Westchester's Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Opens For Holiday Season

VALHALLA, NY — Westchester’s Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Holiday Light Extravaganza returned to Kensico Dam Plaza Friday with thousands more lights, a second light tunnel and a new live character — Snowball the Elf.

To open the attraction and to help light the tree, the Westchester Parks Foundation enlisted a special child from the community.

Iyana Gilzene, 12, of White Plains, helped throw the switch. The seventh grader at Highland Middle School received a kidney transplant in September at Westchester Medical Center Health Network Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.

The celebration of holiday lights takes place through Dec. 31.

The 1.2-mile drive-thru experience is filled with thousands of lights and includes elves, glittering angels of peace, a 50-foot dove, glowing snowballs, a candy cane lane and a 40-foot Christmas tree.

This year’s event will have extra early time slots available at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The end times vary per night.

Tickets are $35 per vehicle.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Westchester Parks Foundation and allow the organization to advocate for and invest in the preservation, conservation, use and enjoyment of 50 parks, trails and open spaces within the Westchester County Parks system.

When purchasing tickets, guests may donate additional funds to the foundation to help expand its Camp Morty program for disenfranchised youth along with the Westchester Medical Center Health Network Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go here.