Christmas Lights in Chattanooga 2026: Light Shows, Drive-Thru & Lights Train

Chattanooga has more Christmas lights than you can fit into one December. Rock City lights up five trails on top of Lookout Mountain, a drive-thru show in Soddy-Daisy sets its lights to music on your car radio, the Zoo fills with giant silk lanterns, boats covered in lights parade down the Tennessee River, and a vintage train rolls out after Christmas past lit-up depots and through Missionary Ridge Tunnel.

This guide covers only the light shows and lights rides, with dates, hours and prices we checked against each one's own page on November 6. For Christmas markets, parades, Santa visits and concerts, see our Christmas in Chattanooga guide.

Chattanooga Christmas Lights 2026 at a Glance

• Nooga Lights (drive-thru, Soddy-Daisy): select nights November 6 to January 2, 6 to 10 p.m.
• Enchanted Garden of Lights (Rock City): nightly November 13 to December 31, closed December 24
• Asian Lantern Festival: Wildlife Wonderland (Chattanooga Zoo): November 18 to January 23, Wednesday through Sunday plus extra holiday nights
• Festive Forest (Miller Park): November 25 to New Year's Day, free
• Lighted Boat Parade (Coolidge Park): Friday, November 27, 7 to 8 p.m., free
• Holidays at Ruby Falls: November 27 to December 24
• Holiday Christmas Lights Train (Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum): December 26 to January 10
• Enchanted Garden of Lights: Afterglow (Rock City): January 1 to 18, 2027

Enchanted Garden of Lights at Rock City

The Enchanted Garden of Lights is Chattanooga's best-known light show, and 2026 is its 32nd year. Millions of lights cover Rock City on Lookout Mountain, which Rock City puts about 15 minutes from downtown. It runs nightly from Friday, November 13 to Thursday, December 31, and is closed December 24.

The walk follows five trails:

• Grand Corridor: the original Enchanted Garden of Lights pieces, including Rock City's peace doves, the nativity scene and Toyland.
• Bridges Trail: across the swing-a-long bridge (the Stone Bridge is open as another way across) to the night view from Lovers Leap.
• Hall of the Mountain King: gardens, rocks and Rock City's gnomes.
• Fairyland Caverns: the caverns and Mother Goose Village.
• Carter Cliffs: Christmas Tree Lane and a 1930s holiday at the original Rock City home, where Santa visits nightly through December 23. New this year, you can go onto the home's front patio for hot chocolate.

Tickets: sold online only, and the price depends on the date and entry time: $35 to $52 for adults and $25 to $42 for kids 3 to 12. You can't enter before your entry time (that includes the food inside and Santa), and Rock City asks guests not to arrive too early, to keep parking and lines moving.

Hours: during the lights, Rock City is open until 10:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. on select nights). On Christmas Day it opens at 4 p.m. and stays open until 11:30 p.m. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing.

With little ones: the trail isn't fully accessible for strollers or guests with disabilities. Rock City recommends a backpack or front carrier, has stroller parking, and has a limited-access trail that reaches parts of the route.

Missed it in December? Afterglow keeps the trails softly lit from January 1 to 18, 2027, with winter soundscapes and warm refreshments. Tickets are on Rock City's Afterglow page.

Nooga Lights Drive-Thru in Soddy-Daisy

Nooga Lights is a drive-thru show at 11750 Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy, with original light displays synchronized to music that you play on your car's FM radio. It's open from 6 to 10 p.m. on select nights from November 6 to January 2: its calendar lists November 6 to 8 and 13 to 15, then every night from November 20 through January 2, including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Day.

• Loops: on two-loop nights (November 22, November 25 to 29, December 2 to 6 and December 9 to 27) each car can drive through up to twice. On unlimited-loop nights (November 6 to 8, 13 to 15, 20 to 21 and 23 to 24, November 30 to December 1, December 7 to 8 and December 28 to January 2) you can go around as many times as you like.
• Tickets: priced per vehicle, not per person, and all sales are final. Current rates are on the Nooga Lights pricing page.
• Good to know: it's drive-thru only in 2026, with no walk-thru. There are no concessions, so bring snacks and drinks for the car. Trailers, RVs and commercial buses aren't allowed. The show stays open in most bad weather, and any cancellation is posted on its Facebook page.

Asian Lantern Festival at the Chattanooga Zoo

The Asian Lantern Festival at the Chattanooga Zoo comes back with all new lanterns and a new theme, Wildlife Wonderland. Hundreds of handmade silk lanterns, some up to 16 feet tall, make nearly 50 scenes around the zoo, from leopards and elephants to koalas, pandas and a few dinosaurs. Some lanterns move, flash and shimmer, and there are swings, seesaws and other pieces kids can play on.

Dates and hours: November 18 to January 23, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. It's also open every night of Thanksgiving week, including Thanksgiving Day (November 22 to 28), Christmas week except Christmas Day (December 20 to 26) and New Year's week, including New Year's Day (December 27 to January 2).

Tickets: non-members pay $23.50 for adults and $17.50 for kids 3 to 12, and zoo members pay $19 and $14. Kids 2 and under are free, but they still need a reserved ticket. Groups of 15 or more pay $16.50 each.

Extras, free with admission: lion dances by the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu on November 20 (7 and 8 p.m.) and November 21 (6 and 7 p.m.), a make-your-own-lantern craft on November 20 and 21 while supplies last, photos with Santa in the Education Building on December 11, 12, 18 and 19, and costumed character visits on select nights through January 23.

The zoo notes that most of its animals won't be on view during the festival, and some indoor habitats are closed.

Holidays at Ruby Falls

From November 27 to December 24, Holidays at Ruby Falls decorates the historic Ruby Falls Castle, strings twinkling lights around the outdoor plaza and sets up the Forest of Wishes, where you add a handwritten holiday wish to the trees. Pair it with the guided walk to the falls at Ruby Falls, which calls it the tallest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States, then get hot cocoa by the fireplace in the 1929 limestone castle.

Cave tickets are timed-entry and sold online, from $19.95 to $42.95, and Ruby Falls says time slots sell out quickly. You don't need a cave ticket to eat at the castle's cafe.

Festive Forest in Miller Park

Festive Forest fills Miller Park in downtown Chattanooga with trees decorated by local businesses and nonprofits, and for its 4th year it has grown to 160 trees. It's up from November 25 to New Year's Day and free. The Better Business Bureau, EPB and Chattanooga Parks & Outdoors partner on it. The organizers don't post daily hours.

The Lighted Boat Parade at Reindeer on the Riverfront

For more than 40 years, the Southern Belle and Erwin Marine Sales have sent decorated, lit-up boats down the Tennessee River on the Friday after Thanksgiving. In 2026 Reindeer on the Riverfront and the Lighted Boat Parade moves to a new spot, Coolidge Park, on Friday, November 27, and it's free.

• 4 to 6:30 p.m.: live reindeer
• 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.: free pictures with Santa
• 7 to 8 p.m.: the Lighted Boat Parade
• 8 p.m.: fireworks

There's also a hot cocoa bar, mini-train rides, face painting and balloon animals, and holiday music. River City Company's event page has parking information for both sides of the river.

Holiday Christmas Lights Train

Once Christmas is over, the Holiday Christmas Lights Train runs from December 26 to January 10 out of Grand Junction Depot at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (4119 Cromwell Road). It's a 60 to 65 minute, 6-mile round trip in enclosed, heated vintage coaches, through the pre-Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel and over four historic bridges, with a stop for a working turntable demonstration at East Chattanooga.

• Tickets: $26 per adult seat and $17 per child seat, and every guest gets a souvenir boarding pass.
• About the lights: the museum says they're at the depots and along select parts of the route, not the whole way.
• Not included: Santa, the restoration-shop tour and food on board. The Depot Deli sells snacks and drinks before you leave.
• Arrive early: check in at least 20 minutes before departure, because trains leave on time and can't wait. The ride usually runs in light rain or snow.

Which Light Show Fits Your Night?

• Free: Festive Forest and the Lighted Boat Parade.
• Staying in the car: Nooga Lights, the only drive-thru on this list.
• A walk with kids: the Zoo's lanterns, which have pieces to swing and play on, or Rock City, where Santa is at Carter Cliffs through December 23 (bring a carrier for babies).
• Christmas Eve: Nooga Lights, the Zoo's lanterns and Holidays at Ruby Falls are on. Rock City is closed.
• Christmas Day: Nooga Lights, and Rock City from 4 p.m. The Zoo's festival is closed.
• Thanksgiving night: Nooga Lights, the Zoo's lanterns and Rock City are all open.

Tips for Seeing the Lights

• Book timed tickets early. Rock City sells its tickets online only and prices them by date and entry time, and Ruby Falls says its cave time slots sell out quickly.
• Reserve a ticket for the baby. Kids 2 and under get into the Zoo's lantern festival free, but each one still needs a reserved ticket.
• Check Facebook before you drive to Nooga Lights. It stays open in most weather, and any cancelled night is posted there.
• Don't come too early to Rock City. You can't enter before your entry time.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights open in 2026?

Friday, November 13. It runs nightly through Thursday, December 31, closed December 24, and Afterglow carries on from January 1 to 18, 2027.

Is there a drive-thru Christmas light show near Chattanooga?

Yes, Nooga Lights at 11750 Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy, 6 to 10 p.m. on select nights from November 6 to January 2 and every night from November 20. Admission is per vehicle.

What Christmas lights in Chattanooga are free?

Festive Forest in Miller Park (November 25 to New Year's Day) and the Lighted Boat Parade at Reindeer on the Riverfront in Coolidge Park (November 27) are free.

How much is the Asian Lantern Festival at the Chattanooga Zoo?

$23.50 for adults and $17.50 for kids 3 to 12 if you're not a member, $19 and $14 for members, and free for kids 2 and under with a reserved ticket.

Can you still see Christmas lights in Chattanooga after Christmas?

Yes. Rock City's lights run through December 31, Nooga Lights through January 2, the Holiday Christmas Lights Train from December 26 to January 10, Rock City's Afterglow from January 1 to 18, and the Zoo's lanterns through January 23, open every night of New Year's week.

More Christmas in Chattanooga

Our Christmas in Chattanooga guide has the markets, parades and tree lightings, Santa trains and concerts, and our winter guide covers cold-weather fun beyond the holidays. The events calendar is updated every week.