The Christmas light hotspots to visit this festive season

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.

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Here, we’ll be revealing:

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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.

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London

Liverpool

Bournemouth

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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Berlin

Paris

Vienna

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

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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.

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Dallas

Vancouver

New York

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.