When it comes to the holidays, whether you celebrate or not, it seems that most people absolutely love looking at holiday light displays.

As a kid, it's easy to simply get lost in the magic and wonder of the lights. As an adult, I now understand the amount of time and effort required to make those holiday displays happen so I appreciate them even more.

If you're looking to find some of that holiday magic in West Michigan, there are quite a few displays that have been deemed a "must-see". Here are at least 5:


1. Bronson Park - Kalamazoo

Starting in Kalamazoo, we have Bronson Park in the downtown area. Throughout the park, trees are lit with different colored lights and, of course, you can't forget about the giant candy canes which you can see in the video above. While the changing of the candy canes (they used to lean and now stand straight up) made a lot of locals upset, the display is still gorgeous.

Additionally, as someone who lives in Kalamazoo, if you're in the area you should check out Christmas Card Lane. Houses display giant plywood cutouts decorated to look like Christmas cards. It's a tradition that's been upheld since 1965.

As far as residential lights are concerned, there was a thread started on Kalamazoo's Reddit page pointing to different areas where you might see some holiday lights. See it here.

2. International Festival of Lights - Battle Creek 

Via/ Google Maps
Via/ Google Maps
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This will be the 31st annual International Festival of Lights in downtown Battle Creek. According to battlecreekenquirer.com, local organizations and businesses work together to decorate the city with holiday lights (which will look much more festive than the Google Maps image displayed above). While you're in the area, make sure you show some love to those local organizations for your holiday shopping needs.

3. The Merry Mile - Marshall 

Just down the road from Battle Creek, you'll find the Merry Mile in Marshall at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds. This one is nice because you don't have to get out of your car. There is a $10 admission fee, though. Learn more here.

4. Light Up the Bluff - St. Joe

Seen at Lake Bluff Park in St. Joseph, this display features over 1 million lights that stay up through Valentine's Day in February. It also features a community tree that was lit at the beginning of December. Find the location and more here.

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5. The Christmas Lite Show - Comstock Park

Just outside of Grand Rapids you'll find the Christmas Lite Show. This is a 2-mile-long drive-thru that features over one million animated lights and runs through January 2nd. There's also a Memory Train Lane that is also 2 miles long and might be a bit more magical for the kids. Find all the information for both the drive-thru and the train ride here.


Those are a few choices in West Michigan but, awesomemitten.com has even more displays you can find throughout the entire state. See their full list here.

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