30 jaw-dropping holiday light displays from around the world

The walk features 90 lighted holiday trees, more than 70 displays, and 2 million lights that provide festive fun for the whole family. However, this year the trail of lights will be held as a drive-thru event.

Berlin, Germany, also holds multiple Christmas markets that sell artisanal goods, gifts, and traditional foods like roasted almonds, making this city the perfect destination for locals looking to get into the festive holiday spirit. However, this year, all Christmas markets must remain closed until December 22, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In normal times, the historic city center of Bruges is completely transformed with vendors and activities for visitors.

The Lantern Festival holds great significance in Thailand, and Buddhists in the country believe that making a wish before releasing the lantern will make it come true. This year, the festival fell on October 31.

The display is set to feature 2.5 million lights, which are free for the public to view. ZooLights also offers incredible 3D displays, socially distanced photos with Santa, holiday snacks, and gift shopping.

During the Magic Light Festival, which illuminates the Piazza Cavour and Teatro Sociale, images are projected onto historical buildings in a light show that is both beautiful and shares a slice of Italian history.

This year, the city is holding a number of online events instead of the festival's usual programming.

Every year, people can also wander the streets and shop for goods from dozens of vendors. However, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, this year's market will be held online.

The festival is held in memory of the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, which killed 4,571 people in Kobe alone, according to Britannica. However, the event has been canceled for this year.

Each year, the town is completely lit up with lights, and visitors can even hand-deliver their letters to the town's resident Santa at the Rovaniemi Santa Claus Village. If artificial light shows just won't cut it, you can also view the incredible Northern Lights from this area of Finland.

Around Christmas, New Year's, and the other winter holidays, the city's historic shopping district, namely Oxford Street, is completely lit up with beautiful light installations that are sure to amaze any visitor.

The market features dozens of vendors selling decorations, Russian treats and food, and souvenirs. There's also a skating rink for ice skating under the gorgeous lights of the fair.

This year's theme is "Christmas Forest," the same as in 2019, and decorations adorn nine main streets in total, including the famed Calle Larios. Visitors can enjoy the music show and make their way over to the illuminated Christmas tree that stands within the Plaza de la Constitucion.

The festival is considered the oldest in the country, dating back to the 18th century. The tradition started when the priest of the Grand Cathedral of Remedios would hand out spoons and bowls to children, encouraging them to run through the streets to encourage people to come to midnight mass.

Enormous displays of reindeer and pine trees line the city squares, making for a great evening stroll of the city.

The tradition has been going on for over 40 years, and dozens of homes are decked out with over-the-top displays, inflatables, and lights. Many homes opt for a unique theme and even sell hot chocolate and warm churros for visitors.

Glowing window displays at all of the biggest department stores are another big draw for visitors and locals alike year after year.

Traditional foods like prunes, bratwurst, and roasted almonds, toys, crafts, and more are sold. This year, however, the festive tradition is canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ile-de-France and Champs-Elysee attract visitors from all over the world year-round to marvel at these two beautiful examples of French architecture. The area is also aglow with over 400 trees befitted with gorgeous festive lights.

Every year, the city lights a 279-feet-high floating Christmas tree in the center of the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, the largest floating Christmas tree in the world. However, this year the tree will be lit in an all-new location, at the Igreja do Outeiro da Glória church.

Every year, the light show varies slightly, but always features breathtaking light installations and shows along the streets of the beautiful Italian town. This year, the light show has been effectively canceled — only normal Christmas lights will be installed in the plaza this year in order to prevent large crowds from gathering.

The festival includes a light parade filled with different illuminated floats, concerts, and fireworks after dark.

Over the years, the Cheonggyecheon area has become famous for its over-the-top Christmas illuminations, which are themed around a different concept each year.

In 2018, the metropolitan area of Cheonggyecheon was divided into five lit-up sections: Dream, Hwanhee, Santa, Happy, and Hope.

The light display features luminarie light sculptures handmade by Italian craftsmen, a luminarie mirror maze, and Asia's tallest luminarie Christmas tree. Visitors to the installation can walk through the lights, but there's also a virtual edition available no matter where you are in the world.

During the holiday display, businesses and restaurants stay open later, allowing visitors to enjoy the beautiful lights late into the evening while dining or shopping in view of the lit-up buildings. The display carries on into the new year and doesn't end until January 31, 2021.

National Geographic named Medellín as one of the top 10 cities in the world to see holiday lights, and the displays continue to outdo themselves year after year. The display includes color-changing lights that illuminate the river, 28 million LED lights, and stands selling food and drinks.

Each year, images relating to the winter holidays are projected onto the face of the historic St. Mary's Cathedral. The show is usually commenced with a choir performance, and viewers can also enjoy holiday treats like churros and artisan gelato while gazing up at the beautiful light show. However, this year no food vendors will be allowed in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines.

There are multiple installations across the city around the holidays, including Roppongi, which features a display of roughly 190,000 LED bulbs.

While many of this year's light installations have been canceled, some including Marunouchi, Roppongi Hills, and the Tokyo Midtown lights are still going ahead.

Every year, the city puts on a Christmas market in front of Vienna City Hall, which is completely illuminated by lights and installations. However, the market has been canceled this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Warsaw's main Christmas market is located in Castle Square in front of the Royal Castle, in the historic Old Town section of the city. Plus, in addition to being a festive destination, Warsaw's main Christmas market was selected as one of the 15 safest Christmas trips during the coronavirus by European Best Destination.

Two of many of the city's light displays are located at Isezaki Mall and at Yokohama Landmark Tower's Dockyard Garden, where the trees are lit up with gorgeous twinkling lights.

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• 9 unique Christmas traditions from around the world
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