on the nice list

Dallas sparkles and shines as the 2nd most festive city in the U.S. for 2023

SMU celebrates Christmas with its own festive light display.

Dallas homes, businesses, and special events that go all out to deck their halls for the holidays have not gone unnoticed. Dallas-Fort Worth has been named one of the most festive metro in the United States in two different 2023 reports.

For the second year in a row, a study by home services provider Thumbtack put Dallas at the very top of the nice list in No. 2. The report compiled data from millions of Christmas-related home projects across all 50 states between October 2022 to November 2023 to reveal their list of the most festive cities in the nation.

And while Thumbtack specifically focuses on home holiday projects, Dallasites certainly can glean inspiration from the area's many festive displays, including Addison's Vitruvian Lights, Grand Prairie's Prairie Lights, and The Light Park in Frisco and Arlington.

Texas cities dominated the top 10, with Austin (No. 1) and Houston (No. 3) rounding out the top three most festive American cities. Also on the rise is San Antonio (No. 5), which ranked No. 10 in the 2022 report.

The average cost to hire a holiday lighting specialist, Thumbtack says, is between $168-$300, with other requests like wrapping outdoor trees tacking on an additional cost. If Dallas residents are looking to outsource their exterior home decorating to a specialist, they should probably avoid the last week of November, which is peak time, Thumbtack says. Americans most frequently hang their holiday lights and Christmas decorations during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to the report.

"Whether you’re looking to make your home a brightly lit winter wonderland or simply looking to add a few festive touches to your home’s exterior — sprucing up your home’s exterior with lights is an exciting part of getting into the holiday spirit," said Thumbtack design expert Morgan Olsen in the report. "Hiring a holiday lighting specialist can help you avoid stress (and unwanted injuries) so you can focus on enjoying the season."

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive metros in the U.S. for 2023 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Seattle, Washington
No. 5 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 6 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 7 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 8 – Tampa, Florida
No. 9 – Denver, Colorado
No. 10 – Orlando, Florida

Another "Most Festive U.S. Cities" study by travel experts Travelbag ranked cities based on search volume of festive terms like "Christmas lights" or "Christmas songs." While Dallas didn't nab a top three spot, it still earned No. 6 to remain in the top 10.

More than 780 searches are made for Christmas-related terms in November and December for every 10,000 residents, according to Travelbag's data.

Austin was the only other Texas city to earn a spot in Travelbag's study, claiming the No. 1 spot with 1,206 festive searches being made per 10,000 residents.

christmas rankings reports holidays dallas fort worth

Very Merry news

Dallas climbs up list of best cities to celebrate Christmas

Dallas Arts District with holiday lights

Photo courtesy of Omni Dallas Hotel

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Dallas is on the nice list this holiday season: The city has clambered up on WalletHub's annual ranking of the best cities for celebrating Christmas.

Very merry Dallas is ranked No. 31 on WalletHub's 2024 list, which ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Dallas ranked No. 34 on WalletHub's 2023 report. That's a 3-point increase. Kudos, Dallas.

Here's how the city performed across the study's five main categories:

No. 16 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 21 – Shopping rank
No. 57 – Generosity rank
No. 74 – Costs rank
No. 75 – Observance rank

Dallas can cheer on its place as the third highest-ranked Texas city thanks to its vast array of holiday happenings, including numerous dazzling light displays and neighborhoods throughout town. From local restaurants and bars creating festive feasts and delightful cocktail experiences, to a number of pop-up ice skating rinks, over-the-top attractions, and tall Christmas trees, there are more ways than ever for Dallasites to celebrate.

Dallas households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Dallas household is expected to spend about $1,406 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $943 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

In a separate report by home services provider Thumbtack, Dallas was named the second most festive U.S. city in 2024.

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include Austin (No. 23), San Antonio (No. 30), and Houston (No. 41).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

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