The two biggest holiday light displays in the Permian Basin open within 48 hours of each other this year. Midland's Merry Lights holds its tree lighting at Centennial Park on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Odessa's Starbright Village lights up at McKinney Park on Thursday, December 3. The overlap goes past opening week. Both cities offer Santa photos on the same two Friday evenings. December 12 holds a parade, a ballet and two Santa events in two cities. Odessa's lights now stay on into the first weekend of 2027. In 2026 the season makes more sense as one calendar for the Basin than as two separate city calendars.
Opening Week Starts Downtown on Tuesday and Moves to McKinney Park by Thursday
Midland goes first. On Tuesday, December 1, The Market at Midland's Merry Lights runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Centennial Park, with local vendors, food trucks, warm drinks and handcrafted gifts. The tree lighting is the same evening, hosted in partnership with the Midland Downtown Park Conservancy. The event page lists its time as TBA. Both dates are one day earlier on the calendar than last year. The City of Midland's 2025 announcement set the tree lighting and market for December 2.
Odessa follows on Thursday, December 3, at 7 p.m. First Basin Credit Union and the City of Odessa present the Starbright Village Tree Lighting, with free hot cocoa from the Odessa Chuck Wagon Gang. A holiday drone show starts right after the lights come on, according to Discover Odessa. This is the drone show's second year. CBS7 reported that the 2025 lighting was the first to add one. Jon Rogers, director of the City of Odessa Parks and Recreation Department, told the station, "Everybody talks about how much they love the drone shows, so we thought hey we can add a drone show to the event and just enhance the overall experience."
Last year, the city ran W. Pool Road one-way westbound from S. Grant Avenue to S. Crane Avenue starting at 3 p.m. on lighting night. That 2025 setup shows what lighting night does to traffic near the park.
December 3 has another event that night. In Midland, the Museum of the Southwest opens Christmas at the Mansion with its President's Club Preview Party from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the first night of a run that goes through December 10. The museum's free public event comes later, which keeps it off the lighting nights.
The Museum's Week Runs Between the Two Lightings
The Odessa American reports that the museum describes Christmas at the Mansion as a fundraiser, and its schedule offers a different kind of event almost every day of its week:
- Saturday, December 5: Nutcracker Brunch for members, 9 to 11:50 a.m.
- Sunday, December 6: Free Christmas at the Mansion Open House, 2 to 5 p.m., with Santa, the museum's attractions and a gingerbread workshop
- Tuesday, December 8: Afternoon Tinsel Tea, 2 to 4 p.m.
- Thursday, December 10: ReinBeer XV, 6:30 to 10 p.m., a 21-and-over evening with live music, food, craft-beer tastings and an open bar
The Sunday open house is the free, all-ages event of the week. It also falls on a weekend without a lighting ceremony in either city, so it doesn't compete with one.
Two Fridays Bring Santa Photos to Both Cities at 6 p.m.
Midland's Hot Chocolate Night and Pictures with Santa runs at Centennial Park from 6 to 8 p.m. on December 4, 11 and 18. Odessa's Santa Land, at the McKinney Park tennis court area, offers free professional photos with Santa from 6 to 8 p.m. on December 11, 12, 18 and 19. On Friday, December 11, and Friday, December 18, both cities have Santa in the same two-hour window.
| Date | Midland | Odessa |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Hot Chocolate Night and Santa, Centennial Park, 6–8 p.m. | Starbright Village open, 6–11 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Hot Chocolate Night and Santa, 6–8 p.m. | Santa Land, 6–8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Christmas Parade; Blue Santa at Centennial Park | Santa Land, 6–8 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Hot Chocolate Night and Santa, 6–8 p.m. | Santa Land, 6–8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Rockin' RA Carriage Rides | Santa Land, 6–8 p.m. |
The unshared dates are the easy ones. December 4 is Midland's alone. Odessa's Santa Land dates of December 12 and 19 are both Saturdays. If a family wants Santa photos in both cities, the simplest plan is Midland on a Friday and McKinney Park the next evening.
December 12 Is the Season's Busiest Day Across the Basin
The second Saturday in December has more scheduled than any other date on either calendar. In order:
- Christmas Parade, Midland. The route runs along "A" Street from Windlands Park to Midland High School. The Merry Lights site lists the date and route without a start time. The parade is one day earlier on the calendar than the December 13 date the City of Midland announced for 2025.
- Cookies, Coffee and Cocoa with Blue Santa, Centennial Park. Holiday treats, warm cocoa and photos with Midland's Blue Santa happen the same day.
- The Nutcracker, Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. Midland Festival Ballet performs with live music from the West Texas Symphony on December 12 and 13.
- Santa Land, McKinney Park. Odessa's free Santa photos run 6 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 13, is a lighter option for anyone who misses Saturday. The Nutcracker has its second performance, and Rockin' RA Carriage Rides start their first date through downtown Midland's lights. Midland's next standalone event is the following Wednesday, December 16, when First Methodist Church hosts Christmas in the Park at Centennial Park.
Starbright Runs Longer This Year, With Earlier Sunday Closings
Odessa's display has the longest run in the Basin, and it got longer this year. Starbright Village is open December 3, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Last year it ran December 5 through January 1, as CBS7 reported. That adds two nights at the start and two at the end.
Sunday nights close earlier this year. In 2025, the display stayed open until 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The 2026 schedule runs 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday visits now end an hour earlier, including the final night on Sunday, January 3.
The display itself is still free and still drive-through or walk-through, with themed scenes ranging from cowboys and Christmas soldiers to poinsettias. Rogers told CBS7 last year that city crews start setting up on October 1, and he described it as "the biggest Christmas display I believe, between El Paso and Dallas." The same report said more than 100,000 people drive through each year.
The Week After Christmas Still Has Plenty Going On
The longer Starbright run means the week after Christmas has events in both cities this year. Midland's Rockin' RA Carriage Rides run nightly December 19 through 24, carrying the season up to Christmas Eve. Jingle Jump Night brings bounce houses to Merry Lights on Tuesday, December 29. Last year the city had announced Jingle Jump for December 30.
Starbright Village stays lit every night from Christmas through New Year's weekend. Friday, January 1, and Saturday, January 2, keep the 11 p.m. closing, and Sunday, January 3, is the last night, closing at 10 p.m. If you have family visiting through the holidays, Odessa's display is open almost every day they're here.
One event comes before any of the lights. Santa's Arrival at Music City Mall is free this Saturday, November 21, from 9 to 11 a.m., according to Discover Odessa's holiday calendar.
Our Permian Basin agents at Monument Realty are planning around the same December 1 and December 3 lightings you are. When the season's over, or any time before, we'd be glad to talk about where you live and what's next. Contact Us anytime.
