Painting with Lights in Oskaloosa

When the sun goes down, the town square in Oskaloosa, Iowa turns into one of the best holiday lights displays in the state.

For 2024, the lighting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Nov 18th at 6pm. Downtown lights will then run every evening approx 5pm and 11pm thru early Janruary.

It was proposed and designed by local landscaper Dan Brice. He originally proposed the idea back in 2013 and it became reality in 2016. On the exterior of the storefronts, steel cables are run vertically every 6 inches.

Location: Town Square in Oskaloosa, Iowa

The strands of lights are up to 50 feet long and are connected to wireless outlets that enable Dan to control the entire display with his iPhone!

In total, there are now over 250,000 led lights decorating the storefronts and the town square. It takes a 6 person crew three weeks to install the lights.

All photos by Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip