Christmas in the Park
2025 Season
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Stephen C. Beachy Central Park!
College Station’s beautiful Christmas in the Park displays began in 1984 when a local family funded a couple of light panels. Since then, the collection has since grown to more than one million lights and has become a holiday mainstay.
Our crews work year-round preparing the light panels to ensure they brightly shine when we flip the switch on Thanksgiving Day. The hundreds of illuminated panels — a bulb for every inch — are taped precisely to preserve the panels' mesmerizing effects.
We offer three ways to enjoy the time-honored tradition of holiday lights at Beachy Central Park:
Lights On ● Nov. 27-Jan 1, 6-11 p.m.
Enjoy more than one million lights decorating Stephen C. Beachy Central Park. The lights will be on from Nov. 27 to Jan. 1 each night from 6 to 11 p.m.
Admission is free, and parking is available in the park.
Don’t forget to bring your wish list for Santa. Staff has arranged with his elves to accept letters in the North Pole mailbox outside the Central Park office. To ensure delivery, letters can be dropped off from Nov. 27 through Dec. 24.
The only night you cannot drive through the park is Dec. 6, when preparations take place for the Christmas in the Park event. The drive-thru closes at 7 a.m. to keep everyone safe during setup for visits with Santa, hayrides, and plenty of cookies and hot cocoa.
Jingle Bell Fun Run ● Dec. 6, 3 p.m.
For 35 years, the Jingle Bell Fun Run has been a lighthearted way to kick off the holiday season in College Station. This year, the event features a new 1.5-mile route with a merry twist.
The untimed run is set for Saturday, Dec. 6, before the College Station Christmas Parade and follows the same route. Walkers and strollers are welcome, but dogs are not allowed. The line-up starts at 3 p.m. at 810 Holleman Drive East near Post Oak Mall. The run begins at 3:30, followed by the parade at 4.
The course ends at the entrance to Christmas in the Park at 1000 Krenek Tap Road, where the evening’s festivities continue from 6 to 10 p.m.
The early entry fee is $15 and includes a shirt and jingle bells if you register by Nov. 17. The late registration fee is $20 during the Nov. 18-30 period. Jingle bells are included, but you aren’t guaranteed a shirt. Participants 3 and under are free.
Packet pickup is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 3-4 and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 5 at the Central Park office. Race day parking is available at Post Oak Mall (old Macy’s side), and shuttles run from 3 p.m.-midnight between the mall and Central Park.
Event ● Dec. 6, 6-10 p.m.
Celebrate the season at the Christmas in the Park event on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Stephen C. Beachy Central Park.
Enjoy old-fashioned hayrides, cookies, hot cocoa, live entertainment, photos with Santa and more. Guests may bring refreshments, but coolers must be 48 quarts or smaller. Alcohol, glass containers and pets aren’t allowed. Admission is free.
Free wristbands are required to participate in activities. To receive a wristband, complete a waiver form at an information booth. A professional photographer won’t be provided for photos with Santa, but you’re encouraged to use the Texas Size Selfie photo station to have your photos sent to you onsite.
Recreation Drive will close from 7 a.m. to midnight, and visitors cannot drive through the park. Shuttles run from 3 p.m. to midnight from the Post Oak Mall parking lot (Macy’s side). Handicap parking is available at the Beachy Central Park softball complex, accessed from State Highway 6.
Visit ChristmasinCS.com for more events and specials happening in College Station.