What does it cost to see the same 1.2 miles of holiday lights at Kensico Dam Plaza? It depends on whether you come in the third week of November or after Thanksgiving. It also depends on how many people come with you.
Westchester's Winter Wonderland has been a county holiday tradition since 2014, and the Exploreist reports more than 600,000 visitors over that time. For most of those years it was a drive-thru. In 2025 it added NovemberFest, a walk-through weekend, and The Journal News reports that strong demand for that first run led organizers to stretch it to four days this year, Nov. 19 to 22. The drive-thru opens at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, and runs on scheduled dates through Dec. 31.
The two formats are now separate products with separate prices and different reasons to go. On foot, you are buying a specific night. In the car, you are buying a seat for everyone in the vehicle.
Each walking night has its own event
According to The Journal News's 2025 preview, the 2025 debut was scheduled for three nights, Nov. 21 to 23, with a Friday tree lighting, a Saturday Santa Fun Run and mascot race, and local bands on Sunday. This year's version has an extra night, and the headline events have been spread across the days instead of stacked together. The lights, the holiday market, food vendors, live music and children's activities are there all four nights. What changes is the main event.
Thursday, Nov. 19: Opening night
The first night has lights, vendors, food and live entertainment, and no headline event. That makes it the night for people who mainly want to walk through the tunnels and browse the market, with nothing else drawing the crowd.
Friday, Nov. 20: Tree lighting and the Parks Foundation's 50th
Friday has the most going on. The official Christmas tree lighting, the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa displays, and a celebration of the Westchester Parks Foundation's 50th anniversary all fall on this night. The foundation runs Winter Wonderland with Westchester County Parks, so the celebration takes place at the foundation's own biggest fundraiser.
Saturday, Nov. 21: The Santa Fun Run
The Santa Fun Run returns, with runners in holiday outfits. It is the one piece of the 2025 lineup that stays on the same day of the week.
Sunday, Nov. 22: The Mascot Dash
On the last walking night, Mr. and Mrs. Met and Coaster the Dragon from Rye Playland race in a Mascot Dash, along with other mascots. After Sunday, the walkways close to foot traffic. The lights stay dark to the public through Thanksgiving week and come back on Friday, Nov. 27, for drivers only.
Walk-through tickets are sold by time slot, and start times differ by day. Check the official Winter Wonderland site for your night's slots before you build dinner plans around it.
The math changes with group size
NovemberFest tickets are sold per person: $30 for adults and $20 for children under 12, plus booking fees of $3.08 and $2.38 per ticket. Children 3 and under get in free. The drive-thru charges $44 to $65 per car, depending on the date and ticket option.
Here is how that works out for a few common groups, using the published prices and fees:
| Group | NovemberFest walk-through, with fees | Drive-thru, one car |
|---|---|---|
| One adult | $33.08 | $44 to $65 |
| Two adults | $66.16 | $44 to $65 |
| Two adults, one child age 3 or under | $66.16 | $44 to $65 |
| Two adults, two children ages 4 to 11 | $110.92 | $44 to $65 |
| Two adults, three children ages 4 to 11 | $133.30 | $44 to $65 |
For a single adult, walking costs less than the cheapest car ticket. For two adults, walking costs slightly more than even the top drive-thru price. A family of four with school-age children pays more than $110 to walk and at most $65 to drive.
What the extra money buys is time and access. The drive-thru takes about 30 to 60 minutes per car. On foot, you get the market, the food, the music and that night's headline event. On a per-person ticket, the walk-through makes the most sense for small groups, toddlers who get in free, and anyone who wants to be there for the tree lighting or the Mascot Dash.
The same displays, seen two ways
The lights are designed by two Peekskill companies, Eclectic Precision and Dark Tech Effects. The display includes two 100-foot light tunnels, a 125-foot LED wall showing animated northern lights, and a Festivus pole based on "Seinfeld." Other returning displays include the 175-foot Transporter Tunnel with its stargate-style centerpiece, Rudolph's Runway lined with lit tubes, Candy Cane Lane, a 50-foot Peace Dove surrounded by glowing angels, and a 40-foot Christmas tree with dancing trees and lit snowballs.
The NovemberFest walk-through is the only time you can stand inside the Transporter Tunnel or stop at the Peace Dove for as long as you like.
The drive-thru has its own extras. Drivers tune the car radio to holiday music, and the free OtoCast app plays stories about the light sculptures as you pass them. Santa appears along the route with his elves, Fred, Albert and the newest one, Snowball the Elf. The drive-thru runs rain or shine. In December, a heated car is a real advantage at an exposed plaza below a dam.
Where the ticket money goes
All ticket proceeds go to the Westchester Parks Foundation. According to the Exploreist, the money supports the foundation's work on about 18,000 acres of county parks, trails and open space.
This year that work has an anniversary attached. In a partner article in Westchester Magazine, the foundation says its year-long 50th-anniversary celebration began at a Sept. 16 gala at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. It also says it has invested more than $25 million in county parks and that its volunteers have given more than 70,000 hours. As part of the anniversary, the foundation is installing markers in popular parks that describe the projects it has funded, and it is asking residents to share their park memories. The Friday, Nov. 20 celebration at Kensico Dam is that same anniversary year showing up at the foundation's most visible event.
Westchester Medical Center Health Network is NovemberFest's founding sponsor. Con Edison, Robison and Iona Preparatory School are also sponsors. At checkout, you can add donations to Camp Morty, the foundation's free summer camp for eligible Westchester children, and to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
Getting to Valhalla in November
Kensico Dam Plaza is at 1 Bronx River Parkway in Valhalla, and NovemberFest and drive-thru tickets are both sold through the official site. If you drive north through Scarsdale, plan around road work in November. The New York State Department of Transportation announced that State Route 22 would be cut to one lane in each direction between Murray Hill Road and Fenimore Road for construction. The work was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, and run through the end of November, which covers all four NovemberFest nights.
Tickets for both formats have been on sale since Oct. 15, and every walk-through slot falls between Thursday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 22.
At The CS Organization, we follow Westchester's seasonal calendar as closely as its deal flow, because events like the one at Kensico Dam are part of what owners and buyers weigh in each town. If you own property in the county and want to know how it would stand on the market this winter, request a valuation or schedule a consultation with our team.
