Beginning November 12th, Tanglewood Park’s beloved Festival of Lights returns for its 30th annual season, bringing stunning light shows and holiday joy to Triad locals and out-of-town visitors until January 1st, 2022. Bring your family and loved ones and dress in your holiday best to participate in one of the community’s notable holiday traditions. 

As early as August each year, the Festival of Lights team begins creating displays and checking and replacing Christmas lights. Overall festival preparations occur year-round, as immaculate attention to detail and hard work are performed by the Festival of Lights team to ensure that decorations, light displays, and special events dazzle visitors year after year. 

At an affordable price, festival entry rates per family vehicle are $20 when paying in cash and $23 when using a credit or debit card. Commercial vehicle rates are $45 in cash and $48 with a card, while motorcoach and bus fees are $115 with cash and $118 with a card. On Monday, November 15th, and Monday, November 22nd, visitors can save money by visiting during Discount Nights. Rates drop by $10 for family vehicles, $20 for commercial vehicles, and $30 for motorcoaches and buses.

To kick off the annual Festival of Lights, support the Manna Meals soup industry and join the Miles for Meals 5K event on Saturday, November 6th at 5:30 p.m. To participate, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Clemmons/TanglewoodMilesforMeals to register before registration closes on November 6th.

After the Miles for Meals 5K, wander through the streets of Tanglewood with your family, stroller, or wagon with the Festival’s TOAST (Totally Outstanding Awesome Stroll through Tanglewood) on Sunday, November 7th. This event welcomes walkers and rollers of all ages. Want to bring your furry friend along to experience holiday cheer? On November 8th and November 9th, the Paws in the Park event provides visitors with the perfect opportunity to walk their pets through the illuminated Festival streets.

Experiencing the Festival of Lights on foot is magical, but visitors also have the option of adding a romantic flair to their evening in a horse-drawn carriage pulled by a Percheron horse. Individual families can reserve a nightly tractor-pulled hayride through the park, as well, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, hayrides for large church groups and company parties are unable to be reserved this year. Carriage rides and hayrides operate by reservation only, so call Tanglewood Stables at (336) 766-9540 to reserve your date and time.

Need a few extra knickknacks to deck the halls this holiday season? Packed with products from local vendors, the Gift Shop will be holding a pre-sale event on November 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Attend the event to be one of the first customers to snag new Christmas swag before the nightly Festival crowds. If you miss the pre-sale, you can shop during the Festival on Sundays through Thursdays until 11:00 p.m., and shop even later, on Fridays and Saturdays, before the shop closes at midnight. 

Santa is taking extra safety precautions for the sake of Mrs. Claus and his elves and will not be making an appearance at the Festival of Lights in 2021. Still, want to get your picture taken with Santa? Visit www.classicclaus.com to find out how you can capture and frame your memories with Santa Claus safely. 

If you’re feeling down about missing Santa, cheer yourself up and satisfy your sweet tooth’s cravings at the Festival’s S’moresville, sponsored by Lowes Foods. Conveniently located in the Gift Village outside the Gift Shop, visitors can purchase s’mores-making kits and roasting sticks for marshmallows and more. S’moresville will be open nightly until 10:00 p.m., with the exception of Christmas Day. Additionally, Bullzhead Brand will be selling hot cocoa, nachos, and other light snacks to keep visitors in the holiday spirit in the midst of lengthy Festival lines.

Need to burn off all those extra calories from s’mores? Ring in the New Year with a race at Running of the Lights on December 31st. Get the new year started off on the right foot by running through the park at midnight before replenishing with celebratory hot chocolate and snacks. To learn more, visit www.runningofthelights.com.

The Tanglewood Park Festival of Lights is excited to celebrate its 30th season with the community, and would like to thank its corporate sponsor, Lowe’s Foods. To view this season’s rates and learn more about the Festival, visit the Festival’s website at forsyth.cc/Parks/Tanglewood/fol/#home. To stay up-to-date on the latest news from the Festival, follow the Tanglewood Festival of Lights on Facebook.