How many times have you done the Winter Lights loop at Seneca Creek State Park, pulled up to an arch, and wished you could get out and stand under it? From November 27 on, you can't. The City's tips for the drive say plainly: for safety and smooth traffic flow, do not exit your vehicle or stop along the route.
The week before, the rule doesn't apply. From Friday, November 20, through Tuesday, November 24, the City runs five "Enchanted Evenings," themed nights held before Winter Lights opens to cars. Each one gets you onto the route a different way. Two are trolley rides where walking isn't allowed. One is a race that has already filled. Only two let you move along the route at your own pace, and only one of those covers the full 3.5 miles.
What the regular drive costs
The festival's 31st season runs nightly from November 27 through December 31, closed December 25, at 11950 Clopper Road. The drive covers 3.5 miles and more than 450 illuminated displays. Tickets are sold per vehicle and dated: $15 Monday through Thursday, $25 Friday through Sunday, and $35 for vehicles carrying 15 or more passengers. Tickets are sold in advance only, and daily quantities are limited.
Keep that per-car price in mind for the rest of this post. Most Enchanted Evenings charge per person, so a family of four on the Walk & Wag night pays $40, while the same family in one car on a weeknight in December pays $15. The extra money buys time out of the car, and the five nights hand out that time very differently.
The five nights, sorted by how you move
| Night | Date | How you see the lights | Price | Status in early November |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S'more Lights | Fri., Nov. 20 | Trolley only | $15 per person, 3 and under free | Sold out |
| MCRRC Run Under the Lights | Sat., Nov. 21 | Running a 5K | $45.40, or $40.40 for ages 0 to 15 | Full, waitlist open |
| Sip & Sparkle | Sun., Nov. 22 | 3-mile trolley ride, ages 21+ | $40 with tastings, $25 without | Tickets available |
| Walk & Wag | Mon., Nov. 23 | Walking 1 or 3 miles, dogs welcome | $10 per person online, dogs and 3 and under free | Selling fast |
| MORE Holiday Lights Ride | Tue., Nov. 24 | Biking 3.5 miles | $6.58 to $22.55 | Registration open |
None of the five has a rain date.
Friday and Sunday are trolley nights
If being out of the car is what you're after, take the weekend bookends off your list. Both put you on a trolley.
S'more Lights on Friday is the family night. It has campfire s'mores, a trolley tour of the displays, music in a heated tent, Santa, hot drinks and a craft to take home. Other food is sold on site. It runs 6 to 9 p.m. with last entry at 8 and the last Santa photo at 8:30. It's already sold out. On the Eventbrite listing, walking the route and dogs are both prohibited.
Sip & Sparkle on Sunday is the adults' version. It's 21 and over with valid ID, and the trolley ride covers 3 miles, a little less than the full drive. The $40 ticket includes eight tasting tickets, a souvenir glass, refreshments, hot drinks, music, Santa photos and the trolley ride. The $25 ticket covers the evening without the tastings. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m., last entry is earlier than the other nights at 7:30, and the Eventbrite listing lists free parking. Walking and dogs are off the table here too.
Both are good evenings. The lights still go by at someone else's pace, though, which leaves three nights for seeing them on foot or on wheels.
Saturday's run has filled, so Monday's walk carries the week
The MCRRC Run Under the Lights is a 5K on park roads, run by the City with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club. It starts at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, and registration includes park entry and free on-site parking. It's full, and a waitlist is open. Families who do get in can bring young children in strollers without registering them, as long as they stay in the stroller. Walkers and anyone pushing a stroller start at the back.
With the run full, Monday's Walk & Wag is the one walking night still on sale, and it's the only night of the week that welcomes dogs. You pick a 1-mile stroll or a 3-mile walk. There's a hot drink stand and a Santa selfie stop, and there are no trolley rides that night. Dog-related exhibitors and vendors set up along the way, and food is sold on site.
Tickets are $10 per person, and dogs and children 3 and under get in free. Tickets are sold online only and won't be sold on site. Children over 3 need their own tickets, since registration is per person. The City says this night typically sells out, and the Eventbrite page was already marked "Going fast." Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. with last entry at 8.
Even the longer walking option stops short of the full route, though. Three miles gets you most of the displays, and covering all of them under your own power takes one more night.
Tuesday is the only night that covers all 3.5 miles
The MORE Holiday Lights Ride is organized by the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts. Riders take 3.5 miles of paved trail through the park, past the arches, lit trees and animated displays. It's open to all ages and any kind of bike, and riders are encouraged to dress up and decorate their bikes. MORE posts the GPS route ahead of time for anyone who wants to look it over.
It's also the cheapest way onto the route all week. With fees included on BikeReg, riders under 18 pay $6.58, adult MORE members pay $11.90, and MORE-member families and adult nonmembers each pay $22.55. Online registration closes Tuesday, November 24, at 5 p.m. Eastern. The ride also has on-site registration, which no other night offers. Here's the schedule:
- 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.: on-site registration and check-in
- 6:30 to 6:45 p.m.: welcome and photos
- 6:45 to 7:30 p.m.: group rides, leaving in waves
When you enter the park from Clopper Road, keep left at the fork and follow the MORE flags to parking. MORE's general group-ride guidance calls for helmets and lights for night riding.
Proceeds go to sMORE's, MORE's program that gets kids and families onto mountain bikes across the region. MORE is also collecting nonperishable food and toys for WUMCO Help, with a donation box by registration. MORE calls the ride annual, and this is only its second year. MORE's own newsletter describes the 2025 ride at Seneca Creek as the first. That probably explains the room left. When the registration page was checked, 17 riders had signed up.
The next free nights out, back in town
Once the park opens to cars on November 27, the next stops on the holiday calendar are free and closer to home, beginning one week after opening night.
On Friday, December 4, the City holds Jingle Jubilee at the City Hall Concert Pavilion in Olde Towne, 6 to 8:30 p.m. This year's tree lighting is the ceremony's 100th. Admission is free. Seating is on the lawn with a limited number of chairs, so a blanket helps. The City will collect donations for its Holiday Giving Program.
The next evening, Saturday, December 5, Rio holds Light Up the Lakefront from 4 to 7 p.m., with fireworks at 7. The event is free, and a Comfort Cases pajama drive gives a free s'mores kit for each donation. The Lake Path and playground close that afternoon and evening while crews set up the fireworks. If your weekend walk usually goes around the lake, plan a different route that day.
For a broader look at how the city's fall calendar came together, see our earlier post on Gaithersburg's fall events. There's more on the area on our Gaithersburg neighborhood page.
If you end up at Walk & Wag with the dog on Monday, or on a decorated bike Tuesday, Rosie Tomlinson would love to hear which stretch of the lights you liked best. Questions about Gaithersburg are always welcome too. Let's Connect.
