Holiday lights and Christmas events in Leesburg 2026

Last checked Nov. 10, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Sources: Oatlands, Leesburg Animal Park, the Village at Leesburg, the Tally Ho Theater, the Town of Leesburg’s Holidays in Leesburg page, Chabad of Loudoun County and the Loudoun County Public Library.

The 2026 holiday season in Leesburg is already partly on the calendar. The town’s Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Show is Dec. 5-6 at Ida Lee Park, Oatlands opens its decorated mansion for Candlelight Nights on Dec. 19 and 20, and the Tally Ho Theater has its Jingle Jam Dec. 11-13. Leesburg Animal Park’s Christmas Village opens Dec. 4 for 12 nights. First comes the Village at Leesburg tree lighting, 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. The town’s Rose Garden light show and the Village at Leesburg’s daily tree shows and December Santa visits have not posted 2026 dates yet, so last year’s are below, marked as 2025. Town events questions: Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, 703-777-1368.

Updated Nov. 10: the Village at Leesburg posted its 2026 tree lighting for Saturday, Nov. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m., with the ceremony at 6 p.m. and Santa and Mrs. Claus on site.

Updated Nov. 3: Leesburg Animal Park posted its 2026 Christmas Village nights, Dec. 4 to 23, and the $16.95 admission.

The town’s tree lighting (Dec. 5) and the Christmas and Holiday Parade (Dec. 12) have their own page: Christmas parade and tree lighting.

Who to call

• Ida Lee Park Recreation Center (town events): 703-777-1368
• Leesburg Animal Park (Christmas Village): 703-433-0002
• Tally Ho Theater: 703-777-1665
• Chabad of Loudoun County: 571-310-3131

The dates at a glance

Light displays

Town holiday light show, Rose Garden. The Town of Leesburg’s annual light show runs in the Rose Garden behind the Donaldson Log Cabin, 14 Loudoun St. SW, in the middle of downtown. In 2025 it ran every evening from 4:30 to 9:45 p.m., Dec. 6 to Jan. 1, with about 2,500 lights synchronized to three songs: “Deck the Halls,” the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Sarajevo” and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” according to the town’s 2025 release. The town had not announced 2026 dates on Oct. 20.

Christmas Village, Leesburg Animal Park. The park at 19246 James Monroe Highway, on Route 15 south of town, turns into a Christmas Village on December evenings. In 2026 it is open 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23, the park says. Admission is $16.95 a person; children under 2 are free. Pony rides are $3.95 each, and s’more kits cost extra. The night includes:

• Illuminated giant hill slides and an indoor kids’ play zone
• Mini Christmas train rides, pony rides and a Christmas craft room
• Animal petting and feeding in the illuminated barn, and holiday photos with live animals
• A bonfire with marshmallow roasting
• Photos with Santa from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and the Grinch on Dec. 4, 11 and 18

Tickets are sold on its tickets page.

Tree lighting and tree shows, Village at Leesburg. The shopping center on Village Market Boulevard SE holds its 2026 Tree Lighting from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, with local performance groups, face painting and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The center says speeches and presentations come first and the ceremony begins at 6 p.m. In 2025 it then ran daily tree shows in its plaza at the top of every hour from 4 to 9 p.m., Nov. 17 to Dec. 31; the 2026 tree show dates are not posted yet. Parking in its four covered garages is free.

Candlelight Nights, Oatlands. The historic mansion south of Leesburg opens in the glow of candlelight from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20. Visitors walk through the holiday-decorated rooms with live music and stop in the greenhouse for hot apple cider and cookies. Tickets are sold through Oatlands.

Santa visits

• Leesburg Animal Park: photos with Santa from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on each Christmas Village night, Dec. 4 to 23.
• Village at Leesburg (2025 schedule): Saturday Santa visits from 4 to 6 p.m. in front of the tree; Storytime with Mrs. Claus with Rust Library on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon; Breakfast with Santa at Travinia on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.; and sensory-friendly Santa visits with A Place To Be on Dec. 7.
• Town of Leesburg: Santa and his friends come down King Street in the Christmas and Holiday Parade on Dec. 12; see the parade page.

Holiday markets and music

• Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Show, Dec. 5-6. The town’s 35th annual show fills Ida Lee Park Recreation Center with more than 95 local and regional artisans. Admission and parking are free. Details are on the Holidays in Leesburg page.
• Mistletoe Market. The Leesburg Movement’s holiday market was on the Loudoun County Courthouse lawn from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, the same day as the tree lighting, according to the town calendar. The 2026 date is not posted yet.
• Tuba Christmas. Tubas played carols in front of the Village at Leesburg tree from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (listing).
• Holiday Tea at Oatlands, Dec. 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20. A holiday-themed English tea in the Carriage House, with seatings at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
• Tally Ho Theater. The Jingle Jam plays Friday and Saturday nights, Dec. 11-12, with a Sunday matinee on Dec. 13, and The Amish Outlaws Amazing Holiday Spectacular is Saturday, Dec. 19.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, Dec. 4. Chabad of Loudoun County holds its annual Grand Menorah Lighting at One Loudoun in Ashburn, about seven miles east, with latkes, doughnuts and entertainment, and a car menorah parade. It had not posted the 2026 date or registration when we checked; call 571-310-3131.

Library closings

Loudoun County Public Library branches, including Rust Library, are closed Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24-25, close at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, and are closed Friday, Jan. 1, according to the library calendar. Rust Library’s Countdown to the New Year for children 5 and under and elementary students is at 11 a.m. Dec. 31.

What this means for you

Book Oatlands Candlelight Night and tea tickets and Tally Ho shows early; they sell by the seat. Christmas Village opens Dec. 4 and closes Dec. 23. The Village at Leesburg lights its tree on Saturday, Nov. 14; we will add its 2026 tree show and Santa dates when it posts them. On parade night, Dec. 12, plan parking with our parade page. Christmas trees go out at the curb on Mondays in the first two full weeks of January; see the trash and recycling guide. For gift shopping, see Black Friday and holiday shopping.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see Christmas lights in Leesburg?

The town’s light show in the Rose Garden behind the Donaldson Log Cabin, 14 Loudoun St. SW, ran nightly from 4:30 to 9:45 p.m., Dec. 6 to Jan. 1, in 2025. Leesburg Animal Park’s Christmas Village, with illuminated hill slides and a lit barn, is open 6 to 9 p.m. on 12 nights from Dec. 4 to 23, 2026; admission is $16.95, and children under 2 are free. The Village at Leesburg lights its tree on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026; in 2025 it then ran tree shows every hour from 4 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 31.

Where can kids see Santa in Leesburg?

Santa is at Leesburg Animal Park’s Christmas Village from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. each night it is open in 2026, Dec. 4 to 23. Santa and Mrs. Claus are at the Village at Leesburg tree lighting, 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. In 2025 the center also had Saturday Santa visits from 4 to 6 p.m. in December; it had not posted 2026 dates on Nov. 10.

When are the Oatlands Candlelight Nights?

5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026, with holiday decorations, live music in the mansion and cider and cookies in the greenhouse. Tickets are sold through Oatlands.

Is there a menorah lighting near Leesburg?

Chabad of Loudoun County holds an annual Grand Menorah Lighting at One Loudoun in Ashburn, about seven miles east. Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4; Chabad has not posted this year’s lighting date yet.