Wichita’s best drive-by Christmas light displays in 2022

Here’s a guide to some of Wichita’s best light drive-by light displays, including several nominated this year by readers. Know of one worth seeing that’s not on the list? Email jgreen@wichitaeagle.com, and we’ll add it.

The Marshall Family Christmas Lights, 620 N. Stratford Lane, near Central and Rock: Mark Marshall and his big family have been putting up their display since 2007. Their home is covered in more than 140,000 dancing Christmas lights on 270 individually programmed channels, all choreographed to Christmas songs found on FM station 97.1. The Marshalls also set out a box at the curb to collect money for charities.

Lights on Longview Lane, 3805 Longview Lane, near Kellogg and Hillside: This display, which Clayton Gosset has been putting up for the past 14 years, is made of more than 75,000-lights that dance along to trippy electronica music found on the FM dial at 106.9. You can usually see bits of it from Kellogg when you’re nearing Hillside from the east. It’s open from 6 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 6 to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. To avoid traffic jams, the owner suggests visiting on nights other than Fridays and Saturdays and arriving as close to 6 p.m. as possible.

Christmas at the McKinneys, 1462 N. Coolidge: This is the 25th and final year for this popular North Riverside display. The display encompasses both Steve McKinney’s and his next-door neighbor’s houses and features at least 100,000 lights that dance in sync to music you can hear by tuning into a radio station on your FM dial. (Hint: Watch for Santa and his reindeer flying high above the garage.) McKinney accepts donations at his display and gives them to HumanKind Ministries and the Kansas Humane Society. The display is open through New Year’s Day. It’ll be open through Jan. 1 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Santa plans to visit the display at 6:30 p.m. Friday through Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Lights on Brummett Street, 3721 Brummett, near South Ridge Road and MacArthur: This homeowner, also a dedicated Halloween decorator, always puts up a big, dancing holiday light show. It is turned on from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Tune into 104.1 FM.

Christmas on Crestline, 914 N. Crestline, near Central near Maize: This display, which started back in 2011, features a mid-century home decked out in more than 80,000 neon-colored lights that dance to music on the FM dial. The home’s enthusiastic owner Charlie Byers also has a YouTube channel where he posts frequent webisodes that include product reviews and goofy live videos. New this year: snowflake matrix. The song selection changes every few days so it’s a display you can visit more than once this season and see something new. It is turned on from 6 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 6 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.

Candy Cane Lane, Azure Circle near Central and 119th: One of Wichita’s biggest displays is put together with the cooperation of a whole lot of people in one neighborhood. Candy Cane Lane features at least 18 neighboring houses on the cul-de-sac on North Azure Circle that are completely covered in lights. Lights are usually on from 6 to 10 p.m. nightly, and organizers suggest visiting on weeknights if you don’t like traffic jams.

Reindeer Road, Firefly Street, Central and 119th: Another popular neighborhood display is Reindeer Road, which is set up one street to the west of Candy Cane Lane. This display gets bigger each year too, and it features many houses with lighted 16-foot-tall reindeer in their front yards.

Carols on the Court, 1358 N. Aksarben Court, near 13th Street and 135th Street West: This show is interactive, so people who visit www.carolsonthecourt.com can choose their own songs. The show is turned on from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Lights on Hickory Creek, 1101 N. Hickory Creek, near 13th and 119th Street West: This show features nearly 30,000 lights set to music on 92.5 FM.

Lights on Ocieo, 6726 W. Ocieo, near Ridge and 49th Street North: Joshua and Mildred Clyborne have once again created their annual display, which includes 80,000 lights, 17,000 LED lights and 27-foot mega trees. It’s open from 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily through Jan. 2.

College Hill: Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood has lots of festively decorated houses, and driving around its streets is always worth the time. Don’t miss the 100 block of North Pershing, which is always famously lined with multicolored sticks of lights in an array of colors planted in the ground. Just across Douglas, the 100 block of South Pershing is always lined with luminaria. Just follow the glowing curb-level lights.

If you prefer to see your lights while cruising on your bike on two wheels, Bike Walk Wichita is hosting a Christmas Lights Ride on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.

Christmas Story house at 818 N. Cedar Park: Fans of the classic movie “A Christmas Story” will love the display at this house near Central and 119th. Put together by homeowner Alan Grossman, it always includes homemade scenes from the famous film, including Santa at the top of the slide, Ralphie in his pink bunny suit, Flick with his tongue stuck to the frozen pole, the famous Red Ryder BB gun, the very “fragile” leg lamp, and the Bumpus hounds preparing to devour the Christmas turkey.

Christmas Lights on Gold Street, 5336 S. Gold, near 55th South and Seneca: This longtime display features dancing lights set to music on the FM dial. It’s open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 5:30 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.

226 S. Wellcrest Circle in the Talia development: Stephen Buesch’s display contains 8,000 pixels dancing to 11 songs on 89.5 FM. Buesch plans to add three more songs soon.

1315 N. Doris: Dan Reynolds and Jeff Oelkers have 12,000 lights that are synchronized to music. The display is on from dark until midnight each day.

The lights at Kennedy Plaza: Saluting soldiers. A waving Santa. A happy snowman. And a swimming dragon that keeps watch in front of Century II. All of the city’s classic, throwback lighted figures are back and can be found on and near Kennedy Plaza including a colorful menorah along Douglas on the west side of Century II.

Lights at AbilityPoint, Douglas and St. Paul: This longtime drive-through display at Douglas and St. Paul, formerly known as The Arc’s Lights, features 1.5 million lights including the tallest lighted tree in the state. New this year: a moving Ferris wheel, helicopter and roller coaster. It’s open until Dec. 28, and hours are 5:30-9 Sundays through Thursdays; 5:30-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. A $10 per-carload admission is required on every day but Monday when it is a freewill donation. Visitors can get pre-purchased admission tickets at any QuikTrip or on AbilityPoint’s website, abilitypoint.org

Dim but not completely dark

Lights on Texas, 11603 W. Texas, near 119th and Maple: This west-side holiday lights spectacular is taking a year off. They have put out a few lights but nothing like what they’ve done in the past.