Our favourite time of the year is finally here, and what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than a trip out to see some festive lights near you? Take in the shimmering displays while enjoying a hot chocolate – and maybe even sneaking in a bit of Christmas shopping, too!
With Christmas lights being a quintessential part of the holiday season, we’ve analysed Instagram hashtag data for ‘#[city]christmaslights’ and Google search data for ‘Christmas lights [city]’ for 319 global cities – including 92 cities in the UK. Then, by combining both sets of scores, we created a unique Christmas Lights Index, revealing the best spots to head to for dazzling displays this year.
The Christmas light hotspots to visit this festive season
The UK’s Christmas light hotspots
Our study revealed that London is the best for taking in Christmas lights this year, with over 136,000 Google searches and a sparkling 28,331 hashtags for #LondonChristmasLights on Instagram. Photos showcased incredible lights at spots like Oxford Circus (a wonderful place to squeeze in some Christmas shopping), the Tudor-revival building of department store Liberty’s, and throughout Hyde Park’s annual Christmas event, Winter Wonderland.
Liverpool takes the next spot in the rankings with a Christmas Lights Index Score of 18,487. The city unveiled its new artificial tree recently – which sits 18 metres above sea level and is adorned from star to base with enchanting Christmas lights.
Bournemouth steals the third spot, with the city’s free festive trail taking place from November 18th all the way through to January 2nd next year. The trail involves a 60ft walk through festive illuminations, followed by a Christmas market, Alpine bar and ice rink.
Two Welsh cities make the rankings – the Welsh capital Cardiff in ninth place with an Index Score of 6,308, and Newport closely behind in 11th. Scottish capital Edinburgh comes in seventh place, whilst Glasgow’s dazzling lights round off the top 10.



Ranking |
City |
Country |
Christmas Lights Index Score |
1 |
London |
England |
164,891 |
2 |
Liverpool |
England |
18,487 |
3 |
Bournemouth |
England |
12,877 |
4 |
Manchester |
England |
11,447 |
5 |
Blackpool |
England |
9,706 |
6 |
Birmingham |
England |
9,408 |
7 |
Edinburgh |
Scotland |
9,062 |
8 |
Bristol |
England |
8,915 |
9 |
Cardiff |
Wales |
6,308 |
10 |
Glasgow |
Scotland |
5,981 |
11 |
Newport |
Wales |
5,913 |
12 |
Leeds |
England |
5,870 |
13 |
York |
England |
5,856 |
14 |
Cambridge |
England |
5,785 |
15 |
Leicester |
England |
4,803 |
16 |
Lincoln |
England |
4,685 |
17 |
Bath |
England |
4,587 |
18 |
Brighton |
England |
4,203 |
19 |
Sheffield |
England |
4,026 |
20 |
Nottingham |
England |
3,853 |
The world's Christmas light hotspots
When looking at illuminating displays further afield, London still takes the crown as the most beautiful place to see Christmas lights. However, the US is the country with the most cities to feature in our Christmas Lights ranking – starting with Houston, Dallas and San Antonio in second, third and fourth place respectively – just some of the 14 American cities that feature in the top 20. More surprisingly, New York City only just scrapes into 20th place despite its iconic movie-perfect festive displays.
Australia boasts four cities in the top 20, with Perth and Melbourne ranking in fifth and sixth place, whilst Canada is the only other country to host a city in the top 10, with Vancouver’s Christmas Lights squeezing in at 10th place.
Ranking |
City |
Country |
Christmas Lights Index Score |
1 |
London |
England |
164,891 |
2 |
Houston |
USA |
101,889 |
3 |
Dallas |
USA |
72,421 |
4 |
San Antonio |
USA |
61,013 |
5 |
Perth |
Australia |
60,866 |
6 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
56,277 |
7 |
Atlanta |
USA |
51,263 |
8 |
San Diego |
USA |
49,700 |
9 |
Chicago |
USA |
46,023 |
10 |
Vancouver |
Canada |
38,864 |
11 |
Indianapolis |
USA |
38,582 |
12 |
Los Angeles |
USA |
37,251 |
13 |
Brisbane |
Australia |
33,506 |
14 |
Austin |
USA |
33,189 |
15 |
Seattle |
USA |
32,701 |
16 |
Las Vegas |
USA |
31,882 |
17 |
Sydney |
Australia |
31,824 |
18 |
Denver |
USA |
30,950 |
19 |
Nashville |
USA |
30,106 |
20 |
New York City |
USA |
27,282 |
Europe's Christmas light hotspots
Spain dominates Europe’s hotspots for glimmering festive displays; Malaga, Madrid, Vigo, and Barcelona are all whizzing their way into the top 20 this holiday season.
However, Dublin in Ireland takes the crown as the best destination for Christmas lights in the continent. The city boasts 16 illuminated displays and a trail map for visitors keen to see each and every one.
Paris’ spectacular sparkling lights take the city into second place, whilst Athens and Malaga follow behind in third and fourth respectively.



Ranking |
City |
Country |
Christmas Lights Index Score |
1 |
Dublin |
Ireland |
18,505 |
2 |
Paris |
France |
7,043 |
3 |
Athens |
Greece |
6,406 |
4 |
Malaga |
Spain |
6,037 |
5 |
Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
4,650 |
6 |
Vienna |
Austria |
3,608 |
7 |
Stockholm |
Sweden |
3,387 |
8 |
Madrid |
Spain |
3,193 |
9 |
Berlin |
Germany |
2,175 |
10 |
Zurich |
Switzerland |
2,083 |
11 |
Vigo |
Spain |
1,989 |
12 |
Barcelona |
Spain |
1,814 |
13 |
Lisbon |
Portugal |
1,613 |
14 |
Rome |
Italy |
1,470 |
15 |
Florence |
Italy |
1,449 |
16 |
Frankfurt |
Germany |
1,411 |
17 |
Warsaw |
Poland |
1,131 |
18 |
Valencia |
Spain |
1,126 |
19 |
Budapest |
Hungary |
1,091 |
20 |
Venice |
Italy |
970 |
North America's Christmas light hotspots
Home to festive Christmas lights in zoos and a light show in a constellation field, it’s no wonder Houston ranks as the best destination for light displays in North America. The city is followed by Dallas, San Antonio, Atlanta and San Diego.
Three Canadian cities caught Christmas light admirers’ eyes too, with Vancouver coming in 7th, Calgary ranking 16th and Toronto rounding off the top 20.



Ranking |
City |
Country |
Christmas Lights Index Score |
1 |
Houston |
USA |
101,889 |
2 |
Dallas |
USA |
72,421 |
3 |
San Antonio |
USA |
61,013 |
4 |
Atlanta |
USA |
51,263 |
5 |
San Diego |
USA |
49,700 |
6 |
Chicago |
USA |
46,023 |
7 |
Vancouver |
Canada |
38,864 |
8 |
Indianapolis |
USA |
38,582 |
9 |
Los Angeles |
USA |
37,251 |
10 |
Austin |
USA |
33,189 |
11 |
Seattle |
USA |
32,701 |
12 |
Las Vegas |
USA |
31,882 |
13 |
Denver |
USA |
30,950 |
14 |
Nashville |
USA |
30,106 |
15 |
New York City |
USA |
27,282 |
16 |
Calgary |
Canada |
26,033 |
17 |
Phoenix |
USA |
24,107 |
18 |
Sacramento |
USA |
23,892 |
19 |
Kansas City |
USA |
22,390 |
20 |
Toronto |
Canada |
21,628 |
Oceania's Christmas light hotspots
Each year, Perth hosts a Christmas lantern and nativity parade, winter festival, and magic show. The city clearly knows how to get into the Christmas spirit, as evidenced by its top spot in our Christmas Lights Index.
Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide make up the remainder of the top five, whilst Auckland takes the top spot for New Zealand based Christmas lights, ranking ninth in the continent.
Ranking |
City |
Country |
Christmas Lights Index Score |
1 |
Perth |
Australia |
60,866 |
2 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
56,277 |
3 |
Brisbane |
Australia |
33,506 |
4 |
Sydney |
Australia |
31,824 |
5 |
Adelaide |
Australia |
17,963 |
6 |
Geelong |
Australia |
14,625 |
7 |
Gold Coast |
Australia |
11,504 |
8 |
Canberra |
Australia |
10,911 |
9 |
Auckland |
New Zealand |
10,850 |
10 |
Christchurch |
New Zealand |
7,920 |
11 |
Hamilton |
New Zealand |
6,763 |
12 |
Wellington |
New Zealand |
5,364 |
13 |
North Shore |
New Zealand |
1,970 |
14 |
Dunedin |
New Zealand |
1,516 |
15 |
Wollongong |
Australia |
1,474 |
Asia's Christmas light hotspots
The incredible Christmas lights dotted throughout Singapore help the city rank as the top hotspot for dazzling displays in Asia. The city is home to the world’s first Guerlain Christmas tree in Raffles City, which stands proudly at 15m tall.
Hong Kong is close behind in 2nd place, whilst Japan’s Tokyo and the UAE’s Dubai take the third and fourth spots. Manila rounds of the top five with an Index Score of 218.
Ranking |
City |
Country |
Christmas Lights Index Score |
1 |
Singapore |
Singapore |
5,835 |
2 |
Hong Kong |
Hong Kong |
3,557 |
3 |
Tokyo |
Japan |
2,857 |
4 |
Dubai |
United Arab Emirates |
884 |
5 |
Manila |
Philippines |
660 |
6 |
Seoul |
South Korea |
407 |
7 |
Hiroshima |
Japan |
383 |
8 |
Osaka |
Japan |
263 |
9 |
Mumbai |
India |
230 |
10 |
Bangkok |
Thailand |
218 |
Looking for more ways to feel festive this year? Check out our list of all the best Christmas markets in the UK, and our extensive Christmas guide to find holiday activities near you.
Methodology:
Google search data using Keyword Planner and Instagram hashtag data for Christmas lights in over 300 of the world’s most popular cities were analysed and combined to create a ‘Christmas Light Index Score’, which cities were then ranked by.
Data correct as of December 2022.