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✨ What Is the Festival of Lights?
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The Festival of Lights is a seasonal holiday event held at Choccolocco Park (954 Leon Smith Parkway, Oxford, AL).
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Each year starting around late November, the park becomes a shimmering holiday destination. For 2025, the celebration runs from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026.
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The heart of the event is a drive-through light show — a 1½-mile experience across about 40 acres, featuring millions of lights and festive scenes.
🎄 What to Expect: Lights, Snow, Santa & More
🚗 Drive-Through Spectacle
Your vehicle becomes your sleigh. Cruise through tunnels of lights, oversized holiday displays, and towering Christmas trees — all while you stay warm and comfortable in your car. It’s ideal for families with kids, grandparents, or anyone who wants to enjoy the magic without braving the cold for too long.
🏡 Santa’s Village — A Holiday Playground
After the drive-through, you can park and explore Santa’s Village, where the real fun begins. Expect:
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Photos with Santa 🎅
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Synthetic-ice skating and other winter-themed fun.
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Vendors, food trucks, hot apple cider, festive treats, and merchandise.
❄️ New for 2025: Snow Mountain Tubing & Frosty’s Playground
This year adds a new layer of winter magic: real snow tubing — yes, real snow made with snow-making equipment — on a multi-lane 20-foot slide inside Santa’s Village.
Nearby is Frosty’s Playground, where kids (and adults!) can build snowmen, toss snowballs, and make snow angels — a unique twist for Alabama holiday fun.
🎟️ Tickets & Timing (2025 Edition)
| Vehicle Type (per carload) | Mon–Thu | Fri–Sun |
|---|---|---|
| Car (up to 8 seats) | $25 | $30 |
| Van (9–15 seats) | $30 | $35* |
| Bus / Limo (16+ seats) | $50 | $55* |
* Vans, limos, and buses must purchase tickets at the gate.
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Day-to-day hours vary — but generally gate times run until 9:00 PM (Mon–Thu) / 10:00 PM (Fri–Sun) through early December, and then 10:00 PM nightly starting around mid-December.
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Since tickets are by carload, the Festival is budget-friendly for families and groups — great for local residents or visitors from nearby communities.
🏡 Why This Event Makes Choccolocco Park — and Oxford — Shine
For a real-estate blog, the Oxford Festival of Lights offers a golden opportunity to highlight what makes this community special. Here’s how you might frame it:
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Family-friendly lifestyle: This festival speaks to families — from kids enamored by holiday lights and snow, to grandparents cozy in the car. It shows that Oxford offers inclusive, multigenerational fun close to home.
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Community spirit: The festival draws local families, friends, and holiday-goers — a sign of a community that celebrates together.
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Easy access & convenience: With Choccolocco Park right off I-20 (Exit 188), the festival is an easy drive for nearby towns and cities. Great for folks moving to the area who want easy holiday outings.
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Unique amenities: Real snow tubing, ice skating, holiday treats, and more — for a winter wonderland without leaving East Alabama. That kind of charm can make a neighborhood feel like “home.”
🖋️ Sample Blog Post for Your Website
Title: Celebrate the Season: Why Oxford’s Festival of Lights Is a Must-See Holiday Tradition
Nestled in the heart of East Alabama, Oxford, AL comes alive in winter with a magical transformation at Choccolocco Park. The annual Oxford Festival of Lights — running from November 21 through January 4 — invites families and friends to experience a sparkling holiday season full of joy, laughter, and community spirit.
From the comfort of your car, you’ll journey through a mile-long light show filled with tunnels of shimmering displays, towering Christmas trees, and festive scenes — perfect for making memories with loved ones.
But the magic doesn’t end there. Park your car and step into Santa’s Village — a world of holiday cheer with ice skating, treats, photos with Santa, and this year’s exciting new attractions: real snow tubing on “Snow Mountain” and Frosty’s Playground for snow-ball fights, snowmen, and autumn’s leave behind.
Whether you’re a lifelong resident or thinking about making Oxford your home, the Festival of Lights shows you something special: a community that makes the holidays warm, welcoming, and full of possibility. Load the car, grab the kids (and maybe even grandma!), and get ready to create memories you’ll cherish for years to come.
