Museum Lights Evenings Boost Downtown Activity, Free for Families

The Whitehead Memorial Museum began its Museum Lights series on December 14, welcoming residents to walk the museum grounds and view holiday decorations and light displays. The free program is scheduled for evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on December 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 and 24, and the Del Rio Chamber lists the related events on its public calendar at business.exploredelrio.com/event-calendar.

Earlier in the month, the Chamber calendar also listed Christmas at the Museum on December 12, a food and toy drive that preceded the evening light displays. Museum Lights is presented as a free community event designed to give residents and visitors a chance to enjoy seasonal decorations while supporting downtown and museum foot traffic during the holiday season.

For local families, the series provides low cost activities in the evenings when many people are available to visit downtown. Free admission and compact evening hours make the displays accessible for a broad cross section of the community, including households seeking budget conscious recreation options during the holidays. For downtown merchants and cafes, the additional evening visitors can translate into more pedestrian activity and incremental sales during one of the busiest retail periods of the year.

Public agencies and community groups often use lighted displays and seasonal programming to extend visitation hours for cultural venues, and the Whitehead Memorial Museum is using the Museum Lights evenings to increase visibility for its exhibits and campus. The schedule concentrates events on weekend adjacent dates and the nights before Christmas Eve, which can help spread attendance and reduce peak time congestion.

Residents should consult the Chamber event calendar at business.exploredelrio.com/event-calendar for the exact schedule and any last minute updates. With multiple evenings of lights still planned this month, the museum offers a convenient, family friendly way to celebrate the season while supporting downtown Del Rio.