From the City’s website.
The City of Gaithersburg’s Winter Lights Festival returns for a twelfth season of magical delight, with a sneak preview on Friday and Saturday, November 23 and 24. During the two-day sneak preview the festival will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is $12 per car. The festival will then be open for the holiday season nightly from November 30 through December 30.
Driving through the enchanted forest setting of Seneca Creek State Park, visitors will enjoy more than 380 illuminated displays and 60 animated vignettes that light up the night. Themed areas along the 3.5 mile drive include Winter Woods, Teddy Bear Land, Victorian Village, the North Pole and much more.
Thousands of people in the D.C. area have made this an annual holiday tradition. Return visitors will be thrilled to find new displays and arrangements that keep the festival fresh and new. Several contests will take place during this year’s event, including a drawing contest for children, a trivia contest for all ages, and a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree at Lakeforest Shopping Center. Complete contest details will be available in the official Winter Lights Festival program book distributed to all visitors.
Winter Lights is open Sunday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. The Festival is closed on December 25. Cash-only admission is $10 per car Sunday through Thursday and $12 per car Friday and Saturday. Two dollar discount coupons valid Monday through Thursday only are available at nearby Lakeforest Shopping Center.
Back by popular demand this year are open trolley rides through the festival, a great way to see the lights from a whole new perspective. Rides are available on Monday, December 3 and December 10 at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. The cash-only fee is $5 per person. Seating is limited, and is available on a first come, first served basis.
In the spirit of the holidays, proceeds from the 2007 festival will benefit local charities, including Gaithersburg Help, the Friends of Seneca Creek State Park, Friends of Wells/Robertson House, Inc., Gaithersburg Community Volunteer Soup Kitchen, and the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
This year’s festival is sponsored in part by Comcast, The Gazette, Lakeforest, MIX 107.3 FM, OBA Bank, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, The Beacon Newspaper, Giant Food, Hughes Network System, Insight Magazine, MedImmune, Sandy Spring Bank, and Washington Parent.
Seneca Creek State Park is located at 11950 Clopper Road, a few miles west of the intersection with I-270. For more information and group admission rates please call 301-258-6350 or visit the City’s Winter Lights webpage.
