Just 22 Min from Waxhaw — Tickets from $10
Nov 27–Dec 30 · Ballantyne, Charlotte · Free Parking
Looking for Christmas lights near Waxhaw, NC? Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular is Charlotte's favorite Christmas light show — just 22 minutes from Waxhaw at Ballantyne's Backyard in Charlotte, NC, open select nights November 27 – December 30, 2026. A magical Christmas adventure is waiting just a short drive away at Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular in Charlotte. Families from Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel, Monroe, and surrounding communities can step into a glowing world filled with millions of Christmas lights, interactive Magic Snowflake Wands, the Real Santa, amusement rides, live entertainment, festive food, and experiences designed for the whole family to enjoy together. New this season: Santa's Private Workshop — Elf Academy — offers ten children per night a private experience with the Real Santa unlike anything else within driving distance. Come for the lights, but leave with something better: the memory of watching the kids make the magic happen, laughing together on the rides, and slowing down long enough to enjoy Christmas together. Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular isn't simply another stop on the December calendar. It's a night for making the memories you'll still be talking about next Christmas.
Entrance: Wells Fargo building only11611 N. Community House Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Free parking on-site. Not the Ballantyne Bowl entrance.
You already know what a good night out looks like. This one delivers something Waxhaw and Weddington simply don't have — and won't find anywhere closer than this.
Forty-plus illuminated scenes flow into each other from entrance to exit — not a loop you walk and forget, but a trail that earns every minute of the drive from Waxhaw or Weddington. Concrete and decked throughout, fully accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. Walk at your pace. Most families from Union County take 60 to 90 minutes and leave wishing it were longer.
Plan Your Visit →
Illuminated snowflake stations are hidden throughout the trail. Touch the wand tip to the glowing center — and something happens. More than 15 surprises, none of them the same, none of them something you can look up in advance.
Waxhaw has everything — great schools, great neighborhoods, great restaurants. It doesn't have this. The Magic Snowflake Wand exists only at Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular. Twenty-two minutes north on Rea Road.
Discover the Wand →$20 advance · Available at the Wand Hut inside the show
Before the trail opens each night, ten children get private time with the Real Santa. Not a photo line. Thirty minutes — just your child and Santa, in the workshop, before anyone else arrives. An official Elf Academy Certificate signed by Santa himself. A commemorative keepsake. Free photos. Cuthbertson and Marvin Ridge families have been making the drive for the lights. This season there's one more reason.
Reserve Elf Academy →$49 presale · $68 after · online only — no gate sales · 10 children max · Check-in by 5pm
Free live entertainment every night — ballerinas performing inside illuminated snow globes, live holiday singers, dancing elves. Santa on-site through December 23rd. Entrance to the Winter Wonderland Carnival is included with every ticket. Want to ride the Ferris wheel and more? Up the Magic and add your ride tickets at checkout.
Get Tickets →Families from the Town of Waxhaw and Weddington already drive north for shopping, dining, and entertainment. This December, that familiar drive takes you somewhere that's anything but familiar. Walk beneath millions of lights, let the children discover the snowflake wand surprises scattered along the trail, catch live ballerinas in illuminated snow globes, and experience a level of holiday magic that Cuthbertson and Marvin Ridge families have been telling each other about since the show opened in 2022.
All prices are online advance pricing. Prices increase at the gate. Children 2 and under are always free.
All tickets at lightsmagicjoy.com · Add-ons: Magic Wand ($20), Carnival Ride Tickets 4-pack ($20 online), Santa's Private Workshop ($49 presale · $68 after)
"Last year was our first year visiting and it was spectacular!! Would love to go again this year and take some friends."
"Have never been. Would love to go. Looks like so much fun for the whole family!"
"Would love to take my family!! Looks amazing — the perfect Christmas tradition."
Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular is approximately 22 minutes from Waxhaw via Rea Road to I-485 West, Exit 61A Johnston Road. The show is at 11611 N. Community House Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277. Park and enter at the Wells Fargo building. Free parking on-site.
From Weddington, Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular is approximately 20 minutes via Providence Road to I-485 West, Exit 61A. Free parking at the Wells Fargo building entrance. The show is at 11611 N. Community House Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277.
Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular is Charlotte's favorite Christmas light show — millions of lights with no dark spots, the Magic Snowflake Wand with 15+ hidden surprises, free live entertainment every night, the Real Santa through December 23rd, and a full winter carnival. Tickets start at $10. Families from Waxhaw consistently call it worth every minute.
Elf Academy is Santa's Private Workshop, new for 2026. Limited to 10 children per night — 30 minutes of private time with the Real Santa, an official Elf Academy Certificate signed by Santa, a commemorative keepsake, and free photos. Check-in by 5pm. $49 presale · $68 after — advance purchase only, no gate sales. Add it at checkout at lightsmagicjoy.com.
Yes — all paths are concrete or decked, fully accessible for strollers, wheelchairs, and scooters. Children 2 and under are always free. The Magic Snowflake Wand is especially popular with young children. Well-behaved leashed dogs are also welcome. Open select nights November 27 – December 30, 2026, 5:30–9:00pm. Last ticket 9:00pm.
Early bird pricing, Elf Academy open dates, and show updates before they go public.
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