When does Las Vegas decorate for Christmas, and where are the best lights?

The lights go up in the first week of November, well before Thanksgiving, and most stay up through January 3. The best free displays are on the Strip; the best paid ones are in Henderson and at the Speedway.

Dated for 2026

• Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden, Henderson: November 5 to January 3, nightly 5 to 10 p.m., a million lights over the cactus garden, $3 last season, closed Christmas Day.
• Glittering Lights, Las Vegas Motor Speedway: November 6 to January 3, a three-mile drive-through, $39 per car in cash or $44 by card.
• Enchant, Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin: November 20 to December 27, a four-million-light maze with a rink.
• Bellagio Conservatory: the holiday display opens in mid-November after about six dark days for the rebuild. Last year's ran November 14 to January 3, with a 42-foot tree and a walk-through train.
• The Venetian's 65-foot tree and Wynn's atrium villages go up around the same time.

Springs Preserve and the Henderson drive-throughs post their dates later in the fall.

Best free

The three Strip displays make one evening walk, north to south: Wynn's atrium, the Venetian tree, then the Conservatory, with the fountains on holiday music out front. The Conservatory stays open all night, after the crowds go home. Add Fremont Street's canopy shows and Sam's Town's Mystic Falls, a free indoor garden with an hourly laser show.

Best paid

• Ethel M for the price.
• Glittering Lights for a car full of kids; it is priced per car, so under $10 a head.
• Enchant for the full production.

The drive-throughs and Ethel M sit on the same side of the valley and pair into one loop. For ice skating, the Cosmopolitan's rink is gone; the Strip's rink is now the Oasis at Fontainebleau, free to watch and $30 to $35 to skate.

Christmas Day hours and NFR week are in Christmas in Las Vegas; the Conservatory calendar is on its page.