Christmas in Color is a drive-through holiday light show that ran at NRH2O Family Water Park in North Richland Hills in the 2024 season, from November 21 into early January. No 2025 or 2026 run has been confirmed publicly, so check with NRH2O before you plan a visit.
The short answer
- Christmas in Color ran as a drive-through show at NRH2O in the 2024 season.
- No 2025 or 2026 run has been confirmed, so ask NRH2O before you buy tickets.
- Never staple or nail holiday lights into siding, because the holes can let water in.
- Check the National Weather Service forecast before you climb a ladder in December.
- A pergola is worth building for year-round use, not for a few weeks of lights.
As of November 1, 2026, the most recent documented run of this show in North Richland Hills is the 2024 season. The park’s own website had not announced a new one. This page covers what the show is, how to find out about future seasons, and some plain advice for lighting your own home.
What is Christmas in Color at NRH2O?
It is a drive-through light show. In the 2024 season, local announcements and holiday roundups placed it in the parking lot of NRH2O Family Water Park, 9001 Boulevard 26 in North Richland Hills. Visitors watched from their cars, and holiday roundups described more than a million lights set to music.
The City of North Richland Hills announced a nightly run starting November 21, 2024, with extra nights into early January. Tickets were sold in advance online. The same show format runs in other states, so details such as dates and ticketing differ by location.
Is Christmas in Color returning to NRH2O this year?
Not as far as public sources show. As of November 1, 2026, NRH2O’s website did not mention Christmas in Color or any holiday event, and it was promoting 2027 season passes. That may only mean the page is not updated yet.
Do not buy tickets from a listing you cannot trace back to NRH2O, the City of North Richland Hills or the show’s own organizer. If you want to go, ask the park directly. If it does not return, our post on the Peppa Pig park next door covers another family stop on the same stretch of Boulevard 26.
North Richland Hills has had other holiday displays too. A 2024 roundup by a North Texas public radio station listed a free lights display called Holiday Lights of Hawk Avenue at the NRH Centre, running from late November into early January. Its 2026 dates had not been posted. The city’s own website is the place to look, because a display that ran one year does not always return the next.
How do you hang holiday lights at home without damaging the house?
Use clips made for the surface and never drive staples or nails through siding or trim. A fastener hole in siding is a place for water to get behind it, and you will not see the damage until spring.
- Gutters and roof edges: use clips sized for the gutter or shingle edge.
- Siding: use hooks that grip an edge or a seam, not nails or staples.
- Outdoor cords: use cords and timers rated for outdoor use, and keep plugs off wet ground.
- Ladders: do not climb in wind or on a frosty morning. A North Texas cold front can arrive fast, as the December 2022 freeze showed.
Before you climb, look at the forecast from the National Weather Service Fort Worth office. Our post on water damage behind siding explains what to look for if you suspect a hole has let moisture in.
Does a light show mean you need a pergola?
No. A pergola is an open-roofed frame of posts and beams, and it can carry string lights well, but nobody needs to build one for a few weeks of December. If lights are the only reason, skip the build.
If you do want a frame that holds lights, shade and a seating area all year, a pergola is the usual starting point. In North Richland Hills, a pergola or patio cover may need a permit, so ask the city’s Building Inspections and Permits office before work starts. Many of the city’s homes date from the 1960s through the 1990s, and the ground rolls toward the Big Fossil Creek system, so drainage and the existing patio deserve a look before anything is added.
If a pergola or patio cover is on your list for your own yard, American Eagle Builders, a family-owned exterior remodeler in Arlington, offers free in-home estimates.
Questions we get asked about this
Christmas in Color is a drive-through holiday light show in which visitors stay in their cars while lights move to holiday music. It runs in several states, and each location sets its own dates and ticketing. Check with the local venue and the show’s organizer for details of any given year.
In the 2024 season it was held in the parking lot of NRH2O Family Water Park on Boulevard 26 in North Richland Hills, according to the City of North Richland Hills and local holiday roundups. Plans for 2025 and 2026 had not been posted, so ask the park before you go.
The 2024 run began on November 21, 2024, with extra nights into early January 2025. No 2025 or 2026 dates have been posted by the venue. Check NRH2O’s website or ask the park directly, and be wary of third-party listings that do not trace back to the venue.
In 2024, tickets were sold in advance online, according to local announcements, and visitors stayed in their cars. Because each location sets its own rules, confirm whether tickets are required, how entry works and what time the show runs with NRH2O or the organizer before you drive over.
Use clips made for your gutters, shingles or siding edge, outdoor-rated cords and timers, and do not climb a ladder in wind or on frost. Avoid staples and nails in siding, because the holes can let water in behind it. Check the forecast first.
