Countdown to
Fantasy of Lights

Season Details

Sunday - Saturday
Dusk until 10:00 p.m.

November 25 through December 26, 2024.
* For this upcoming season, we will turn on the displays during the day for special occasions on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9am to 2pm.

3410 Taft Boulevard
Wichita Falls, Texas 76308

View map with parking details.

Welcome To Fantasy of Lights

The MSU Burns Fantasy of Lights is one of the largest holiday displays of its kind. Its purpose is to provide a festive holiday atmosphere on campus, to serve as an outreach to the community, and to be a focal point for holiday activities in North Texas. The displays are owned and operated by Midwestern State University for the benefit and enjoyment of the Wichita Falls community and surrounding area. The Fantasy of Lights is filled with individual displays that showcase characters from well-known children's stories, fairy tales, and holiday themes. In the late 1920's, the recently married Mr. and Mrs. L.T. Burns celebrated their first Christmas together in their modest home on Tenth Street in Wichita Falls by setting a small Christmas tree on their front porch and decorating it with a single, blue bulb. It was a small gesture, but an extremely meaningful one for the young couple, especially Mr. Burns, who grew up in a family unable to afford such luxuries as Christmas trees.

Our Story

In the late 1920's, the recently married Mr. and Mrs. L.T. Burns celebrated their first Christmas together in their modest home on Tenth Street in Wichita Falls by setting a small Christmas tree on their front porch and decorating it with a single, blue bulb. It was a small gesture, but an extremely meaningful one for the young couple, especially Mr. Burns, who grew up in a family unable to afford such luxuries as Christmas trees.

As the years passed and Mr. Burns became more successful in the oil industry, the couple continued the tradition they began that first Christmas. Each year they set up a display of some kind, and each year the display became a little more elaborate than the year before.

In May 1971 Mrs. Burns, who had brought joy to so many people, died and the display was discontinued. In her will she stipulated that her son could keep the display or leave it to the care of Archer City, where many employees of the Burns estate lived and worked. The display remained in storage for the next three years.

Following the death of Mrs. Burns’ son in 1974, Archer City offered the display to Midwestern State University on the condition that the display be operated free of charge to the public as a memorial to Mrs. Burns. Because MSU did not have the funds necessary to operate and maintain such an enormous project, a nonprofit Fantasy of Lights Committee was formed to raise the thousands of dollars needed to buy paint, equipment, and materials needed to restore the display and prepare for its exhibition during the 1974 Christmas season. A volunteer force of local townspeople, MSU students, faculty and staff, and airmen from Sheppard Air Force Base, spent many long hours repairing and restoring each scene.

On December 4, 1974, after a tremendous undertaking involving hundreds of people, the master switch was thrown and the MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights became a reality.

Facts

200,000

Estimated number of visitors annually

20,000

Number of lights outlining MSU Building

51

Number of lighted, animated scenes

 

Event Calendar

Saturday, October 5th
  1. 9:00 AM Community Work Day - Jan Thacker Fantasy of Lights Workshop
Saturday, November 23rd
  1. 10:00 AM 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
Monday, November 25th
  1. 6:00 PM Opening Ceremony - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
Thursday, December 5th
  1. 6:00 PM W.F. George Middle School Choir, IPCISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
  2. 6:30 PM McNiel Middle School Choir, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
  3. 7:00 PM Tower Elementary School Choir - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
Tuesday, December 10th
  1. 6:00 PM Ben Franklin Elementary School Choir, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
  2. 6:30 PM Memorial High School Jazz Band, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
  3. 7:00 PM Crockett Elementary School Choir, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
Thursday, December 12th
  1. 6:00 PM Barwise Middle School Band, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
  2. 6:30 PM Fain Elementary School Choir, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
  3. 7:00 PM Ben Milam Elementary School Choir, WFISD - MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
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51 Seasons of Tradition...

New scenes are added periodically as finances and circumstances permit. Midwestern State University is fully committed to operating the display in a safe and fiscally responsible manner, one which not only ensures that it will continue to be a source of pride and enjoyment for future generations but also will preserve the vision and selfless sense of community spirit embodied by its founders. Fantasy of Lights is a nonprofit enterprise that relies exclusively on the generous donations and volunteerism of the MSU and Wichita Falls communities. These charitable acts confirm that this unique display belongs to YOU! Therefore, I ask that as you read this website information to please consider donating any amount in order to keep this holiday tradition alive and growing in the years to come!