Where to Find the Best Christmas Lights in Louisville (with a map!)

Once the winter comes and the days grow shorter there’s only one thing to do: go scout out the best Christmas lights in Louisville! After all, Louisville is the 20th largest city by area in the country, so there are all kinds of magical lights waiting to be seen all over the city.

In our opinion, best Louisville Christmas light displays are the ones that are spectacularly extravagant. We’re talking like, entire subdivisions that go all out each year, decking the halls – and streets – with thousands of brilliant lights. Let’s all give thanks for those good citizens who bring us holiday cheer with their countless hours of light hangings and display arranging (bless you all, I’m way too lazy).

Oh, and did I mention that one house in Louisville even has a working roller coaster?! Every year?! Yep, y’all: we extra out here.

So grab your warmest hat and gloves, throw on your coziest PJs, grab a thermos of hot chocolate, and get the car warmed up. You’re going on a magical sleigh (er, car) ride!

Psst: looking for more holiday and winter fun this season? Check out these posts as well:

If you want to purchase a one-of-a-kind gift this holiday season, check out our Louisville Gift Guide!

Louisville Christmas Lights displays — Is there anything better than shipping hot cocoa while strolling through a neighborhood illuminated by Christmas lights?

Best Neighborhood Christmas Lights in Louisville, KY

These are the best houses you’ll find in the various neighborhoods around town. I’ve been driving around Louisville each December for years looking for the coolest light displays (with a little help from this post), and have discovered all kinds of gorgeous Christmas light displays to get you in the holiday spirit.

Windemere Place Neighborhood

This is a neighborhood my parents would always take us to to see Christmas lights growing up. Why? Because the entire neighborhood is decked out!

Somehow almost every single homeowner on this street gets enough holiday cheer going on to decorate their house each year. Is it required in the HOA??

Can you see this neighborhood from space? Probably.

It’s a small neighborhood with a lot of holiday spirit, so you can get a great bang for your (free) buck here.

Since it’s a no outlet neighborhood, just stay on the right side of the road (as you should) and drive down the main street and then back through all the cul de sacs to see it all!

Address: Ashfield Ln, Louisville, KY

Kitschy Christmas Light Delight

One of my favorite houses to visit in my neighborhood each year is this somewhat hidden little gem!

Located down an unassuming side street, this house is decked to the nines with lights, a small Santa’s workshop with dolls, Santa on a lawnmower, and Santa and his reindeer up above in mid flight! It’s a great place to walk around and is usually never very busy.

Address: 219 Blackburn Ave, Louisville, KY

Toyland

Toyland, as the owners call it, is a decked-out home in southern Louisville with plenty of icicles, Christmas trees, a nativity, and as you’d imagine, toys!

They even have a shed they’ve dedicated as Santa’s workshop and you can see him working away on his Christmas toys for good girls and boys (and non-binary kids too).

You can also get out of your car and walk around their property, and take a peek in Santa’s Toy Shop for yourself!

They raise money for Home of the Innocents as well, so bring some cash along to support the cause.

Address: 6801 Melon Ct, Louisville, KY

Blues Light Show Christmas Lights in Louisville KY — The Blues Light Show Christmas light display is synced up with holiday music on 91.3FM – how cool is that?!

Louisville Aurora Light Show

The coolest part of this epic light display is that their lights are synched up with music on radio channel 91.3FM so you can really feel the music. I mean, just check out this chill-inducing sneak peek! (Parents of Frozen-obsessed littles, I’ll see you there).

Follow along for updates and more on their Instagram page (plus their Halloween light show, too!).

Although this home is a bit of a drive for some, it’s well worth it. It’s also not too far from the Lake Forest neighborhood if you want to do a lil’ double feature!

Address: 1542 Lincoln Hill Way, Louisville, KY

The Roller Coaster House

This is not a drill! This house is not only decked out with more Christmas light-ups than you can shake a stick at, it also has a real working roller coaster. No not big enough for you to ride, silly, but reindeer pull a Santa doll in a sleigh around a roller coaster track that fills the owner’s entire front yard. It even does a loop-dee-loop!

There is also a Ferris wheel, but you will find yourself standing there bouncing like a kid at the excitement of watching the roller coaster go around the track again and again!

It is also close to the last two holiday houses, so you know this neighborhood is lit (literally). You can even watch a video here.

Address: 6907 Green Manor Dr, Louisville, KY

Bright Light House

There’s a house in Jeffersontown that covers every inch of their yard with colorful lights! Stars, trees, their rooftop, a light tunnel, so many figurines twinkling in the night.

Feel free to get out and wander around to look at all the beautiful decorations. I can imagine their neighbors must need to wear eye masks to sleep!

Address: 8815 Brittany Drive, Louisville, KY

Christmas Lights in Louisville Kentucky — Confession: sometimes I wander through fancy house neighborhoods even when they’re not decorated with Christmas lights, just casually looking in peoples windows and thinking “what do you do for a living?” I’m not the only one, right? Right?!?!

Lake Forest Neighborhood

The Lake Forest Neighborhood is off of Shelbyville Road, just outside the Gene Snyder Freeway in Middletown. And here’s why it’s worth a trip: they have big, fancy houses – with lots and lots of Christmas lights!

This is a good place to go if you want to look at general holiday decorations. It’s not as concentrated as Windemere Place – so you’ll need to walk or drive a bit more – and you will probably not find as many “epic displays”. Still, it’s a nice way to spend an hour or two during the holiday season!

As a side note, they used to have reindeer outside the entrance of Lake Forest that my parents would take us to visit in the 90s when we were kids! I guess they had to go back to the North Pole, though.

Address: Lake Forest, Louisville, KY

Clay Street Christmas Show

Located across from Shelby Park, the Clay Street Christmas light show has 5000 bright and flashy LED lights synchronized to music (naturally).

Check out their Facebook page for show hours, and you can watch a video here!

Address: 1249 S Clay St, Louisville, KY

Light & Music Show House

Located on the end of a dead end street in West Buechel is magical light show that most people don’t ever stumble upon! Set to music with flashing light-up figurines and a Christmas tree made out of LED lights, this show will have you mesmerized.

The show runs Friday and Saturday nights from 5:30-11:30pm, and Sunday-Thursday from 5:30-10pm.

Address: 1716 Larkmoor lane, Louisville, KY

Derby Lane Light Show

The Derby Lane Light Show is located a little ways out in Finchville, but worth the drive to see a colorful display of bouncing lights synched to Christmas tunes on the radio. The light show lasts for 30 mins and runs from 6-11pm every night.

Not only are there a ton of lights including whirling spotlights, but it’s snowing all the time on Derby Lane!

Address: 580 Derby Lane Finchville, KY 40022

Custom Light Display in Crestwood

This family display features custom 3D sculptures including toy soldiers, a snowman, and Santa’s sleight with reindeer! They also have a custom nativity scene, a candy cane forest, and new for 2023 is the toy factory.

Most of the items in the yard are one of a kind with some store-bought items mixed in! There are roughly 30,000 lights and growing every year.

Address: 4511 Northridge Cir, Crestwood, Ky, 40014

Christmas Lights in Louisville, Kentucky at Jefferson Square for Light Up Louisville

Louisville Christmas Lights Events

There are few seasonal holiday events that offer spectacular Christmas light displays! Note that most of these events require ticket purchases.

Lights Under Louisville at the Mega Caverns

Located near the Louisville Zoo, the Mega Caverns is a 100-acre limestone cavern, which during the holiday season, becomes an underground light show featuring 900 lit characters and over 4 MILLION lights. Really!

Lights Under Louisville is 30-minute drive through attraction winds through part of the 17 miles of underground caverns and features music, and of course, all those brilliant lights. They even have something called the “Christmas Express,” which will take you through the caverns on an open top trailer!

Lights Under Louisville | Address: 1841 Taylor Ave, Louisville, KY

Gardens Aglimmer at the Louisville Waterfront Botanical Gardens. Photo used with permission

Gardens Aglimmer at the Botanical Gardens

Gardens Aglimmer at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens is exactly what it sounds like- beautiful, sparkling lights strewn over the beautiful fauna of the growing botanical gardens!

Enjoy a winter wonderland of sparkling snowflakes, swans on a blue light pond, deer, oversized flowers, and a multicolor tunnel of lights.

Gardens Aglimmer | Address: 1435 Frankfort Ave, Louisville KY

Winter Illuminations in the Parklands

Winter Illuminations is an illuminated winter trail walk through one of Louisville’s best parks, the Parklands at Floyd’s Fork.

Over a dozen giant light installations combine sound, dazzling lights, and the beauty of the outdoors along the one-mile route.

Winter Illuminations | Address: 1411 Beckley Creek Pkwy, Louisville, KY

Light Up St. Matthews

Located in Brown Park, Light Up St. Matthews is a free event where you can enjoy musical entertainment, take train rides, ice skate, take photos with Santa and indulge in free cookies and hot chocolate. The main event happens at 6pm when the switch it is thrown and Brown Park lights up with thousands of colorful light displays.

But after everything is lit up, you can enjoy these colorful lights all of December in Brown Park!

Light Up St. Matthews | Address: Kresge Way & Browns Lane, St Matthews, KY

Light Up Louisville

Louisville’s kick-off to the holiday season happens each year at Light Up Louisville! Typically occurring just after Thanksgiving, Louisville’s annual Christmas Tree lighting event occurs on the Jefferson Square and Metro Hall lawns, and the lights last all season long.

The festive display includes rainbows of colors for all the best winter holidays, from Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzaa, and celebrates Louisville’s diversity.

Light Up Louisville | Address: Metro Hall at Jefferson and Sixth streets in downtown Louisville

Looking for more Christmas events? We’ve got a whole guide to the best Christmas events in Louisville!

Christmas Events in Louisville

Map of the Best Christmas Lights in Louisville

Heading out to explore Christmas lights in Louisville? The map below will help you navigate to each spot on our list. Bookmark this page so you can come back!

Where is your favorite spot to see Christmas lights in Louisville? Are you one of those people who goes all out on holiday decorations each year? Drop us a comment below!