Annual Festival of Lights kicks off in Hillsborough County

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - After families finished up their Thanksgiving dinners on Thursday night, the 3rd Annual Festival of Lights opened to the public at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds.

The two-mile stretch features over two million LED lights with scenes like under the sea, a nativity scene, and the forest.

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"You come in and you have the option to come into Santa’s Village. We have all kinds of activities for the family and children, including rides…we have camel rides, carnival rides. We have food, we have arts & crafts and, of course, meeting the big guy, Santa. We also have our historical area where you can enjoy a s’more and fire pit," said Executive Director Suzanne Holcomb.

Patricia Cattani and her family were the first to arrive, after waiting 45 minutes at the gate.

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"Very excited. We do come here every year," she said. "I think it’s really pretty. We enjoy it a lot and I think it’s really well done."

The Festival of Lights is open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every night through Dec. 31. Santa's Village is closed Monday-Wednesday.

To get your tickets, click here.