Philbrook Museum of Art is lighting up the historic villa and gardens again this holiday season, bringing back its annual festival on select nights from Nov. 27 through Dec. 27, 2026, with thousands of lights, festive décor, live music, films, Santa visits, campfires, cocoa and art-making activities spread across the Tulsa campus.
According to a press release published by TulsaKids, the festival is presented by Williams and made possible by gifts from Integrity, Commerce Bank, the Zink Family Foundation, Adrienne Barnett and Scot McCaulley, Arvest, Asphalt Fuel and Supply, Cindy and Bob Peterson, and Tinker Federal Credit Union. The event transforms the historic villa and gardens into what Philbrook describes as an immersive holiday experience both indoors and outdoors. Philbrook's own event listing confirms a ticketed Festival Night on Dec. 26, with philbrook.org noting that Festival Nights take place outdoors throughout the gardens and inside the museum, with VIP ticket holders able to arrive 30 minutes early for access beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Santa visits at the festival are available through Dec. 23, 2026, per the press release carried by TulsaKids. The overall experience includes illuminated gardens, hot cocoa, musical light shows and take-and-make art projects, according to Philbrook's listing for the Dec. 26 Festival Night.
A Beefed-Up Festival Films Lineup
One of the bigger additions this year is what Philbrook is calling an expanded Festival Films series, pairing beloved seasonal movies with festival admission on select Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season. Screenings begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Patti Johnson Wilson Auditorium, and a ticket includes admission to the Festival Night that follows immediately afterward, per the press release.
The 2026 slate kicks off Nov. 28 with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, released in 1992, followed by The Grinch (2018) on Nov. 29. December brings The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) on Dec. 5 and Die Hard (1988) on Dec. 6. A Frost Film Fest triple feature lands Dec. 13, screening The Snowman (1982), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976) — the latter marking its 50th anniversary in 2026.
It's a Wonderful Life, celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2026, screens Dec. 19, with 1946 listed as its release year on Philbrook's own festival page. The Holiday, marking its 20th anniversary this year, follows Dec. 20. The series wraps with Edward Scissorhands (1990) on Dec. 26 and Batman Returns (1992) on Dec. 27, both also confirmed as festival films on Philbrook's event page.
New Design Partner Reimagines the Villa's Interior
Philbrook has also partnered with Color Story Studio, a nationally recognized design firm, to expand holiday décor throughout the villa's interiors, according to the press release reported by TulsaKids. The studio has collaborated with major national brands and cultural institutions, including seasonal displays for Anthropologie and holiday installations at Lilly House at Newfields' annual Winterlights celebration. This year's décor will draw inspiration from 1920s holiday parties, the release states.
The timing isn't incidental: Philbrook is preparing for the villa's 2027 centennial year, as the historic home will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027. Megan Nesbit, Philbrook's president and CEO, said the museum will bring more magic inside the home and add more lights, music, films and fun across campus, according to the press release.
A Tulsa Tradition Decades in the Making
The festival builds on a run that, according to News On 6, has brought holiday magic to Tulsa for more than 35 years. That same report described a light-and-music show running every hour in past seasons, along with a Glow Garden in the South Formal Gardens featuring additional lighting displays. A Philbrook event listing for the Dec. 26, 2025 Festival Night previously noted live music from local artist Zeke Duhon between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., along with nightly Santa visits through Dec. 23 that year from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
With gates opening select nights from Nov. 27 through Dec. 27, families looking to catch both the film series and the illuminated gardens have roughly a month to plan their visit before the villa turns its attention to its milestone year ahead.
