As of this morning, Monday, October 12, you can no longer drive into Fort Zumwalt Park. The city has started limited access so Parks & Recreation crews and local community organizations can set up Celebration of Lights. A small amount of parking stays open at the front entrance. You can still walk the grounds and fish, but The Fort disc golf course and the playground are closed. Crews will be setting up displays and moving large equipment around the park. The notice still gives the reopening as "January 2026, dependent on weather," which looks like last season's year left in place, so check the city's page for the updated date.
Through the holidays, O'Fallon's most-visited park follows a holiday schedule. The schedule is built around five nights when no cars are allowed. Those five nights decide when the Holiday Stroll happens, when the city train runs, which tickets work on which dates, and which lot you park in. Once you know where the five nights fall, the rest of the schedule is easy to plan around.
What the Park Is When It Isn't the Lights
According to the city, Fort Zumwalt Park covers 48 acres. Lake Whetsel, a 3.5-acre lake, sits in the middle of it. The lake was made in the 1970s by damming a spring on the property, and it's named for Ed Whetsel, a Parks Board member who pushed for it early on. The city calls the lake one of the most visited spots in O'Fallon. The Heald Home and Zumwalt's Fort stand on the west side of the park. The Fort, the city's first and only disc golf course, runs 18 holes through the park and is free for open play.
The city's Homestead Days page lists monthly tour dates at the Heald Home and Zumwalt's Fort from June 14 through October 11, so no dates remain on it this fall. The city's fall hayrides through Fort Zumwalt Park are scheduled from October 8 to 25. They need at least two weeks' notice, and the city's reservation system lists every session after today as full.
So for now, the park is open on foot and closed to cars. Walkers and anglers at Lake Whetsel lose very little until late November. Disc golfers lose the course.
Where The Fort's Regulars Can Throw in the Meantime
The Fort is the only disc golf course inside O'Fallon city limits, so the nearest substitutes are in neighboring cities. Here are the closest options that UDisc and local park departments list as free to play:
| Course | Location | Holes | Distance from Fort Zumwalt Park, per UDisc |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Meadows/SCCC | St. Peters, on a college campus | 18 | About 4.2 miles |
| Laurel Park | St. Peters, public park | 9 | Not listed |
| Quail Ridge | Wentzville, public park | 18 | About 6.8 miles |
| McNair Park | St. Charles, public park | 18 | Not listed |
UDisc ranks one course called Homefield closer than any of these, but it labels the land as private. Check access before you go. McNair Park's course is open during regular park hours.
The Season Opens November 27, and Five Nights Belong to No Car
Celebration of Lights runs nightly from Friday, November 27, through Wednesday, December 30, 2026. Drive-through hours are 6 to 9 p.m. The display started in 1991. Local organizations, churches and businesses design and pay for each scene, and the city says it draws more than 13,000 vehicles a year.
The city says the display "is closed to vehicles on November 30, December 6, 7, 8, and 14," and the whole display is closed on Christmas Day.
On a 2026 calendar, all five of those nights fall on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Three of the season's five Mondays are among them. Here is what the city schedules on each.
| Date | Day | What happens instead of cars |
|---|---|---|
| November 30 | Monday | City train rides |
| December 6 | Sunday | Old-Fashioned Holiday Stroll |
| December 7 | Monday | Old-Fashioned Holiday Stroll |
| December 8 | Tuesday | Old-Fashioned Holiday Stroll |
| December 14 | Monday | City train rides |
| December 25 | Friday | Entire display closed |
The train is limited to those two Mondays. Rides leave every 30 minutes from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. Each car costs $85 and holds up to five adults and five children. Train riders enter from Plackemeier Drive. If a weeknight drive-through is the family tradition, those two Mondays are the ones the train claims.
Three Ticket Types, Three Different Rules
Every way of seeing the lights needs advance planning, but each kind of ticket works differently. Mixing up the rules is the easiest way to show up on the wrong night.
- Drive-through tickets cost $18 per car, $40 per van and $65 per bus. You buy them ahead of time, and no reservation is needed. You can use a ticket on almost any evening through December 30, except the dates in the table above. Each ticket is good for one visit, and sales are final. The FAQ also says you can't get out of your car to take photos.
- Specialty rides need reservations, and the city asks that you book at least two weeks ahead when you can. Heated, enclosed trolleys run Thursday through Sunday, except December 6, at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Extra trolley nights are added on December 21, 22 and 23. Seats cost $18, and each trolley holds 30 people. Tractor-pulled hayrides run Monday through Thursday, except December 7, 8 and 24. They cost $165 for up to 20 riders.
- Holiday Stroll tickets cost $10 per person, and children 2 and under get in free. Each ticket is good only on the date printed on it. The FAQ puts it plainly: Monday tickets "must be used on Monday."
The ride schedules are set up so they rarely overlap. Trolleys handle the weekends and hayrides handle weeknights. On stroll nights, neither one runs. Specialty rides cannot be refunded or credited within seven days of the reserved ride. If you cancel earlier, the city charges a service fee of $5 or 10%, whichever is greater.
Where You Park Depends on What You Booked
Drive-through visitors stay in their cars on the route. Everyone else gets parking instructions tied to what they booked:
- Trolley riders park at Alligators Creek Aquatic Center, 403 Civic Park Dr. The city asks riders to arrive 15 minutes early for loading.
- Hayride and train riders enter Fort Zumwalt Park from Plackemeier Drive. The city recommends carpooling for hayrides because parking is limited.
- Holiday Stroll guests use free parking and shuttles at Fort Zumwalt West High School, 1251 Turtle Creek Dr. The city says parking is offered "ONLY" at that location.
That last rule matters most on the busiest nights. The city says the stroll draws about 5,000 people each night. First Alert 4 reported in 2024 that the stroll attracts more than 15,000 people.
What Changes When the Park Goes Pedestrian
From 6 to 8:30 p.m. on December 6, 7 and 8, the drive-through route turns into a walking path. Fireworks go off over Lake Whetsel at 7 and 7:45 p.m. each night, and each show lasts about five minutes. The city lists holiday music and a visit from Santa. O'Fallon-based nonprofits sell food and gifts.
The stroll page also lists what's allowed:
- Strollers, wagons, walkers and wheelchairs are welcome.
- Pets are not allowed, except service dogs.
- Hoverboards, kids' scooters, bikes and skateboards are not allowed.
- The event is held rain or shine.
The only uncertain piece of the 2026 schedule is when stroll tickets go on sale. The main listing says Monday, November 2, and the FAQ on the same page says November 3. The page also says its dates, times and prices are subject to change for 2026, and that 2025 tickets won't work this year. Stroll tickets are tied to a single date, so being on time matters for whichever night you want.
A few dates are worth adding to your calendar now. Stroll tickets should go on sale November 2 or 3. If you want a trolley or hayride, book about two weeks before your chosen date. The lights come on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The park itself stays a walking-only space with limited front-entrance parking until crews take the displays down and the city reopens it.
Holiday seasons in O'Fallon tend to bring visiting family, house guests and, for some households, plans for the year ahead. If yours include selling or moving in 2027, Colleen and Team can tell you what your home is worth in today's St. Charles County market before the lights go dark at Fort Zumwalt Park. Request your free home valuation and start the new year knowing where you stand.