Bright Lights Windsor 2026: Dates, Hours, Parking and Insider Tips

Every year around late November, Jackson Park stops being a place where people walk dogs and becomes a place where people walk dogs wearing light-up collars. Bright Lights Windsor is the city's free holiday light festival, and it's one of the few Windsor traditions that gets toddlers, teenagers and grandparents to agree on something.

Here's everything you need to know for the 2026 season, plus a few tips to make it a good night rather than a cold queue for hot chocolate.

Bright Lights Windsor 2026 dates

• Opening night: Friday, November 27, 2026
• Where: Jackson Park, at Tecumseh Road East and Ouellette Avenue
• Cost: free
• Closing: not announced yet. Last season ran until January 7, so expect early January again.

The City of Windsor confirmed the 2026 opening date. It hasn't published full 2026 hours and programming yet, so the details below are from the 2025–26 season. We'll update this page as soon as the City announces this year's schedule.

Hours

Last season, the lights were on every night from 5:30 pm to 10 pm, weather permitting, including holidays. It gets dark in Windsor before 5 pm in December, so you won't be waiting around for sunset.

What's there

Bright Lights is bigger than "some lights in a park". Last season it included:

• Themed zones such as Northern Lights, Candy Cane Lane, Santa's Workshop, Winter Wonderland, the Enchanted Children's Village, and Peace and Love Around the World
• A holiday market with local artisans and food vendors, fully open Thursday to Sunday evenings, with some food vendors on other nights
• A licensed chalet bar for the grown-ups
• A holiday train ride for kids in the early evening
• Santa visits on Friday and Saturday nights
• Free golf-cart mobility tours from 4:30 to 5:30 pm daily, for visitors who can't walk the full route. Registration was required.
• "Silent Nights" on Mondays: the lights stay on, but music is muted and strobe effects are paused, for visitors with sensory sensitivities

Where to park

Parking is the one part of Bright Lights that doesn't feel festive. Last season's options were:

• Kennedy Collegiate, 245 Tecumseh Rd E, entered from McDougall Street, with some accessible spots at the south end
• The lot near Parkside Tennis and Windsor Lawn Bowling, off McDougall or Dougall Avenue, also with limited accessible spots
• Parks and Recreation buildings at 2365 and 2450 McDougall Street
• The Memorial Drive lot inside the park

On Friday and Saturday nights, these fill up fast. If you live nearby, walk. If you don't, come early or on a weeknight. Transit Windsor routes along Ouellette Avenue and Tecumseh Road stop right by the park.

Insider tips

• Go on a weeknight. Tuesday to Thursday is noticeably quieter than the weekend. Monday Silent Nights are calmest of all.
• Go right at 5:30. You'll beat the post-dinner crowd and get the photo spots without strangers in the background.
• Dress for standing, not walking. You'll stop every few metres to take pictures, and that's when the cold gets you. Wear boots, a hat and gloves you can use with a phone.
• Bring cash and cards. Most market vendors take cards, but cash speeds up the hot chocolate line.
• Strollers are fine on the main paths. Sleds are better if it's snowed.
• Check the weather. Displays can close for high winds or storms.

Make a night of it

Jackson Park is minutes from Little Italy on Erie Street and from downtown, so dinner before or after is easy. If you want a second light show, River Lights Winter Festival in nearby Amherstburg is about 30 minutes south and also free to walk through.

Is Bright Lights Windsor worth it?

Yes, especially with kids. It's free, it's close, and it's genuinely impressive for a city festival. It's been named the Best Holiday Event in the Best of Windsor Essex awards and is regularly listed in Festivals and Events Ontario's Top 100. Just don't go at 7 pm on the Saturday before Christmas unless you enjoy queues as a holiday tradition.