# Christmas Wonderland Drive-Through Lights — Rock Spring Park, Alton

> Event for families in the St. Louis area (MO / IL). Times are Central Time.

- When: Nov 27 – Dec 27 · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Where: Rock Spring Park, 2100 College Ave, Alton, IL 62002
- Ages: All ages
- Price: Free; suggested donation $10 per car or small van, $1 per person in vehicles holding more than 10 people (cash only)
- Organizer: Christmas Wonderland (volunteer 'Grandpa Gang')
- Official page: https://www.riversandroutes.com/directory/christmas-wonderland/
- Last checked: Tue, Oct 27

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Nov 2, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-01), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/st-louis/activities/christmas-wonderland-drive-through-lights-rock-spring-park-alton--listing-b36a24d60217c803b62bd955

## About

Volunteers known as the 'Grandpa Gang' spend months turning Rock Spring Park in Alton into Christmas Wonderland, a drive-through display of more than 4 million lights that opens the day after Thanksgiving. Families stay in the car and wind through the park, and partway along they can stop to meet Santa Claus; an optional photo with Santa is free. The display has been a Riverbend holiday tradition for decades and suits all ages, from babies in car seats to grandparents. Once a season the park closes to cars for a walk-through night, held on the first Monday after Thanksgiving. Admission is by suggested cash donation per vehicle, and no reservations are needed, so it is an easy weeknight outing.

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