On a Friday night in late November 1996, Morning Call columnist Bill White visited a new holiday display in Lehigh Parkway. He arrived in one of the first 10 cars through on the first night it was open to the public. He took notes in the dark along the way: "Moving swans in a pond. Houses. Horse and cart. Victorian Village. Sleigh ride." Farther on: "Ice skating bears. Penguins, bears. Igloo. Waving elves. Toyland." There was also a cannon that "shoots across road and explodes."
The route followed the park road from 15th Street to 24th Street. It took them about 15 minutes, and it cost $7 with the $1-off coupon printed in the program.
His column ran under the headline "Controversial Light Display Is Beautiful." He called it "the most controversial Christmas display in Lehigh Valley history." Lights in the Parkway opens its 30th season on November 27, 2026. The complaint behind that headline still explains a lot about how the display runs today.
Who objected in 1996, and why
White listed the charges himself: "Is it Heydt's Folly? Desecration of the city's park system? Rank commercialization of Christmas?" He named the people most likely to be unhappy as those "who spend a lot of time walking and biking in the Lehigh Parkway." His answer to them was a promise that the park would return to normal once the display came down in January.
The "Heydt" in "Heydt's Folly" was William Heydt, Allentown's mayor from 1994 to 2002, who started the display. LehighValleyNews.com recalled the Morning Call's early reporting that some critics found the display gaudy. It also noted that the display had since become a beloved part of the Lehigh Valley holiday season.
Its finances were watched closely from the beginning. By its second December, the Morning Call was reporting vehicle counts week by week. Heydt said advance sales were well ahead of 1996, adding, "We might make a buck or two less than last year, but we are going to be very fine."
The walkers and bikers got the parkway back on Mondays
The 1996 objection was about access. Every winter, a park built for people on foot and on bikes became a one-way road for cars. The city's answer is Move It Mondays. On Mondays the course is open to walk or bike for free, with no reservation needed. In 2026, Move It Mondays begin November 30 and run 5:30 to 10 p.m.
Runners get the course too, before any cars do. The Lights in the Parkway 5K is scheduled for Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at 7 p.m., two nights before the drive-through opens. The course starts and finishes near the barn on Park Drive and includes a mile through the main display. Registration includes a long-sleeved shirt, plus hot chocolate and cookies after the race. Run Lehigh Valley held the race in 2025.
Entry fees on RunSignup:
- Adults: $45 plus a $3.70 service fee through October 29, then $50 plus $4
- Ages 1 to 12: $30 plus $2.80
- Ages 70 to 105: free
- Groups of four: $15 off
The lower adult price lasts three more weeks from today.
What 30 years changed on the road, and what stayed
Read beside the city's recent descriptions, the 1996 column shows the display growing in size and in planning more than in concept.
| Opening season, 1996 | Recent seasons | |
|---|---|---|
| Route | Park road from 15th to 24th streets | "More than a mile" of Lehigh Parkway |
| Drive time | About 15 minutes | 20 to 25 minutes at 5 mph, per 2025 guidance |
| Price | $7 per car with a program coupon | $16 per car for up to 8 passengers in 2026 |
| Buying tickets | Coupon in the printed program | Online in advance only, no sales on site; weekend time slots in 2025 |
| Toyland | Listed in White's notes | The "classic Toyland train," joined by three new train displays in 2025 |
The price has roughly doubled in 30 years, and it is still charged per car. A full car of eight pays the same $16 as a couple. The Morning Call reported more than 200,000 lights in 2025. That season also brought new programmable lights on the stone house and log cabin displays, and a radio soundtrack that included greetings from Mayor Matt Tuerk.
For the 30th season itself, the City of Allentown has confirmed the anniversary. No anniversary-only displays or 2026 sponsors had been announced in the sources reviewed as of early October.
A second light show now sells tickets per person
For most of its history, Lights in the Parkway was Allentown's only large holiday light show. Illumination at Coca-Cola Park, 1050 IronPigs Way, is now in its third year. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs' 2026 announcement lists 41 nights from November 13, 2026, through January 2, 2027. Most nights run 6 to 9 p.m., with earlier 5 p.m. starts on November 21, 27 and 28 and December 5, 12 and 19.
Illumination is built the other way around from the parkway show: you walk, and you pay per person. Guests walk the ballpark, and a synchronized music-and-light show plays every 15 to 20 minutes on a display of nearly two million lights. Advance tickets cost $11 on November 13, 14, 15, 25 and 26 and $13 on all other dates. Same-day tickets cost $2 more. At the $13 advance price, a family of five pays $65. The same five people in one car pay $16 at Lehigh Parkway.
The money buys a different kind of night. New this year, Flicker the Elf hands out free books to children every night. There are also two more on-field heated igloos and new scenes on the sELFie Trail. Returning are the carousel, the hayride with Mrs. Claus, s'mores fire pits and Holiday Hall, a heated dining tent with nightly entertainment. Service Electric is the presenting sponsor. Lights in the Parkway takes 20 to 25 minutes in your own car. Illumination is an evening out at the ballpark. Their seasons overlap almost entirely, so both are open on most nights from late November through New Year's week.
The 2026 lights calendar in order
All dates come from the IronPigs, RunSignup, the City of Allentown and Discover Lehigh Valley.
- October 29: last day for the lower adult 5K price
- November 13: Illumination opens at Coca-Cola Park
- November 25: Lights in the Parkway 5K, 7 p.m.
- November 27: Lights in the Parkway opens, 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily
- November 30: first Move It Monday, free walking and biking, no reservations
- December 24 and 25: Lights in the Parkway closed
- December 31 and January 1: Lights in the Parkway closed
- January 2: Illumination's final night
- January 6: Lights in the Parkway's final night
Tickets for the drive-through are sold only online, through the City of Allentown's Lights in the Parkway page. In 2025, cars entered from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive onto Lehigh Parkway East. No 2026 routing notice had been posted in the sources reviewed. The city's 2025 early-bird price was $14 per car before October 31. No 2026 early-bird price appeared in the sources reviewed, so check the city page before you buy.
In 1996, White's one firm instruction to readers was to drive with only parking lights on, which was the rule the program spelled out. A driver ahead of him kept his headlights on the whole way.
Some Allentown families have made this drive every December for 30 years, sometimes from the same front door. If you're starting to think about what that house is worth in today's market, Creighton Faust can walk you through it before the parkway lights come on. Request a complimentary market valuation and call Creighton today.
