The Nights Columbia's Symphony of Lights Turns Off the Cars
When did you last see Symphony Woods at walking pace, with no windshield and no taillights in front of you? For most of its run, the Merriweather Symphony of Lights is a line of cars that starts at Broken Land Parkway and Hickory Ridge Road. Walking the course is allowed on exactly five nights.
Each of those five nights is built for a different group: families with strollers, dog owners, adults who want a cocktail, toddlers who want to dance, and anyone who wants New Year's Eve over by bedtime. The lights are the same every night: more than 300,000 bulbs, in a tradition now past 25 years.
The 2026 season runs from November 27 to January 2, 2027. The drive-through is closed on November 29 and 30 and December 1, 7, 10, 14 and 31. That leaves 30 drive-through nights out of 37. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 5 to 10 p.m. on weekends. The price is $25 per vehicle, cash or card.
Thursdays are military nights, with $10 off at the entrance with a valid military ID. The discount is only available at the gate. Two Thursdays this season, December 10 and December 31, are closed to cars. That leaves December 3, 17 and 24 as the Thursday drive-through nights.
A few practical points from the event's own page: limos, buses and dual-axle vehicles aren't allowed, the event goes on in rain or snow, and part of the proceeds goes to Howard County General Hospital. The entrance line can change quickly on busy nights, and Howard County police direct traffic in the area.
This is the version most people already know. The five nights below are a different event.
Walk-through nights use the same roughly one-mile course. You can start any time during the event window, but the course closes 30 minutes before the listed end time. Tickets must be bought in advance because capacity is limited, and there are no refunds.
| Night | Date | Hours | Last entry | Price | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Festive Families | Sun., Nov. 29 | 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. | 7:15 p.m. | $15 per person | Strollers, wagons, backpacks |
| Tail Lights | Mon., Dec. 7 | 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. | 7:15 p.m. | $15 per person | Leashed dogs, costumes encouraged |
| Lit at the Lights | Thu., Dec. 10 | 6 to 9 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | $45 sampling or $15 walk only | Beer and cocktail samples, 21+ to sample |
| Jingle & Jam | Mon., Dec. 14 | 5 to 7 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | $15 per person | Toddler dance party with DJ Kopec |
| Midnight at 7 | Thu., Dec. 31 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 7 p.m. | $15 per person or $50 family four-pack, listed as sold out | Fireworks at 7 p.m. |
Children 3 and under are free on every walking night. The "last entry" column comes from the 30-minute cutoff, and it matters more than the posted end time.
Festive Families comes two days after the lights switch on, so it's the first chance this season to walk the course. Walk-through guests park in Merriweather lots 2 and 3. Strollers and wagons are welcome. Dogs are not, except service dogs.
Dogs are kept out of the course every other night of the season, with service animals the only exception. On December 7, they're the main attraction. Costumes are encouraged "pups included," and all dogs must be leashed. For dog owners, that's the only night this holiday season to bring the dog through Symphony Woods.
At 6 to 9 p.m., Lit at the Lights has the latest hours of the five. The $45 sampling ticket is for ages 21 and up. It covers sample-size pours at handcrafted cocktail stops and a beer garden featuring local brews, with food trucks and live music along the route. Full-size pours and gratuity cost extra. A $15 walk-only ticket covers anyone 4 and older who isn't sampling, and strollers and wagons are still welcome.
Jingle & Jam runs 5 to 7 p.m. on a Monday, so the course closes at 6:30. It's a toddler dance party featuring DJ Kopec, and strollers, wagons and backpacks are welcome. It's the earliest walking night of the season.
The New Year's Eve walk-through on Thursday, December 31, 2026, runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with fireworks at 7, pitched as a way to see the lights on New Year's Eve and "still have the kids in bed by 10." The ticket page now reads "SOLD OUT." For anyone already holding tickets, the page suggests bringing your own chairs to set up along the course at a distance from other groups. Strollers and wagons are welcome, and dogs are limited to service dogs. With the year's last walking night gone, the four earlier dates are the ones still worth booking.
Downtown Columbia's other holiday events start a week before the lights and run four weeks past them. Most of them happen in the Merriweather District, close to Merriweather Post Pavilion.
All season, lights line the Kittamaqundi lakefront in Downtown Columbia, which makes for a lakeside walk on nights without a ticketed event.
Because walk-through capacity is limited and tickets are advance-only, the walking nights need booking ahead in a way the drive-through doesn't, and the New Year's Eve night has already sold out. Drive-through tickets can be bought at the gate, though buying online is encouraged. Here's a simple way to match a household to a night:
The Festive Families ticket page sends walkers to Merriweather lots 2 and 3 to park.
A portion of proceeds goes to Howard County General Hospital, and that includes the $45 Lit at the Lights sampling pass.
At VSells & Associates, we follow Columbia's calendar closely because it's our neighborhood too, from the first skaters at Color Burst Park to the dog costumes on Tail Lights night. If you're thinking about how your Columbia home fits into plans for the new year, start with a free home valuation. Our team will walk you through the numbers on your schedule.
Whether you are buying or selling, we at VSells & Associates make it our mission to guide our clients through the whole process. We make moving simple, straightforward, and as stress-free as possible.