Festive sights and sounds will once again fill the air at Moody Gardens during the Festival of Lights Nov. 14 through Jan. 2. As one of the largest holiday celebrations on the Gulf Coast, the annual event receives over 85,000 visitors, many of whom have made the festival their own holiday tradition.

Santa Claus will kick off the festivities on Nov. 14 by parachuting in to switch on a mile-long trail of more than one million lights. The festival will be celebrated on Thursdays through Saturdays between Nov. 20 and Dec. 12 and daily starting Dec. 17 through Jan. 2, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In addition to over 100 sound-enhanced animated light displays and nightly live entertainment, visitors can strap on a pair of skates and glide across the ice at the area’s only Outdoor Ice Skating Rink. Indoors, visitors can take pictures with Santa or enjoy a variety of holiday-themed films at the IMAX® 3D Theater, Ridefilm Theater and 4D Special FX® Theater. In the spirit of tradition, Polar Express 4D will return with interactive special effects like snow, wind and the smell of hot chocolate to engage all the viewers’ senses.

Admission to the Festival of Lights is $5.95, and tickets to additional attractions including the Aquarium Pyramid®, holiday IMAX® 3D film, holiday Ridefilm, Outdoor Ice Skating Rink and Colonel Paddlewheel Boat, can be purchased for $5 each with a Festival of Lights ticket.