Looking for the biggest, brightest, best Christmas lights in the Charlotte area for the 2024 Christmas season? You’ve come to the right place.

This list includes professional displays, town events, and private homes.

We have a Google map with all the light on this page, and more! To see the map, just scroll down past the pictures of the lights, or jump right to the map

If you want to submit a display for the map or this post please fill out this form. If you have trouble with the form, just email info@charlotteonthecheap.com. If you maintain a website or Facebook page for the display, please let us know. That makes it easy for readers to keep up with your schedule.

The displays in private homes, often synchronized to Christmas music, are put on by regular people, at their own expense, and it takes an incredible amount of time and creativity. So visit and let them know you appreciate it.

Note: Every year we remove some displays because the homeowner was getting too much traffic and asked to be removed. We never want to contribute to a disturbance for a neighborhood, so make sure to let us know what works for you.

Some are collecting money for charitable causes. If a radio station is listed, tune your car radio to that station to listen to the coordinated music. Please be considerate of these folks’ neighbors.

If a website or Facebook page is listed, make sure to visit and check out the hours, start dates, and any additional information that you need to know. Most of these displays start shortly after Thanksgiving, but make sure to look at the schedule for each. Some families show videos and pictures of their works in progress as well.

Read on for Charlotte on the Cheap’s big list of Christmas lights!

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Professional and Municipal Light Displays in the Charlotte Area

Christmas Town USA

McAdenville — Christmas Town USA
December 2 through December 26, 2024
Every night: 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
McAdenville, NC
Free

McAdenville’s famous Christmas lights will be lit in the downtown area, and this year there will even be floating Christmas trees on the lake. The tree lighting ceremony will take place on December 2, and the Yule Log Ceremony and Parade will take place December 12. You’ve probably seen those long lines of cars entering McAdenville at night for the lights. The best way to to experience the lights, if you are able to walk, is to get there early (around 5 or 5:15 p.m.) and park, enjoy dinner in downtown McAdenville, and then walk around to see the lights. Also, the lines are longest on weekends, especially approaching Christmas.

Carolina Holiday Spectacular at Ballantyne’s Backyard

Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular
December 5 to 29, 2024 (every day, except Christmas Day)
5:30 to 10 p.m. (but will close early on Christmas Eve)
Ballantyne’s Backyard
11611 N Community House Road, Charlotte, NC
$10 to $25, depending on date (use promo code CHEAPLIGHTS for a 20% discount)

This popular attraction, which debuted in 2022, returns in 2024 with 40% more show area. Also, all pathways are concrete, decked or gravel this year. It features spectacular light displays on a half mile walking trail, dozens of oversized snow globes, larger than life holiday scenes, Santa, ballerinas and other performers and hundreds of decorated trees. Rides on the Alpine Avalanche Snow Tube Slide and the Spectacular Snowflake Wand are available for an extra charge.

Pirates Christmas

Pirates Christmas at High Seas Miniature Golf
10001 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land, South Carolina
November 22, 2024, through January 19, 2025
5 to 10 p.m.
$17 for adults; $12 for kids (4-12) and seniors (65+); Free for kids 3 and under; $10 if you’re just walking and not playing miniature golf

For just the third year, this nautical and pirate themed miniature golf course has transformed into Pirates Christmas. The cost is for unlimited play that day or night. You’ll feel like you’re immersed in a giant treasure chest! There’s also a beer and wine garden there.

Speedway Christmas

Speedway Christmas
Charlotte Motor Speedway
November 22, 2024, to January 5, 2025 (every day except Christmas Eve)
6 to 10 p.m.
The cost is $35 for a car (up to 15 people) on days without the Christmas Village and $45 for a car on days when the Christmas Village was open
The Christmas Village is open Thursday to Sunday, and every night from December 12 to 23

The light show is along a 4 mile drive-thru course. The lights are synchronized to Christmas music that you can listen to from your car radio. There are more than 800 individual displays, including some that are eight stories tall. All in all, more than 4 million lights are in play.

When the Christmas Village is open, visitors can exit their cars and enjoy holiday activities like photos with Santa, making s’mores by the fire, and shopping for gifts.

On those nights there will also be popular Christmas drive-in movies to enjoy on the 16,000 square foot Speedway TV screen.

Kannapolis Celebration of Lights

Kannapolis Celebration of Lights and Winterland Express
November 16 to December 30th, 2024, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Free to walk through the park; Train rides and carousel rides are $2

You can walk through the park for free and take in the impressive display of Christmas lights, or take the Winterland Express for $2. The attraction also features music, Santa visits (take your own picture for free), marshmallow roasting and more. Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra’s ensemble of animatronic bears performs every evening.

Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden

Festive Lights at Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden
Rosie’s Coffee & Wine / McGill Rose Garden
940 N Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC
Open every day from 7 or 8 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m. 
Free to visit

This decorated rose garden is a hidden gem between Uptown and NoDa. Enjoy the twinkling lights and meandering paths while finding a nook to savor wine, beer, coffee or tea. Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We’re keeping an eye on the garden to see when they light up for the season. We don’t know the date yet. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Holidays at the Garden

Holidays at the Garden
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
6500 South New Hope Road, Belmont
November 29 to December 28, 2024. Open Tuesday to Sunday.
5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Tuesday to Thursday: Adult: $24; Seniors (age 60+): $22; Children (2 to 12): $18; Children under 2: Free
Friday to Sunday: Adult: $28; Seniors (age 60+): $25; Children (2 to 12): $20; Children under 2: Free

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden will again be decorated with imaginative and elaborate holiday lights. Sing along to your wintertime favorites at the popular topiary display, take in the rolling lights of the Piedmont Prairie and stroll among the blossoming cherry trees. Grab a bite from the food trucks, roast a marshmallow beside a roaring fire, sip a warm or cold beverage and soak up the season’s cheer. New this year will be a trackless train every Friday in December, visits with Santa on Saturdays and Sundays after December 1, and an adults-only Speakeasy with exclusive holiday cocktails.

Light the Knights

Light the Knights Festival
Truist Field, 324 S Mint Street
November 27, 2024, to January 3, 2025 (select dates)
Start and end time varies by day
$12 per person for just admission. $40 per person for admission, sledding and skating.

Light the Knights returns to Truist Field with the Christmas Village, Santa visits, holiday lights with the Uptown skyline backdrop, and lots of food and drink options. There is a full-sized ice skating rink and a 10-lane snow tubing slope in the outfield.

Christmas Light Extravaganza at Kings Mountain

Christmas Light Extravaganza in Kings Mountain
Patriots Park, 400 S Railroad Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC
November 22, 2024, to January 1, 2025
5 to 10 p.m.
Free

Costners Christmas Light Extravaganza transforms Patriots Park into a storybook wonderland full of color and light, with over a million lights.

Christmas light displays on houses in the Charlotte area

Note: Any addresses included here have been made publicly available by the homeowner on a website or Facebook page, or they’ve emailed us asking to be included. If a homeowner lets us know that they don’t want to be listed, we’ll take that address off this list.

Please follow the links to the Facebook pages, if available, because changes to the schedule will usually be announced there, especially when due to weather.

This list got so big that we’re trying to make it easier for you and organizing by area. Also, you can scroll down and look at the Google map, which contains all of these houses and even more.

We note for each listing whether the homeowner has confirmed that they are doing the light display for 2024. The pictures, however, are sometimes from previous years.

We have just started contacting homeowners about their displays. Many more will be updated with 2024 info soon!

Charlotte

McAlleyville
Bay Street, near Lamar Avenue, Charlotte, NC
This alley in Elizabeth, off of Bay Street, boasts a bunch of really fun decorations. You’ll need to get out of the car and walk down the alley that is nicknamed “McAlleyville,” a play on McAdenville.
2024 update: Check back soon

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Sherwood Forest Drive (off Colony Road)
There are a couple very big displays in neighborhood, especially 7323 Sherwood Forest Drive. In past years, Santa was occasionally outside handing out candy canes. There is Christmas music and a collection for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
2024 updated: Check back soon

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Cabarrus County

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Union Street in Concord
From the 800 block of Union Street South to the 200 block of Union Street North, in downtown Concord
The community takes great pride in holiday spirit, and the lights are beautiful on the historic homes. This is a wonderful stroll to take.

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Gaston County

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Huntersville and Lake Norman

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Neon Christmas
159 Welcombe Street, Mooresville, NC
2024 update: Confirmed

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Union County

Check back soon.

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Lincoln County

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Duncan Family Christmas Light Show
3970 Highway 182, Lincolnton, NC
Starts Friday, November 22, 2024
Show starts at 5:30 p.m.
2024 update: Confirmed.

South Carolina

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Catawba County

Matthews and Mint Hill

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Christmas on the Hill
9451 Nugget Hill Place, Mint Hill, NC 28227
Bainbridge
Great display synchronized to music. Tune your radio to 94.5. Follow Christmas on the Hill on Facebook.
2024 update: Confirmed

Add to the Charlotte Christmas Light Map

Google Map of Christmas Light Displays in Charlotte Area

We add to this map whenever new light displays are submitted!

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More upcoming holiday events in the Charlotte area

Check out our huge list of holiday events in the Charlotte area, or look at a few of them here: