At a September 29 meeting of Noblesville's Board of Public Works, Parks and Recreation Director Savannah Wines said the new holiday display would "take the place of the Federal Hill Commons Ice Rink." She also said it would bring families and groups to Forest Park "at a time of year most people normally would not visit." The board's meeting minutes record the decision in one paragraph. That paragraph changes where Noblesville spends its winter evenings. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, the place to go on any December night is the north side of town, along the park's trails, and it costs nothing.
What the board approved
The display is called the Gaylor Electric Forest of Lights. The board approved a services agreement with Winterland, Inc. to build it. The minutes list an initial cost of $199,298. After that, the city expects $3,000 to $5,000 a year for storage and about $10,000 a year in labor for setup, repairs and maintenance. Wines told the board that Gaylor Electric is a financial sponsor for the event's next five years. The Parks Department will store the displays between seasons, and she hopes to add to them each year. She called 2026 "the starting point."
Those numbers make this a long-term plan. A five-year sponsor, displays the city owns, and a budget built around storing them all point to the same thing. For the foreseeable future, this is the city's main winter attraction.
The rink it replaces, compared
The Ice Plaza opened at Federal Hill Commons on Nov. 24, 2017, during the plaza's first winter. Current in Noblesville reported that the first rink measured about 50 by 80 feet. Last season ran on the schedule in the city's 2025 holiday events announcement.
| Ice Plaza, 2025 season | Forest of Lights, 2026 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Federal Hill Commons, downtown | Forest Park |
| Run | Nov. 22 to Jan. 6 | Nov. 27 to Dec. 31 |
| Weekday hours | 5 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. daily |
| Weekend hours | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. daily |
| Cost | $13 with skate rental; $90 season pass | Free, with free parking |
| Presenting name | Ascension St. Vincent Hospital Fishers | Gaylor Electric |
Two changes in that table matter for planning. A family of four paid $52 for one rink visit last winter, and the lights cost them nothing. But the weekend daytime hours are gone. The rink opened at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Forest of Lights opens at 5 p.m. every day, so it only works as an evening outing. The season is also shorter. It ends on New Year's Eve, while the rink stayed open through the first week of January.
What will be lit, and where to park
The city's event listing describes an illuminated walking trail with light displays and holiday decor. It says the display stays lit every night of the run and that parking at Forest Park is free. The minutes give more detail than the listing:
- Light displays will run along some of the park's trails and around the playground.
- The mini golf course will be open and decorated.
- Lawn displays will follow the trails so they can be seen on foot.
- Temporary sidewalks will go in wherever an existing path is not ADA accessible.
This year, plan to walk it. Wines said the goal is for visitors to walk through the park. She said some displays may be visible from cars in future years, which leaves the 2026 version as a walk-through. The golf course was considered, but it has no electrical connections for lighting, so it stays dark. Hamilton County Tourism lists the park at 701 Cicero Rd.
The railroad turns one walk into a full evening
The walking trail is one part of what's happening at Forest Park. In the same September meeting, Wines told the board that the Nickel Plate Express would run its Christmas rail bikes during the same weeks, with Christmas lighting along parts of the railway.
The operator calls the ride the Holiday Lights Railbike Adventure. Riders check in at Santa's House in Forest Park, pedal toward downtown Noblesville, and come back. The route passes holiday lights, including a 60-foot light tunnel, and riders get hot chocolate and a cookie at the turnaround. A single seat costs $24.95, and a quad bike for up to four costs $89.95. The whole outing takes about an hour, with 10 to 15 minutes of riding each way. Indy's Child gives the check-in address as 825 Forest Park Drive and lists departures at 5:15, 6:30, 7:45 and 9 p.m. The operator's booking calendar shows evening departures from Dec. 3 through Dec. 23 and from Dec. 26 through Dec. 30, with no rides on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Those times line up with the light display. A family can book the 5:15 ride, be back at Santa's House a little after 6, and still have most of the 5-to-9 window left to walk the trail. A quad bike plus a free walk costs $89.95 for four people. Last winter, four rink admissions cost $52, and that didn't include a second activity.
The Nickel Plate Express also runs holiday trains this season. Its train rides page lists these:
- Reindeer Express, from $95. It's a 75-minute family ride with Santa, seasonal music, a cookie and a letter-to-Santa activity.
- Holiday Cheers, a 21+ ride on Dec. 2, 3, 9 and 10. Tickets are $55.
- Holiday Trivia, a 21+ ride on the same four dates. Tickets are $64, or $240 for a private table for four.
- Murder at Gatsby's Gala, a New Year's Eve murder mystery on Dec. 31, from $89.
Twelve activation nights, set against the downtown calendar
The display is lit every night, but Santa, hot chocolate and seasonal activities only come on what the city calls activation days. Hamilton County Tourism lists twelve of them. Most fall on Fridays and Saturdays, and the last six run in a row right before Christmas. Downtown still has its own holiday events, and several of them fall on the same nights:
| Date | Forest Park | Downtown that day |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Opening night, activation | |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Activation | Small Business Saturday, all day |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Activation | First Friday: Deck the Downtown, 4 to 8 p.m.; Lights Over Seminary lighting at 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Activation | Gaylor Electric Holiday in Lights Parade, 6:30 to 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Activation | |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Activation | Noblesville Main Street Holiday Market at City Hall, 16 S. 10th St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Dec. 18 to 23 | Activation all six nights |
Gaylor Electric sponsors both the Forest Park display and the parade, and on Dec. 5 they compete for the same hours. The parade runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and the park closes at 9. Seeing both that night means a short visit to the park after the parade, or skipping one of them.
The Holiday Market is the easiest pairing. It closes at 4 p.m. and the park lights come on at 5, so the Dec. 12 activation night fits right after the market. Dec. 4 is the busiest night of the season. Downtown merchants stay open until 8, the Lights Over Seminary display at Seminary Park, 350 S. 10th St., lights up at 6, and there's an activation night at Forest Park.
Lights Over Seminary also gives downtown a nightly display of its own. After the lighting, Seminary Park stays lit from 5 to 11 p.m. every night through December. That's two hours later than Forest Park, so anyone who reaches Cicero Road after 9 can still see lights downtown.
The six activation nights from Dec. 18 through 23 run Friday through Wednesday, the week schools let out, and the railbikes run on every one of them. For households hosting relatives that week, the Forest Park parking lot covers a free walk, a chance to see Santa, and an hour on the rails without driving anywhere else.
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