Winter Wonderland
Lights Festival

Beginning in 2020 with roughly 40,000 lights, this annual festival has increased 10-fold over the course of four years, now containing nearly 400,000 lights. This fifth-annual display in the park has its Opening Day and Festival on Saturday, November 30. The light show will extend through December and end on January 3rd. Visitors are welcome to park and walk through the display; however, it is designed to be enjoyed just as much by car. Enter Robe-Ann Park at the entrance on State Road 231, just south of Hanna Street.  The drive curves to the right, leading you through the Park and light display and looping back around to the entrance gate.

Led by Greencastle local, Kate Knaul and the Greencastle Parks & Recreation Department, the volunteer hours and setup time is extraordinary for this event. “Our goal is to continually expand this as a free, annual event,” Knaul said, “so donations are welcome. As we continue to grow, additional organizations are needed as partners in financial or volunteer capacities. There are lots of ideas, and a bigger team can execute them.” This statement has come true over the past few years as a number of organizations including the Putnam County Visitors Center, Putnam Parks & Pathways, and the City of Greencastle have all made contributions towards the growth of this event.

Highlighting the event this year are the Opening Day activities which feature the annual Holiday Parade and Winter Market. Each of these events begins at 5:00 p.m. but you’ll want to see the parade make its way through Greencastle before heading to Robe-Ann for the Winter Market. In addition, 2024 is the inaugural year for the Tree Decorating Contest! Details about each of these events can be found on the Winter Wonderland Lights Festival, Facebook Page.