Holiday Best
Houston jingles all the way to top-5 status in new list of most festive U.S. cities
Houston really knows how to make merry.
As Houstonians decorate their homes and make plans for festive holiday displays (find them here), we might take for granted that our Yuletide cheer is one of the best in the country.
In fact, one recent study names Houston the No. 4 most festive city in the U.S., with three other Texas cities landing in the top 10 — and one taking the top overall spot.
Thumbtack, an app helping millions of homeowners care for their homes, compiled data from millions of home projects across all 50 states to reveal their list of the Most Festive Cities in the U.S.
The company used data from consumer requests on their platform between January 2022 to November 2022 for holiday lighting installations and removals. Basing their rankings on the relative frequency of such requests adjusted for the population of state and metropolitan areas, four Texas cities made the list, with three in the top five.
The most festive cities in the U.S. based on Thumbtack’s findings are:
- Austin, Texas
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Seattle, Washington
- Houston, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Atlanta, Georgia
- San Francisco, California
- Kansas City, Missouri
- San Antonio, Texas
According to the release, the average cost to hire a holiday lighting pro is $168-$300 and wrapping outdoor trees with holiday lights can cost $60-plus, depending on the type, shape, and height of the tree. So when should you book your holiday lights installation? The second to last week of November (21-27) is the most popular time of year.
“Christmas light installers book very quickly once the holiday season is in gear, so plan to call and schedule your installation as early as possible,” states David Steckel, home expert at Thumbtack, in a release. “Putting up lights is a festive way to decorate your house, but it can also be time-consuming, stressful, and dangerous. Instead of taking the risk of falling off a ladder and spending the holidays on crutches or starting an electrical fire, hire a professional who will go over your options to make your vision come to life and use the right special equipment to hang everything safely and properly."
To read more about the most festive U.S. cities and a list of tips and tricks to save money on home holiday decorations this year, check out the full report at Thumbtack.
Houston was well-represented at the 2026 James Beard Awards Courtesy of HoustonFirst Corporation 