Three sparkling Montgomery County light festivals can get you into the holiday spirit, with one opening Friday.

Among the offerings: light sculptures, train rides, tubing, animatronics and holiday music. At one event, a 52-foot-tall musical Christmas tree will flicker to a holiday soundtrack.

All events require tickets for children and adults.

Brookside Gardens

The Garden of Lights in Wheaton’s Brookside Gardens will feature glimmering flower beds, a snow machine and “secular displays of flowers, plants, insects, animals and other characters.”

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The Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens in November 2024.
The Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens in November 2024. (M-NCPPC, Montgomery Parks)

The gardens, a popular strolling spot and venue for weddings and wellness programs hosted by Montgomery Parks, will feature the walk-through exhibit from Nov. 21-Jan. 4, with some closures around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost $13.99-$16.99. They’re free for those under 5.

LuminoCity Holiday Light Festival

The LuminoCity Festival returns for its third year at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. This year’s theme, “Wonder Journey,” promises a fairytale-inspired spectacle that fills six themed zones with animatronics, towering light sculptures and an LED dance floor.

There is also “Fun Beyond the Lights,” a series of interactive programming that includes a bounce zone with inflatables, a holiday express train and a safari dig for play gemstones. This event runs from Friday to Jan. 1. General admission is $36.85 for those 13 and over and $28.97 for children 4-12. Children under 4 get in free.

Winter City Lights

A 32,000-square-foot canopy seeded with a million lights cascades down from the top of a 52-foot-tall Christmas tree programmed to flicker to holiday songs at Winter City Lights in Olney. Activities include face painting, the Penguin Plunge Snow Tubing Ride and bonfires.

Organizers say the event is accessible to people who use wheelchairs. An asphalt pathway extends to the parking area. Winter City Lights opens Nov. 28 and closes Dec. 29. Tickets cost $18-$33. The event is free for children under 4.