The winter nights are long and cold and dark. But, it is officially that time of year where the night sky gets a lot brighter thanks to the displays of holiday lights on houses, businesses and lampposts all over town. Just a few weeks after daylight savings brought darkness by 5pm, we get blessed with the joyful displays of red, blue, green and white lights every night.
To make sure you all take advantage of these festive sights, we have put together a list of some of the best places to go light looking in Minot. Although just driving through base housing and local neighborhoods is a way to go, these are so sure-fire places you don’t want to miss for a bright holiday-spirited time!
Minot Sertoma Club “Christmas in the Park” at Oak Park
This drive-through style light display is the best in town. The Sertoma Club has been putting it on annually, adding or adjusting slightly each year. So while we know it will be fantastic, we never know exactly where and how the magic will be laid out. The lights run every single night, Sunday- Thursday, 5:30-10pm, and Friday & Saturday, 5:30-10:30pm. It is only $5 per car! While credit cards are accepted, they prefer cash as it keeps the entry traffic flowing smoothly.
Zablotney’s Holiday Light Show- 1224 6th St SW Minot
This amazing family house has been dazzling Minot residents for years! Not only do they put on a heart-pumping light show, queued to music for Christmas, but they also do a Halloween show. This year they even did a Veteran’s Day show specifically to honor the Mil Vets in Minot! The Christmas light show opens Thanksgiving night at 6pm and is open all December until New Years. This free drive-by show is worthwhile for everyone in the family!
Eastwood Park District- located in the vicinity of Roosevelt Park Zoo
While this area doesn’t do a specific show or light display, they boast some of the most beautiful historic homes–built between 1900 and 1940–in all of Minot. Many homeowners love to light up their nights and display their lovely homes with beautiful light displays. For neighborhoods to check out, this one has never disappointed.
Scandinavian Heritage Park
The lights from this park can easily be glimpsed while driving down Broadway; however, a quick walk through the park at night will have everyone happy to brave the cold for a few minutes. The Scandinavian replica buildings and statues look glorious donned in sparkling lights amidst the snow covered buildings. This is a magical site that is well worth parking and taking a few minutes outside the car to enjoy. And also FREE!
So hop in the car, take a warm blanket and some hot chocolate, blast the holiday tunes, and get ready to feast your eyes on all the Magic City’s magical light displays.
*If you are not new to Minot, you may be familiar with some other houses in Minot that would put on fabulous holiday lights, unfortunately, two of these are no longer setting up lights unfortunately.
The Schlecht Family Holiday Lights Display at 309 24th St NW had its last display last year, as light enthusiast David Schlecht passed away earlier this year. On the family’s Facebook page it read, “The heart and soul behind our display, Dave, has passed away. We would like to extend our greatest thanks to everyone who has supported us and joined in sharing our love of the holidays! As Dave always said, ‘We do it for the kids. It’s all about the kids.’ We hope to bring the display to life around town again one day.”
Olsen Decorations at 1500 52nd Ave SW also will not be doing a light display this year due to poor health. On a Facebook post on Nov 7, they noted, “We are not able to put up our Christmas display again this year. Unfortunately, we’ve had our share of health issues in 2024 and spending hours setting up/tearing down the display in the cold windy ND weather isn’t really a good idea…Hope to see you next year!”
