There will be no boughs of holly at Connecticut’s Lake Compounce Park.
Considered the nation’s first amusement park, Lake Compounce ended its Holiday Lights seasonal event in 2025, after 13 years.
More than 700,000 lights were on display, along with other holiday-themed activities and rides.
The event was a finalist in USA Today’s list of top holiday events at theme parks.
Park officials and its parent company Herschend Family Entertainment, which also owns the Pittsburgh area’s Kennywood, never publicly disclosed why Holiday Lights was discontinued. Holiday Lights at Kennywood, which debuted in 2011, continues in 2026.
“Lake Compounce should not get rid of it. It’s for the kids and family fun,” Anthony Thibeault told The Hartford Courant in a Dec. 21, 2025, story. “Now with malls closing where can you bring kids to see Santa Claus? It’s a Christmas tradition at Lake Compounce and family friendly.”
In that story, the park’s marketing director deflected when asked whether Holiday Lights could return in the future: “We continue to evaluate our event offerings each season and look forward to sharing more about future additions to our lineup,” Meg Forno told the newspaper.
As of 2026, Herschend hosts holiday-themed events at Dollywood with Smoky Mountain Christmas, Kennywood’s Holiday Lights, Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom, An Olde Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City Theme Park and Christmas Wild & Bright at Wild Adventures.
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