World of Illumination Reindeer Road Review
Crank up the Christmas music and take a drive along Reindeer Road, a magical holiday light display that brings Santa’s Workshop to life. Check out my review of World of Illumination Reindeer Road here.
This festive light show is bursting with synchronized lights displays, popular Christmas music, and plenty of reindeer cheer. Take a drive through this jolly holiday light display for a prancing start to the season!
We visited on opening weekend and couldn’t stop smiling. This is the kind of Christmas fun that turns even grown-ups into kids again! Here’s everything you need to know before visiting World of Illumination’s Reindeer Road this holiday season.
A special thanks to World of Illumination for hosting us at Reindeer Road in Marietta. As always, all opinions are my own.
What is World of Illumination?
World of Illumination is billed as the world’s largest drive-through animated light show. They create uniquely themed drive-through light displays for an unforgettable experience.
They started in 2019 with only two light displays in Arizona. This year, they have 5 different shows in 5 locations including Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.
Each year, they rotate the displays so you can have a new experience. They have themes like Rockin’ Christmas, Enchanted Safari, Cosmic Sleighride, Candy Rush, and Reindeer Road.
Reindeer Road Animated Light Show
World of Illumination’s Reindeer Road is a mile-long animated light show that depicts a trek through snowy mountain scenes, a glacial wonderland, and northern ice caves as you make your way to the heart of the North Pole — Santa’s Workshop.
This year’s Reindeer Road is at Cowabunga Bay Water Park in Henderson, Nevada.
Tickets and Getting There
Tickets cost $39.99 per car on Tuesdays-Thursdays and $49.99 per car on Fridays-Sundays and holidays. You can purchase tickets online and at the gate.
The gates don’t open until 6 p.m. So if you arrive early for your 6 p.m. ticket, you’ll have to sit outside the gates.
From there, you’ll drive through a long lane before coming to a split between ticket holders and those who still need to purchase tickets. For those with tickets, you’ll be directed to one of many lanes to have your ticket scanned for entry.
What You’ll See During Reindeer Road
Once you’ve scanned your ticket, you’ll tune your radio to the specified station, turn off your headlights, and drive at 3 mph through the world’s largest drive-thru animated light show.
Reindeer Road is like a journey to the North Pole. You’ll drive through various winter scenes, like a mountain terrain, ice caves, and forests, and pass reindeer, snowmen, and elves on your way to Santa’s Workshop. Once you’ve reached the Workshop, the displays will change to toys and presents.
All the lights are synchronized to the music on the radio. And the music playing is cool, modern music that the kids will love.
There are only a few songs, so you’ll likely hear them multiple times on your trip through. When the show resets, the lights and music go dark for a few seconds before starting over at the beginning again.
On select nights, Santa sits in a comfy chair in the middle by the giant Christmas trees. He waves and “Ho ho ho’s” while you drive past. Sometimes elves will be there to take his place if Santa is busy in the workshop that night — this is a busy time for him, after all.
Depending on how fast or slow you drive, or how crowded it is when you visit, it can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to go through the light show. It took us about 30 minutes.
Tips for Visiting Reindeer Road
- Weekends and holidays are the busiest times. During the busy season, you can expect longer wait times. Pre-Thanksgiving on a weeknight is probably the best time to go for no wait. (It’s also cheaper!)
- If you really don’t want to wait, book a 6 p.m. ticket. We had only 3 cars in front of us right at 6 p.m.
- There is a bathroom pull-off just before you scan your tickets.
- Since tickets are priced per car, feel free to (safely) pack your car with friends and family and split the cost.
- Please don’t stop in the middle; the slow speed limit gives you plenty of time to enjoy the lights. When you stop, you’re causing the people who haven’t gone through yet to wait even longer.
Reindeer Road 2025 Info
Location: Cowabunga Bay Water Park, 900 Galleria Dr, Henderson, NV 89011
Price: Tickets range from $39.99 to $126.99 depending on the visit date and ticket type.
Dates: Tuesdays through Sundays from November 25, 2025 through January 4, 2026.
Hours: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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Ready to take a vacation? Plan your trip with these tips.
- Find cheap accommodation: Use my tips for finding cheap accommodation for travel every time.
- Book your flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
- Pack for your vacation: Make sure you’ve packed everything you need by checking out my packing list resources.
Cheers!
Paige
Have you experienced World of Illumination Reindeer Road? Let me know what you thought of this drive-thru animated light show in the comments!
Reindeer show looks amazing!!
It was a good one!