Festival of Lights draws families, boosts Upper Marlboro winter economy

The Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro continues to light the county’s holiday season, with a multi mile, drive through route of themed illuminated scenes running nightly through late December and into early January. The display typically opens in the early evening and runs to around 9:00 to 9:30 p.m., and is staged on park grounds at 1130 Largo Road in the Upper Marlboro area. Organizers and Prince George’s Parks publish exact hours, ticketing links, and updates for each season.

Ticketing is handled primarily online with discounted per car admission for advance purchases, and gates generally hold a limited number of same day tickets that sell at higher prices. On site attractions often accompany the light route, including hayrides and other winter activities that aim to broaden the family friendly draw. The combination of the light display and supplementary offerings has made Watkins Regional Park’s Festival of Lights one of the county’s highest attendance seasonal attractions, bringing residents and visitors into Upper Marlboro and supporting park programming and local vendors.

The event’s scale produces clear local benefits, and it also implicates operational and policy priorities. High attendance delivers economic activity for surrounding businesses and incremental revenue for the parks system, revenue that underwrites programs and vendor opportunities. At the same time the reliance on online advance sales with premium same day gate pricing creates potential access barriers for households without internet access or flexible funds. The seasonal surge in visitors also places demands on traffic management and park operations that merit continued planning and transparency.

For residents planning visits this season, buying tickets online remains the most reliable way to secure lower per car rates, and arriving early reduces the risk of encountering sold out gates. As the county evaluates recreational priorities and public spending, officials and park administrators should ensure clear public reporting on revenues, vendor participation, and access measures so that the seasonal tradition benefits a broad cross section of Prince George’s County households.