Macy's Holiday Light Show at Macy's Center City Philadelphia

"A time-honored holiday tradition "

The Macy's Holiday Light Show is one of the most well-known holiday traditions in Philadelphia. Ask any person there over the age of 50 and they'll usually be able to tell you stories of their parents or grandparents taking them to see the light show every year for Christmas when they were young.  The light show began operating in the old Wanamaker building (itself a well-known landmark) in 1956.  It was probably state-of-the-art back then and pretty amazing to see.  Even now it's wild to imagine what kids in the '50s must have thought.

The light show is comprised of about 100,000 LED lights accompanied by Christmas music from the famous Wanamaker organ, the oldest operating pipe organ in the world. It runs every hour, on the hour, from 10am through 8pm, from Black Friday through New Year's Eve. You can view the festive, four-story high light show from various places throughout Macy's for absolutely no cost.  It is usually best during crowded Saturdays or when a lot of people are expected to grab a prime spot early and wait until showtime, but I have enjoyed it from non-peak vantage points before and it's still nice. The holiday figures are brought to life with the lights, and an accompanying story is narrated by Julie Andrews. It's great for kids and adults of all ages and combines nicely with a trip to Philadelphia for shopping, dining or just taking in the sounds and sights of the city during this special time of year. Don't get excited about the store - it's just a Macy's.  Come for the lights.