Magic of Lights opens at PNC Bank Arts Center tomorrow, Friday, November 20. The Asbury Park Press reports that this year's drive-through route is 2.5 miles long, the longest the show has run at the Holmdel site. The show runs until January 3, 2027. The lowest single-visit price, though, only works until the end of this month.
Bell Works has a similar calendar. Most of its holiday markets, its Thanksgiving morning run and a holiday jazz night fall in the same eleven days the November ticket is valid. December's first weekend adds Historic Longstreet Farm. For a Holmdel household, the cheapest and busiest part of the holiday season is the stretch between this Friday and Monday, November 30.
A Ticket That Only Works in November
The show has run at the Holmdel amphitheater since 2018. A 2019 Asbury Park Press story said it was returning for a second straight year. The pricing has changed since then. For 2026, a standard car costs $22 for November visits if you buy in advance and $30 at the gate. The Press reports that this November pricing is good only through November 30 and can't be used for a December visit.
As of today, one of this season's discount offers is gone. Santa Saver tickets were sold online only through November 18. Here is what remains for a standard car, per the Press's October 22 report:
| Ticket | Price | When it works |
|---|---|---|
| November visit, advance | $22 | Any night through November 30 |
| November visit, at the gate | $30 | Any night through November 30 |
| Season pass | $89.99 | Unlimited visits, one carload, through January 3 |
The pass is easiest to judge against the November prices. Four advance November tickets total $88, still a little under the $89.99 pass. Three gate tickets total $90, slightly more than the pass. A family that plans one visit before Thanksgiving and one during the week between Christmas and New Year's is better off with the pass, because the $22 ticket can't be used in December.
What Counts as a Standard Car
The standard-car price covers more vehicles than the name suggests. According to the Magic of Lights FAQ, any vehicle with up to three rows of seats counts as standard, including SUVs and minivans. Vehicles with more rows pay the limo, party bus or RV rate, which allows up to 15 passengers. Tour and school buses have their own rate at locations that allow them.
For bigger groups, NJMom's 2026 guide lists November pricing of $54.99 in advance or $65 at the gate for limos and party buses, and $79.99 in advance or $90 at the gate for buses. If a neighborhood group or a team party would fill a passenger van, those rates are also November-only.
The basic rules haven't changed. The FAQ asks drivers to turn off their headlights and stay in the car. The exception is a designated out-of-car area, and at Holmdel that is the Toyota Holiday Village. NJMom's writer described a previous year's visit: advance tickets were scanned at the gate, then the driver tuned the car radio to the show's station for the route. To get there, PNC Bank Arts Center's visitor page points drivers to Garden State Parkway Exit 116.
Eleven Nights, and the Ones That Stay Open Late
The November ticket is valid on eleven nights, Friday, November 20 through Monday, November 30. The show opens at 5 p.m. every night. It closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Four of the eleven nights get the extra hour: November 20, 21, 27 and 28. Two of those fall on Thanksgiving weekend, when Bell Works has its fullest schedule of the season.
The listings for Bell Works and Historic Longstreet Farm follow.
Thanksgiving Week at Bell Works
The holiday events on the Bell Works calendar begin before the lights reach their first weekend. A Carole King Christmas plays the Bell Theater on Sunday, November 22, from 3 to 5 p.m. From there, the listings run through the holiday weekend:
- Wednesday, November 25: Bell Works Fresh Wednesday Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Thursday, November 26: Turkey Trot, 9 to 11 a.m. Bar Bella's calendar entry for Thanksgiving Day reads "Bar Bella Closed 11/26."
- Saturday, November 28: Bell Works Fresh Holiday Saturday Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., then Holiday Jazz featuring A Real Human Jazz Band at Bar Bella, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, November 29: Bell Works Fresh Holiday Sunday Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, November 28 is the day where everything lines up. The holiday market ends at 4 p.m., the jazz at Bar Bella begins at 5, and the light show opens at 5 and stays open until 11 that night. It's also one of the last three nights the $22 ticket is good. A household could do the market in the afternoon, eat during the jazz set and drive the 2.5-mile route before the gates close, all in the same Saturday.
For hosts, Wednesday's market falls the day before Thanksgiving, and Sunday's market falls on the last weekend day before the November ticket expires on Monday.
December Opens at Longstreet Farm
Once November ends, Holmdel's calendar moves to the county's historic farm. The Monmouth County Park System's event calendar lists two free programs at Historic Longstreet Farm on the first weekend of December:
- Holiday Tree Trimming, Saturday, December 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors make a Victorian ornament, which is then hung on the Visitor Center's Christmas tree for everyone to see.
- 19th Century Christmas Ballads, Sunday, December 6, 1 to 3 p.m. Christmas ballads from the 1800s played on piano.
Visitors this December will see a farm the county has recently repaired. The Park System's improvement-project list shows the Longstreet Farm work as completed. It covered new stable doors, siding on the Dutch Barn, column bases at the Potato House, framing repairs in the Blacksmith Shop and porch work on the Farmhouse. Ornaments made on December 5 will hang in a setting that just went through a full round of maintenance.
Bell Works has events that same weekend too. The Jingle Bell Run is Saturday, December 5, from 9 to 11 a.m., two hours before the ornament program starts at Longstreet. Another Bell Works Fresh Holiday Sunday Market runs December 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., overlapping the afternoon of piano ballads. On Wednesday, December 2, Bell Works also holds a Fresh Holiday Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The light show keeps running all of December. By then, the $22 November ticket no longer applies, and the season pass is the only ticket that carries over from November.
Skating Depends on the Weather
Monmouth County's winter guide says skating at Holmdel Park is allowed only when conditions are safe and "Skating Today" signs are posted. The light show, the markets and the Longstreet programs run on fixed dates. Skating happens only on the days the county posts the signs.
Planning the Season
Here is how the season lays out from publish day:
| Window | What's on | Light show ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 20 to Sun, Nov 22 | Opening weekend; Carole King Christmas on Nov 22 | $22 advance, $30 gate, or season pass |
| Wed, Nov 25 to Sun, Nov 29 | Bell Works markets, Turkey Trot, Holiday Jazz | $22 advance, $30 gate, or season pass |
| Mon, Nov 30 | Last night for the November ticket | $22 advance, $30 gate, or season pass |
| Wed, Dec 2 to Sun, Dec 6 | Bell Works market, Jingle Bell Run, Longstreet Farm programs | December ticket or season pass |
| Through Jan 3, 2027 | Lights continue nightly | December ticket or season pass |
Our Holmdel neighborhood page covers the town through the rest of the year. Our August look at how Holmdel runs two calendars at once covers Bell Works and Longstreet Farm in summer.
Hosting family over Thanksgiving, or planning a first December in Holmdel? The Suzanne Veninata Team is happy to help with local tips for the holiday weeks, from the busiest nights at the Arts Center to the farm programs across town. When you're thinking about what comes after the holidays, we'd welcome the chance to Schedule a Complimentary Consultation.
