Winterfest of Lights

What is Winterfest of Lights?

Winterfest of Lights is the Town of Ocean City's annual holiday light display at Northside Park in uptown, running from late November into early January. Visitors ride a tram through an illuminated route of animated displays, then reach a heated pavilion with refreshments and seasonal activities. It is the anchor event of Ocean City's off-season and the main reason families visit the town in December, when nearly everything else seasonal has closed.

Also called: Winterfest.

How the visit works

Admission is ticketed. A tram carries you through the display, and the indoor pavilion gives you a warm stop at the end. It runs most evenings across its season, with weather cancellations possible. Confirm current dates, hours, and ticket details with the Town, since both the schedule and the format have changed across years.

Building a December weekend around Winterfest

December needs an evening anchor. Winterfest is it. Pair it with a beach walk, a year-round restaurant, the Life-Saving Station Museum on its winter schedule, and the outlets in West Ocean City. That combination fills a weekend without any summer attraction being open.

What to expect on the night

It is cold, it is outdoors for part of the visit, and the wind at Northside Park comes off the bay. Dress for standing still rather than for walking. Parking at the park is straightforward compared with anything downtown in summer, which is one of the quiet pleasures of visiting Ocean City in winter.

Fitting Winterfest into a trip

Current source: Town of Ocean City public information. Fees, hours, posted rules: all of it moves without much notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the day you go.

Related terms in this glossary

Winterfest of Lights rarely settles a plan on its own. These come up in the same decision, and each one has its own page, so open whichever part you're still unsure about.