Where to See Christmas Lights in Fort Worth's Westside Neighborhoods

Fort Worth does Christmas a little differently than Dallas. The displays are spread out, the trees are bigger, and some of the best streets feel like a secret until you’ve driven them. Here’s where to go, and how to plan the night.

This guide is part of our Dallas-Fort Worth Christmas lights guide. Driving the Dallas side instead? See our guide to Christmas lights in the Park Cities.

How to Plan a Westside Fort Worth Christmas Lights Drive

The westside neighborhoods sit close together, which makes them easy to see in one evening. A good route takes about 90 minutes on a weeknight and moves from north to south:

• Start in Rivercrest. Begin near Camp Bowie Boulevard and West 7th Street, then head west into the neighborhood around Rivercrest Country Club.
• Continue into Westover Hills. The small town just west of Rivercrest has some of the largest lots in Fort Worth.
• Swing through Ridglea Hills. Stop at the Clayton Road bridge over Luther Lake for the reflections.
• Finish in Tanglewood. Southwest Fort Worth’s Tanglewood neighborhood draws big crowds for its displays.
• Add Colonial if you have time. The streets around Colonial Country Club near TCU are a short drive east.

Start after 6:30 p.m., once it’s fully dark. Weeknights in the first half of December are the easiest time to go. Weekends in the week before Christmas are the busiest.

If you’d rather walk, park in the Cultural District or along West 7th and pair a stroll through the Modern Lights display with a short drive afterward.

“Fort Worth’s westside lots give us a lot more tree to work with than most neighborhoods,” says Jacqueline Berry, Regional Manager. “Rivercrest and Westover Hills have some of the biggest live oaks we touch all season, so getting the wrap right from trunk to canopy is what makes those displays hold up from the street.”

Rivercrest: Classic Fort Worth Estates Near Camp Bowie

Rivercrest is one of Fort Worth’s oldest and most established neighborhoods, built around Rivercrest Country Club just west of downtown. Its curving streets, deep lots, and mature trees make it a natural fit for big holiday displays.

Alta Drive has drawn holiday drivers for years. Fort Worth Magazine has pointed readers to several well-decorated homes along Alta in past seasons, and it remains a good street to start on.

What makes Rivercrest worth the drive:

• Large trees close to the street. Wrapped trunks and canopies are easy to see from the car.
• Traditional architecture. Many homes have strong rooflines, columns, and entries that frame a classic warm-white design.
• Easy access. It’s minutes from the Cultural District, West 7th, and Camp Bowie restaurants, so it’s easy to fold into a night out.

Drive slowly and keep an eye out for walkers. Rivercrest’s streets are narrow in places, and some don’t have sidewalks.

Westover Hills: Big Lots and Bigger Trees

Westover Hills is a small, separate town tucked inside Fort Worth’s westside, just west of Rivercrest. It’s known for large estate lots, winding roads, and homes set far back from the street.

That layout changes how you see the lights. Instead of house after house, you’ll find fewer homes with more space around them, and the best displays light the whole property: front lawn trees, long driveways, gates, and the home itself.

A few things to know before you go:

• Take it slow. The roads curve, and there are no shoulders in many places.
• Stay in the car. Westover Hills isn’t a walking neighborhood, and the homes are private.
• Look past the house. Some of the best work is in the trees and along the drive.

Westover Hills pairs well with Rivercrest, since the two neighborhoods connect directly. Drive one, then roll right into the other.

Ridglea Hills, Tanglewood, and Colonial: The Southwest Loop

South of Camp Bowie, three more neighborhoods round out the westside drive.

Ridglea Hills. About 30 homes around Luther Lake light up for the season, and the reflections on the water are the best part. CultureMap Fort Worth (2025) recommends viewing them from the bridge at Clayton Road, especially on clear nights. Nearby, a synchronized light display on Montego Road in Ridgmar has drawn crowds in past seasons, according to 360 West Magazine.

Tanglewood. This southwest Fort Worth neighborhood is known for extravagant home displays that draw large crowds, according to 360 West Magazine (2024). Expect more traffic here on weekends, and plan to start your loop elsewhere if you want to see it in a quieter moment.

Colonial. The neighborhoods around Colonial Country Club, near TCU, have tree-lined streets and traditional homes with classic holiday lighting. It’s an easy add-on if you’re coming from the TCU area or finishing the night on Berry Street or Magnolia Avenue.

Historic Fort Worth: Ryan Place and Fairmount

If you love older homes, Fort Worth’s historic neighborhoods south of downtown are worth their own evening.

Ryan Place stays lit through the holidays and hosts its Candlelight Christmas home tour each December. The 2026 tour runs December 5 and 6, according to the Ryan Place neighborhood association, with tickets sold online. Anyone can drive or walk the neighborhood during the season, even without a tour ticket.

Fairmount, Fort Worth’s first historic district, hosts the Fairmount Festivus Holiday Light Tour, a free, self-guided map of decorated homes. It’s usually held on one evening in mid-December (December 13 in 2025, according to CultureMap Fort Worth), so check Historic Fairmount’s site for this year’s date.

Both neighborhoods are walkable, with restaurants nearby on Magnolia Avenue. They’re a great choice for families who want to get out of the car.

Interlochen in Arlington: A 50-Year Holiday Tradition

Interlochen is one of the best-known neighborhood displays in Tarrant County, and it’s worth a night of its own. The northwest Arlington neighborhood marked its 50th year of holiday lights in 2025, with more than 200 decorated homes, according to the City of Arlington.

What to know:

• It’s only lit for a short window. Interlochen is usually lit from mid-December through Christmas Day, typically from 6 to 11 p.m. (December 13 through 25 in 2025). The neighborhood posts each year’s dates on its website.
• It’s free. Visitors drive through at no charge.
• Use the map. The neighborhood publishes a route map and traffic plan each year. Check it before you go, since entry points change on busy nights.
• Expect a line. Weekend nights, especially the last weekend before Christmas, can mean a long wait to get in. Go on a weeknight if you can.
• Tune in. Some homes sync their displays to music on a car radio station.

If you’re in Arlington for the night, the city’s Holiday Lights Parade and Tree Lighting downtown, usually held in mid-December, and The Light Park drive-thru are easy add-ons.

Fort Worth’s Big Holiday Displays Beyond the Neighborhoods

Fort Worth also has some of the best ticketed and public displays in North Texas:

• Christmas in the Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. A walking light trail with dancing bluebonnet lights and Texas-style nutcrackers. It runs November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, according to CultureMap Fort Worth.
• The Modern Lights at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Lit trees around the museum grounds, a natural starting point for a Rivercrest drive.
• Fort Worth Stockyards. Tree lightings at Hotel Drover and Mule Alley, plus holiday events through the season.
• Sundance Square. Downtown’s tree lighting is one of the city’s biggest holiday gatherings.
• Gift of Lights at Texas Motor Speedway. A drive-thru of about 2 miles with nearly 3 million lights in north Fort Worth. It typically opens Thanksgiving night and runs into early January.

Check each venue’s website for 2026 dates and ticket prices before you go.

Tips for a Fort Worth Christmas Lights Night With the Family

A westside lights drive is an easy family tradition to start, and a few small choices make it more fun for everyone in the car.

• Eat first. Camp Bowie Boulevard, West 7th, and Magnolia Avenue all sit within a few minutes of the neighborhoods on this route. Dinner around 5:30 p.m. puts you at your first street right as it gets fully dark.
• Dress for a Texas cold front. December nights in Fort Worth can swing from mild to near freezing in a single week. If you plan to walk Ryan Place, Fairmount, or the Cultural District, bring layers.
• Give the kids a job. Let them count wrapped trees, vote for a favorite house on each street, or keep a list of every color they spot. It keeps the back seat busy between neighborhoods.
• Split it into two nights. The westside loop and Interlochen are on opposite sides of town. Doing both in one night means more time in traffic and less time looking at the lights.
• Save room for one ticketed event. If the family wants something bigger, pick one, like Christmas in the Garden or Gift of Lights, and give it its own evening.

Spot Our Work in Fort Worth and Arlington

The Perfect Light lights homes in many of the neighborhoods on this route, including Rivercrest, Westover Hills, Colonial, and Tanglewood in Fort Worth, and Forest Hills in Arlington.

As you drive, look for the details we focus on: rooflines that are cut to fit with no drooping strands, live oaks wrapped all the way into the canopy, and one consistent color across the property. We don’t share addresses or homeowner names, so you’ll have to spot the work yourself.

Fort Worth homeowners tend to ask a different question than Dallas ones, less about how many lights, more about whether we can make a lot that big read as one property instead of a house with some trees next to it. That’s the westside’s signature: wrapping the whole lot, not just the house.

Want Your Home on the Tour?

If a drive through Fort Worth’s westside has you picturing your own home lit up, there’s still time to get on this season’s install calendar. The Perfect Light designs your display, installs it, services it within 48 hours if anything needs attention, and takes it down and stores it after the holidays, all for one all-inclusive price starting at $2,000.

Install dates are limited and fill in order, so the earlier you book, the more dates you’ll have to choose from. We’re installing new displays through December 25, so there’s no hard cutoff this season.