Thursday, October 1, 2026
Lynbrook’s annual Wonderland of Lights celebration won’t look any different than years’ past in terms of eye candy, but the village’s popular holiday event planned for Dec. 19 will feature one major change due to Covid-19 safety guidelines.
Replacing the horse and wagon ride through illuminated Greis Park will be a parade of vehicles, as the Wonderland of Lights shifts to a drive-thru only version for 2020. The event is open to Lynbrook residents only and registration is required at lynbrook.recdesk.com.
“We did something similar for Halloween and received a lot of positive feedback,” Mayor Alan Beach said. “We are staggering times for the Wonderland of Lights so the line of cars doesn’t get too backed up. The line was about half-a-mile long for the Halloween drive-thru.”
Ginger Fuentes, an employee at the Lynbrook Village Recreation Center, said the drive-thru will begin at 5 p.m. with the final group of vehicles departing around 9:30 p.m. Santa Claus will be on hand to distribute candy canes to children following an afternoon of doing so throughout the village, beginning at 1 p.m. with an escort from the Lynbrook Fire Department.
The menorah and Christmas tree lightings will be held on Dec. 10 and 12, respectively, at 6:30 p.m., on Stauderman Avenue, between Atlantic and Forest avenues. Both will be socially distant events and masks are required to be worn by all attendees.
“Light Up Lynbrook,” the first annual Christmas house decorating contest, for bragging rights, not prizes, opened this week with voting categories for “Over the Top Outrageous” and “Classic Norman Rockwell.” To register your home, send an email to LRC@lynbrookvillage.com.
The Village of East Rockaway will not be hosting a tree lighting due to Covid-19, but is proceeding with the lighting of the menorah on Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m. lighting takes place in front of Village Hall, at 376 Atlantic Ave.
