Before you plan your next Christmas light installation in Phoenix, take inspiration from the world’s very best Christmas light displays. This list spans from Copenhagen to Tokyo, and shows beautiful examples of both classical imagery and modern aesthetic. Enjoy!

  • Tivoli Gardens

in Copenhagen, Denmark

The Planenburg Karrusel at the Copenhagen Christmas Market in Tivoli Gardens is a particularly popular attraction. it looks fun and inviting year-round but it really amplifies its fairy tale story book appeal with the 60,000 colored balls, 1,100 Christmas trees, and a whopping 800, 000 Christmas lights!

  • Village De Noel

in Nice, France

Beginning in early December and ending at the beginning of the next year, the Nice Christmas Market is sure to delight visitors in the south of France with its own take on Christmas. It may not be the classical winter wonderland that Christmas is usually associated with, but the palm trees serve as a fine substitute for a typical Christmas tree when the lights go up.

  • Shiodome Shopping Complex

in Tokyo, Japan

This Japanese shopping mall has been dazzling shoppers with beautiful Christmas light displays for years, but last year’s Forest of Spirits was the best one yet! Eight pillars of light filled the area and there was a six minute light show that repeated every twenty minutes. It was something no one should miss. If you did, there is always next year!

  • Dyker Heights

in Brooklyn, New York

This American entry on this list is unique in that it is not a commercially funded and planned Christmas light display – it is an un-official tradition in this neighborhood for homeowners to go all out on these elaborate residential Christmas light installations. This neighborhood has become so famous there are now paid tours during the holidays.

  • Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

in New York City

It just wouldn’t be right to not include this long time favorite in American Christmas light displays. The Norway spruce Christmas tree in Rockefeller center is always at least 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide at the bottom. Reserve your tickets early so you can ice skate underneath the bright, beautiful lights of this massive tree!

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