A church that previously hosted a paid drive-thru “Christmas Light Spectacular” at the Florida Horse Park has ended that show and will instead host a free, “Night of Lights” walk-thru event at their campus close to downtown Ocala.
Saint John Lutheran Church and School will host “Night of Lights” from December 13 to December 23, and again from December 26 to December 29. All of the shows will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The lights will be on display at the church’s campus, which is located at 1915 SE Lake Weir Drive in Ocala.
The church previously hosted the Ocala Christmas Light Spectacular at the Florida Horse Park for the last three years. That event brought millions of lights to the park, which is located in southwest Ocala.
Last month, event organizers announced that the old event was canceled, stating that 10,000 cars had passed through the event each year of its operation.
Shortly after announcing the cancellation, the church indicated that its Night of Lights event would feature food trucks, hot cocoa, train rides, two brand new playgrounds, lights, and displays, some of which will be synchronized to music.
The event will also feature photo opportunities with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
Dogs, cats, and exotic animals are welcome on leashes, although Santa will not be available to take photos with pets.
Although Night of Lights is free to attend, the church will accept donations by cash and card from those in attendance. In comparison, tickets for the previous event ranged from $25 to $35 per personal vehicle, and $60 to $100 per commercial vehicle.
The organization says that its parking lot holds approximately 180 cars and that they expect the average visit to last about 30 to 45 minutes.
For more information, visit the Ocala Christmas Light Spectacular website.
