For more upcoming events, check out our roundup of things to do this November and December here. For a list of local holiday markets, visit the link here.
Tree lightings
3rd Annual Jingle Jubilee at Chevy Chase Lake Town Square
Dec. 5 5:30–8 p.m.
Local groups and vendors will come together at Chevy Chase Lake for a dance performance, live holiday music and a tree lighting at 6 p.m. Warm food and drink will be available and toy donations for children living in public housing in Washington, D.C., will be collected by the charity A Wider Circle.
8525 Chevy Chase Lake Terrace, Chevy Chase, chevychaselake.com. Free.
Tree lighting at Rockville Town Square
Dec. 6 6–9 p.m.
The tree lighting countdown will begin at 6:45 p.m. and entertainment will be provided by groups from Rockville High School, Richard Montgomery High School, Waters Landing Elementary School and more. There will also be arts and crafts, stilt walkers and selfies with Santa.
36 Maryland Ave., Rockville, rockvilletownsquare.com. Free.
Kentlands tree and menorah lighting
Dec. 11 6-7:30 p.m.
Santa will arrive at this community event in Gaithersburg on a fire truck. The jolly old Saint Nick will be joined by Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman for a tree and menorah lighting celebration. This event will also include a concert, ornament making and a hot chocolate bar.
Courtyard between Market Streets East & West, Gaithersburg, kentlands.org. Free.
Holiday lights
Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens
Through Jan. 5
See lights take the form of flowers, cacti, frogs, dragonflies and other flora and fauna at this half-mile walk-through lights display at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. Warm drinks and light snacks are available to purchase, but no outside food is permitted.
1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, montgomeryparks.org. $10, free for age 4 and younger.
Winter City Lights
Through Dec. 29
Faux snow, an eight-lane snow tube slide and a 200-foot-diameter light canopy strung from a 52-foot-tall Christmas tree are highlights of this annual celebration in Olney. The event also features a 1.5-mile walk-through lights display and bonfires around which visitors can warm up. Food and beverages are available to purchase, and eventgoers can also try axe throwing for an extra fee.
4501 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney, wintercitylights.com. Tickets start at $18, $17 for seniors, $15 ages 4 to 12.
LuminoCity Festival at Montgomery County Fairgrounds
Through Jan. 15
LuminoCity’s winter wonderland offers a lit-up walk featuring magical creatures and thematic areas. Panda paradise, sugarsprout tower and passion jungle are just a few of the 20 themed destinations available.
501 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, luminocityfest,com. $20.
Winter Lights Festival at Seneca Creek State Park
Friday through Dec. 31
The 3.5-mile drive-through lights display at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg is an annual draw for its twinkling holiday and winter-themed scenes. Before the festival opens for drive-through viewing, a series of special events allows spectators to experience it in other ways. S’more Lights on Friday and a 5K on Saturday are sold out. Tickets remain for the Sip & Sparkle event on Sunday during which visitors age 21 and older can taste beer, wine and cider from local breweries and wineries, travel by trolley through the lights display and enjoy live music. On Monday, pups and their parents can attend Walk & Wag, a 1-mile or 3-mile walk through the lights display, which also includes hot beverages (for humans) and pet selfies with Santa in a heated tent.
31 S Summit Ave., Gaithersburg, gaithersburgmd.gov. $15-$25.
Festival of Lights at The Washington D.C. Temple
Dec. 5 through Jan. 1
The Washington D.C. Temple is inviting the public to view more than half a million lights and trees. There will be international crèche displays and free daily holiday performances, such as Polynesian Cousins performing Dec. 5 and Market Street Big Band performing Dec. 31.
9900 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, dctemple.org. Free.
— Bethesda Magazine’s Stephanie Siegel Burke contributed to this report.
