The North Country’s Favorite Holiday Tradition Returns
Wild Lights returns for its seventh season on November 27, transforming The Wild Center’s 115-acre campus into a winter wonderland filled with thousands of twinkling lights, illuminated trails, and festive experiences.
NEW this year: Patrick Sapling lights up the night! See New York’s first Thomas Dambo troll installation illuminated for the first time, glowing among the Adirondack boulders. The experience also brings a newly illuminated stretch of the Fen Trail, featuring Second Nature, a series of six wildlife sculptures by local artist Larry Robjent, crafted from scrap metal and recycled materials.
Guests can also enjoy:
- Forest Music: More than 130 trees wrapped in colorful lights along a forest trail, set to an original musical composition by Eric Sturr & Co.
- Winter-themed interactives: Search for nocturnal Adirondack animals in a flashlight scavenger hunt and create your own snowflake while exploring the science behind how they form.
- Illuminated photo ops: Capture the moment beneath the Giant Eagle Wings, explore colorful hexagonal light tunnels, and see Patrick Dougherty’s woven-branch sculpture, Hopscotch, in a whole new light.
- Warm winter treats: Enjoy a hot cocoa bar with plenty of toppings, a crackling Adirondack fire, and sweet and savory s’mores kits.
Indoor experiences will also be open, including Planet Adirondack and the Living River Trail, where visitors can watch North American river otters play.
Wild Lights runs Fridays and Saturdays, November 27 through February 20, from 4–8 pm, with additional nightly hours during Holiday Week (December 26–31) and Winter Week (February 12–20).
Wild Lights is an outdoor walking experience, so warm clothing and appropriate footwear are recommended. Advance reservations are encouraged, as popular nights often sell out.