The Urbandale Public Library parking lot on 86th Street is the starting point for most of the city's holiday season this year. Between this Saturday and early January, the block around Urbandale Public Library has a model train show, a tree lighting with the Mayor and City Council, a food drive, a candy cane hunt, Santa with live reindeer, an outdoor ice rink and a light display that runs every night for six weeks.
The light display is the reason this block matters more than it used to. Miracle on 86th Street fills Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park, next to the library, with more than 100,000 lights this season, according to Des Moines Parent's 2026 guide. In late 2024 and late 2025, local TV coverage put the count at more than 50,000. In four seasons, the display has grown into the center of the city's holiday calendar on that block.
A display that roughly doubled in four seasons
The display debuted in 2022 with about 50,000 lights. It stayed close to that size for a while. When WHO 13 covered it in December 2024, the station described more than 50,000 lights, ornament displays, a custom train, a gingerbread house and a skating rink at Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park. A year later, KCCI's report on the November 2025 lighting still said more than 50,000 lights and dozens of displays, with free cocoa and the lights staying up through the end of the year.
The 2026 count of more than 100,000 is the biggest change since the display opened. Some familiar pieces are still in place. The 2026 guide lists a large custom-built train that kids can climb aboard, oversized ornament displays, a gingerbread house, a sleigh for family photos and plenty of other photo spots.
The season is longer, too. Last year KCCI reported the lights would stay up through year-end. This year the display runs every day from Nov. 24, 2026, through Jan. 6, 2027, so it keeps going into the first week of January.
Why the location does so much of the work
The park sits at 3400 86th Street, the address the city used for the 2025 lighting celebration at Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park and Gardens. The display is free and walk-around, and the guidance for visitors is to park in the Urbandale Public Library lot.
From that one lot, a family can stop inside for a library program, walk next door once it's dark, and on the right afternoon skate first. The community ice rink is just south of the library and open dawn to dusk. It uses a flag system: green means the ice is safe to skate, and red means it's closed. Since the rink closes at dusk and the lights look best after sunset, around 5 p.m. this time of year, one visit can cover both.
The calendar, in order
Here is how the season on the 86th Street block looks from publish day forward, with Family Christmas at Living History Farms included.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 12, 6–7 p.m. | Tween & Teen DIY Gifts | Urbandale Public Library | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Des MoiNTRAK Model Train Display | Urbandale Public Library | Not listed |
| Mon., Nov. 23–Sun., Nov. 29 | Food Drive + Fine Forgiveness | Urbandale Public Library | Donation |
| Tue., Nov. 24, 5:30 p.m. | Flip the Switch! Tree Lighting | Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park | Free |
| Nov. 24–Jan. 6, nightly | Miracle on 86th Street lights | Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5, noon–3 p.m. | Family Christmas | Living History Farms | $12 advance |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt, ages 1–8 | Giovannetti Community Shelter | Registration required |
| Fri., Dec. 18, 4–6 p.m. | Santa and Reindeer | Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park | Free |
Before the lights: the library's November
The library starts the season early. Tonight, Thursday, Nov. 12, Urbandale Public Library has Tween & Teen DIY Gifts from 6 to 7 p.m. This Saturday, Nov. 14, the Des MoiNTRAK Model Train Display runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have a young train fan, this weekend's model layouts and the climb-aboard train in the park later in the month make an easy pair.
The library's Food Drive + Fine Forgiveness runs Monday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 29, the same week the lights come on. Fresh or non-perishable food and new, full-sized personal-care items can be applied toward overdue fines. Donations go to the Urbandale Food Pantry and the library's Community Fridge. If an overdue book has been sitting in the car, this is the week to return it with a bag of groceries.
Lighting night
The Mayor and City Council flip the switch at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, two days before Thanksgiving. The event is free and includes hot cocoa and cookies, and guests can walk the park once the lights are on. The lighting has been on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving before. In 2025 it fell on Nov. 25 with the same 5:30 start. Families who will have guests in town for Thanksgiving can plan around it.
December on the block
The two December events at the park are both on Friday nights. On Friday, Dec. 11, the Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt sends kids ages 1 to 8 around the Giovannetti Community Shelter with a bag and a flashlight to find candy canes and candy left there. Registration is required for the child only, a parent has to come along, and the whole event is outdoors, so dress for the weather.
A week later, on Friday, Dec. 18, Santa and a few of his reindeer are at Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park from 4 to 6 p.m. It's free and doesn't require registration. Arriving close to 4 p.m. puts the photos in daylight, and staying until 5 lets you see the lights come on.
For kids who won't make it to the park, the city's $5 Letter from Santa for ages 9 and under is mailed with Santa's return address on the envelope and arrives about a week before Christmas. It works for nieces, nephews and grandkids wherever they live.
Away from the block: Living History Farms
Urbandale's other big holiday event is a ticketed afternoon at Living History Farms. Family Christmas is Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon to 3 p.m. Activities include crafts, carols, stories, cookie decorating, parlor games, a photo with Santa, visits to the Flynn Mansion and other historic buildings, and horse-drawn wagon rides if the weather allows.
Advance admission is $12, or $11 for members. At the door it's $13, or $12 for members. Children under 2 get in free either way. Buying ahead is a small saving, and it also matters because the museum is on limited winter hours, open select Saturdays from November through April, with programs by reservation.
The two events fit together well. Family Christmas ends at 3 p.m., about two hours before the lights on 86th Street look their best. That leaves time for an early dinner before heading to the display.
Planning your visits
- Parking: Use the Urbandale Public Library lot for the display, the rink and the shelter.
- Timing: Visit after sunset, around 5 p.m., on any night from Nov. 24 through Jan. 6.
- Skating: Check the rink's flag before you lace up. Green means open and red means closed.
- Registration: Only the Dec. 11 candy cane hunt requires it. Sign up through the City of Urbandale's Miracle on 86th Street page, which also posts the city's final times.
- Tickets: Living History Farms' Family Christmas costs $1 less if you buy in advance.
If you're thinking about where your family wants to spend future holiday seasons, whether that means being close to the lights on 86th Street or having room for a farm-style Christmas of your own, the Knickerbocker Real Estate Team is happy to talk it through with you, with no pressure. Contact Us whenever you're ready.
