch from the east side of the road facing north, use parking lights instead of headlights and turn around at County Road 700 North rather than in neighbors’ driveways.
*2026 information has not been released yet. We will update as soon as it is announced.
Scott’s Lights (Noblesville)
- Location: 16348 Ketton Drive, Noblesville
- Dates and hours: Nov. 14, 2026, to Jan. 9, 2027, 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Price: Free
- More info: Scott’s Lights show page
More than 48,000 LED lights dance to music on 94.5 FM. The fun part for kids: once you’re parked nearby, they can pick songs from the show’s website, up to three requests at a time.
Quick Guide: Free Christmas Lights Near Indianapolis
| Display | Where | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Circle of Lights | Monument Circle, Indianapolis | Lighting Nov. 27, 2026 |
| The Lighted Trail | Amphitheater Park, Greenwood | Starts Dec. 6, 2026, dusk to dawn |
| Magnificent Monon | Monon Greenway, Carmel | November through January |
| Mooresville Christmas Light Tour | Mooresville (self-guided drive) | Dec. 1 to 31, dusk to 10 p.m. (2025 dates) |
| Christmas Acres | 6211 N. 500 East, Franklin | Opens Nov. 25, 2026 |
| Trees of Plainfield | 451 S. Vestal Road, Plainfield | Dec. 4 to 6 and 11 to 13, 2026, 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Brownsburg Holiday Lights | Town Hall and Arbuckle Acres Park, Brownsburg | Dec. 5 to 31, 2026, 5 to 11 p.m. |
| City of Lights | Highland Park, 900 W. Defenbaugh St., Kokomo | Not yet announced |
| Powers Christmas Lights | 6893 N. 1000 E., Sheridan | Not yet announced |
| Scott’s Lights | 16348 Ketton Drive, Noblesville | Nov. 14, 2026, to Jan. 9, 2027, from 6 p.m. |
Tips for a Free Holiday Lights Night
- Go early with little ones. The lights look just as good right after dark, and you skip the late-night meltdown.
- Mix a drive with a walk. Pair a drive-by stop like Mooresville, Franklin or Kokomo with a walkable one like Greenwood or Carmel.
- Check the official link the day you go. Weather and last-minute changes happen, especially at family-run displays.
- Make the car part of the fun. Cocoa in spill-proof cups, a holiday playlist and a “spot the reindeer” game go a long way.
