Winterlights is back at Newfields for its 10th year, Nov. 20, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, with nearly two million lights strung through the Garden and entry starting at 5 p.m. The Landscape of Light show on the Lilly Allée, the decorated first floor of Lilly House and s’mores at Tinsel Terrace are the reasons to book a night early. This is our family’s own tradition, so the tips below come from doing it with kids, grandparents and strollers. For the rest of the season’s lights, see our Christmas lights in Indianapolis guide, and for everything else, holiday fun in Indianapolis.
Winterlights 2026: Dates, Hours and Tickets
- Dates: Nov. 20, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. Entry windows start at 5 p.m. The grounds close 90 minutes after the night’s last ticket time, and ticket scanning stops 30 minutes after that last time, so a late slot still gets the full walk.
- Where: Newfields, 4000 N. Michigan Road, Indianapolis. Tickets are scanned in the Deer Pavilion, just to the right of the glass atrium.
- On sale: Tickets are on sale at discovernewfields.org; members get early access. Tickets are advance only, sold by date and time.
- Prices: Every night is priced as a value, non-peak or peak night, and the busier dates and time slots sit at the top of each range. Adults pay $25 to $29 on value nights, $30 to $34 on non-peak nights and $35 to $39 on peak nights; youth 6 to 17 pay $16 to $20, $21 to $25 and $26 to $30; seniors 65 and up pay $2 less than adults. Kids 5 and under are free. Add sales tax and a $2 processing fee per paid ticket.
- Members and Access Pass: Members pay $20 to $32 for adults and $13 to $25 for youth on any night. Indiana Access Pass tickets are $10 for adults and youth, with no processing fee.
- Parking: Free through the Michigan Road entrance, or $20 Reserved Priority Parking through the 38th Street entrance. On the busiest nights, overflow parking at the Indiana Interchurch Center has a free shuttle.
- Time on site: Newfields figures about 90 minutes to walk it. Rain or shine; weather closures go out by email, on the website and on social media.
Winterlights
What to Expect at Winterlights
It is an outdoor walking loop through the Garden, so dress for the weather and plan on the whole route being outside except for Lilly House. The anchor is the Landscape of Light on the Lilly Allée, where a lawn of lights runs through a show set to music; stop there first and let the kids watch a full cycle. Lilly House’s first floor is styled for the season and included with your ticket, and it is the warm-up stop. The 10th year adds moonGARDEN, a shadow-theater show by the studio Lucion built around the plants of the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse, and brings back Playtime in Indy, Karl Unnasch’s tree sculpture made of toys, from the very first Winterlights. Tinsel Terrace is the food stop, with cocoa, cider, giant cookies and s’mores kits.
Parent Tips From Our Own Winterlights Tradition
We make Winterlights a big group outing every year, cousins and grandparents included, and the same few moves keep it easy.
- Book the first time slot. Arriving at dusk means shorter lines at check-in and a little daylight for finding the restrooms and the path. By the time you leave it is fully dark.
- Warm up first. After scanning in, we head into the museum for cocoa and popcorn before starting the loop, then save Lilly House for the halfway point.
- Strollers and wagons are fine on the path, which is accessible, but they park outside Lilly House. That makes the house a nice quiet break for the adults while someone keeps the kids moving outside. Loaner wheelchairs are available.
- Look for the interactive spots. Newfields swaps displays around every year, and our daughter’s favorites have been the trees where kids change the colors; she tries to turn as many pink as possible. Walk-through photo spots like the giant ornament have been the go-to picture.
- Finish with s’mores. Buy the kit at Tinsel Terrace, then look up for the blue “shooting stars” on the way out; that has been our finale every year.
- Know the rules. There are metal detectors and bag checks at entry, no outside food or alcohol and no pets except on Dog Night. Restrooms are throughout, and nursing rooms are in the museum and the Lilly House lower level.
Premium Tickets and Add-Ons
Two upgrades sit above the standard ticket. The Premier package, $45 to $59 or $36 to $48 for members, adds a dedicated entrance, a lightbulb necklace (the blinky lights), a non-alcoholic drink and Winterlights glasses. The Winterwonder Pass, $120 or $96 for members, is the all-in version: reserved parking, a flexible arrival time between 5 and 8 p.m., the Winterwonder Lounge on the second floor of Lilly House overlooking the Landscape of Light, a premium drink, a souvenir glass, fast-pass access at the Wintermarket food stop, a dedicated entrance, the lightbulb necklace, Winterlights glasses and ticket insurance. It is offered only on peak nights: Nov. 26 to 28; Dec. 4 and 5; Dec. 11 and 12; and Dec. 18 to 26, 2026.
On any ticket you can add blinky lights ($16), Winterlights glasses ($12, with a free non-alcoholic drink) and ticket insurance ($10 per ticket, bought with your tickets), which lets you exchange your date once but does not refund it. Kids 5 and under and Access Pass ticket holders don’t need the insurance.
The splurge is a private heated igloo: $500 for up to eight people, with Premier admission for everyone, a holiday nosh board and two parking passes, or $900 for two igloos and up to 16 people. Book by emailing [email protected].
Food and Drinks
Tinsel Terrace has the s’mores kits and giant chocolate chip cookies, cocoa and cider with optional peppermint vodka or whiskey for the grown-ups, Sun King’s Electric Reindeer brew and Ash & Elm’s spiced plum cider. Cards are preferred, and everyone buying alcohol gets carded. Lines are shortest early in your window.
Special Nights at Winterlights
- Opening night party: Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, 5 to 9:30 p.m., celebrates the 10th year with live holiday jazz and carolers along the path, $10 blinky lights and $10 menu items at the food stops. Regular Winterlights prices apply.
- $10 nights: On Monday, Nov. 23, and Monday, Nov. 30, 2026, standard tickets are $10 for members and the public, up to 10 per order. They can’t be refunded or moved to another night, and the deal doesn’t cover Premier or Winterwonder tickets.
- Santa and carolers: Santa walks the Twinkling Trail from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays: Nov. 24 and 25; Dec. 1 and 2; Dec. 8 and 9; and Dec. 15 and 16, 2026. The Freetown Village Singers join him on Tuesdays and At Your Door Productions on Wednesdays. It is included with your ticket.
- Merry Movie Mondays: Holiday movies at 6:30 p.m. in the Tobias Theater, with Winterlights admission after the film: “The Santa Clause” on Nov. 30, “Elf” on Dec. 7 and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on Dec. 14, 2026. Ticket prices vary.
- Dog Night: On the last night of the season, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, dogs can come along with a $5 Pup Pass. Every person still needs a Winterlights ticket. Bring one dog per adult on a non-retractable leash no longer than 6 feet. Dogs must be at least 4 months old and vaccinated. They enter through the Garden Entrance and stay outside Lilly House and the museum.
Sneak Preview on Nov. 1
Newfields’ “Nightmare Before Christmas” screening on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in the Tobias Theater comes with Harvest Nights admission and a one-night sneak preview of select Winterlights trees lit for the 10th anniversary. Tickets are $45 for the public, $35 for members and $28 for youth, and doors open at 5:30 p.m. Harvest Nights itself runs through Nov. 1, 2026; see our guide to Harvest Nights at Newfields.
Winterlights FAQ
Do we need tickets in advance? Yes. Winterlights is timed entry, sold by date and time, and peak nights cost more. Prices vary by date.
What time should we go with little kids? The first slot at 5 p.m. Dusk check-in, shorter lines, home by bedtime.
How long does it take? About 90 minutes at a kid’s pace, longer if you stop for s’mores.
Can we bring a stroller? Yes, on the whole path. Strollers wait outside Lilly House.
Where do we park? Free lots through the Michigan Road entrance, $20 reserved parking through 38th Street, or the free shuttle from the overflow lot at the Indiana Interchurch Center.
What if it rains? It runs rain or shine. Closures are announced by email, on the website and on Newfields’ social pages; ticket insurance lets you move your date.
More ways to fill the season: the free Christmas lights near Indianapolis for the nights you want to skip the ticket, the holiday train rides in Indiana for the weekend road trip and the Holiday Lights Railbike Adventure in Noblesville for a night of pedaling through a light tunnel.
