Santa's Playland, the drive-thru Christmas lights spectacle put on each year by Quick Response in Round Lake, New York, opens to the public on Saturday, November 14, and will keep glowing through the first weekend of the new year. The free display will run Wednesdays through Sundays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., giving families a chance to roll through thousands of twinkling lights without paying a dime.
Free Admission, Nightly Prizes
According to NEWS10 ABC, admission to Santa's Playland is free, and visitors will be able to wave to Santa himself between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. each night the display is open. Quick Response also said it plans daily $100 Visa gift card giveaways throughout the season, giving regular visitors extra incentive to make repeat trips down Route 9.
The station's report notes the display's final night falls on Sunday, January 3, 2027, closing out nearly two months of operation, with the display open Wednesdays through Sundays. Quick Response, the company behind the display, said Christmas brings joy in welcoming thousands of families from near and far to experience Santa's Playland, and added that it thanks those families for making the display special year after year and loves doing it for them.
From a Few Decorations to Hundreds of Thousands of Lights
The display has come a long way since its earliest days. What started out as a few small decorations in 2000 has grown into a spectacular display featuring hundreds of thousands of lights, according to Quick Response Restoration. That same account describes the annual assembly as taking almost two months to pull together, while a separate NEWS10 report on an earlier year's return described the build as taking over two months to put up pieces like Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer Team, Busy Elves, and a patriotic statue — accounts that differ slightly on exactly how long the setup takes.
Santa's Playland has become something of a fixture on the local holiday calendar. One NEWS10 report marked the display's 23rd year, when the free show ran from November 22 through January 6, and a later NEWS10 piece noted the display's 24th return to Round Lake. A separate event listing names Santa's Playland.
What to Expect This Season
For families planning a visit this year, the routine remains familiar: drive through free of charge, catch a wave from Santa during the early evening hours, and stick around for a shot at one of the nightly $100 gift card drawings. With the season stretching from mid-November into the first week of January, there's a wide window to make the trip part of the family's holiday traditions.
