Jolly Holiday Lights

Jolly Holiday Lights is a light show located at Adventureland Park in Altoona, IA from November 26th to January 2nd.

The activity of seeing holiday lights with family and friends is a yearly tradition people have. Jolly Holiday Lights is a light show located at Adventureland Park in Altoona, IA from November 26th to January 2nd.

The loved community light show started 26 years ago with a small group of volunteers who saw a similar light show and thought it would be a good fundraiser idea. The light show by itself grants 80 wishes every year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of 2½ and 18 years old.

 Jolly Holiday Lights has had a big impact on the patients and community each year making the kids have a hopeful mindset, Make A Wish marketing manager Lexi Konig says, “Last year we saw 30,000 cars come through Jolly Holiday lights and that was an equivalent to granting 80 wishes to children who have critical illnesses throughout our state, not only Des Moines children but to kids that need a little hope and strength throughout the state.” 

Jolly Holiday lights has a 2-mile route with over a hundred light displays, with all the lights comes an electrician from IBEW checking every single light bulb to make sure they can put on a show. Each year they put new displays, this year including fun holiday movies like “the Christmas movie”, “Christmas vacation”, and a new section called Christmas in space. A couple of students from Waukee Northwest highschool were asked what their favorite display was. Junior Amari Myers said, “My favorite light display would probably be the peace lights, I just like the look of the display.” 

“My favorite display is all the cool tunnels. I think it’s so pretty and cool”, says Junior Kassidy Brown.

Make a Wish patients get to see the light show the first week of opening called the children’s charity week which means they give tickets to the kids within the program so they can experience the lights too.

Tickets can be purchased in the Des Moines area at Hy-Vee and Jollyholidaylights.org, the tickets are $25 per car, $40 per limo, $70 per bus and tickets are $5 more at the gate, so make sure to buy online for a little bit of a discount. The show is open all week from 5:30 pm-10:00 pm, until January 2nd, and is closed on the 24th, 25th, and the 31st for the holidays.