While Halloween season may just be getting started, some Christmas fans are already planning ahead for the holidays.
One of the Lower Hudson Valley’s biggest seasonal attractions, Westchester County’s annual Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Holiday Light Extravaganza, is returning to Kensico Dam Plaza. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Oct. 15, with expanded opportunities for families to enjoy the holiday displays.
Here’s what to know about this year’s event and how to get tickets.
What’s new at Westchester’s Winter Wonderland?
The drive-thru light show, designed by Peekskill-based Eclectic Precision and Dark Tech Effects, features 1.2 miles of holiday displays illuminated by more than 118,000 watts of lights.
This year, the event is expanding its early-season celebration following strong demand for
the inaugural NovemberFest walk-through experience in 2025. NovemberFest will run for four days, from Nov. 19-22.
The event will feature the holiday light displays alongside shopping, food, live music and activities for children. Each day will offer different programming, including a tree lighting, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa installations, a celebration of the Westchester Parks Foundation’s 50th anniversary and an appearance by mascots such as Mr. and Mrs. Met and Coaster the Dragon from Rye Playland.
The four-day schedule gives families more opportunities to experience the event, with different entertainment, vendors and activities throughout the celebration.
The drive-thru experience also features two 100-foot light tunnels, a 125-foot LED wall projecting animated northern lights and a Festivus pole inspired by the TV show “Seinfeld.”
Visitors can listen to holiday music through their car radios and hear stories about the light sculptures using the free OtoCast app, available through the Winter Wonderland website.
How and where to buy tickets
NovemberFest opens at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. The drive-thru light show begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, and runs on scheduled dates through Dec. 31. Opening times vary, with the event beginning at 5 p.m. on weekends. Closing times vary by date.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, Oct. 15. According to the event information provided, drive-thru tickets cost $42 per vehicle. All ticket proceeds benefit the Westchester Parks Foundation, and visitors can make additional donations to the foundation’s Camp Morty, which serves underserved youth.
For all time slots and to purchase tickets, visit the Winter Wonderland website.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester Winter Wonderland tickets go on sale Oct. 15. What to know
