Opening night at Bentleyville USA 2023

Over 5,000,000 lights at the Bentleyville Tour of Lights were turned on in Duluth on Saturday as the crowd gathered for the opening of their 2023 holiday season. This season marks the 20th year of Bentleyville USA, drawing in crowds from all over the country.

What started as a ‘hobby that got out of control,’ by Nathan Bentley and his family in Esko, has turned into a wonderland of lights enjoyed by thousands each year. The lighting extravaganza moved to Bayfront Festival Park 14 years ago and workers and volunteers begin setting up the displays in September.

Every year one of the big attractions is the 128-foot tall tree at the center.

“Each year when it comes out of storage and marches its way down railroad street, it comes in 340 foot sections” Creater Nathan Bentley told WDIO in October. Bentley says the base is 40 feet in diameter and there are 150,000 LED lights dancing on the tree.

Bentleyville USA was featured in the 2019 episode of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” on ABC.

Bentleyville ‘Tour of Lights’ is free to walk through and parking is $10 per vehicle. It is open from 5:00 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday through December 26, 2023.