Christmas Light Installation in Davis Islands
Professional Christmas and holiday light installation for Davis Islands homes, from the 1920s Mediterranean Revival houses on Adalia Avenue and Columbia Drive to the modern waterfront builds along the canal. Design, installation, in-season support, and takedown, all handled by a local Tampa crew based about four miles away.
Davis Islands is one of the best places in Tampa to see a holiday display done properly. The island works as one continuous street scene. You come over the bridge at Davis Boulevard, the road narrows, the oaks and palms close in, and every house is on show. When one roofline goes up on Adalia Avenue or Blanca Avenue, the rest of the block notices by the weekend.
Tampa Twinkles is based at 1407 W Chestnut St, Tampa, FL 33607, roughly ten minutes from the bridge outside of rush hour. That proximity matters more than it sounds on an island with one way on and one way off. If a strand goes dark in the second week of December, we are not fighting across the county to get to you.
What lighting a Davis Islands home actually involves
Davis Islands was dredged out of Hillsborough Bay in the 1920s by D.P. Davis, and the original Mediterranean Revival houses are still the signature of the island. Barrel tile roofs, stucco parapets, arched entries, and deep eaves all look spectacular lit, and all of them need a different approach than a standard asphalt shingle roof.
- Tile roofs never get a nail or a staple. We work with all-weather clips sized to the tile and the eave, so nothing is fastened into the roof and nothing is left behind in January.
- Parapets and flat-front stucco need the line set carefully, because there is no gutter edge to hide behind. Done right, the light reads as a clean architectural outline rather than a strand of bulbs.
- The island is architecturally mixed. A 1926 original sits next to a 1950s ranch, which sits next to a new two-story waterfront build. We design per house, not per template.
- Mature oaks and royal palms are everywhere, and they are often the best feature on the lot. Wrapped trunks and lit canopies do more for a Davis Islands property than adding more roofline.
- Salt air and open water wind. We use commercial-grade LED strands and weather-rated connections, because anything facing the bay takes more abuse over a season than an inland install.
What we light on Davis Islands
- Rooflines, eaves, and parapets on tile, shingle, and flat-front stucco
- Palms and oaks, wrapped trunks and lit canopies
- Waterfront elevations designed to read from the street and from the water
- Arched entries, columns, and covered porches
- Hedges, walkways, and driveway approaches
- Wreaths, garland, and front-door displays
Most island displays start with a crisp lit roofline and add wrapped trees, wreaths, and garland from there. You can see how that combination comes together in our lighting gallery.
Waterfront and dock-side displays
A large share of Davis Islands homes face water, whether that is the canal, the channel, the Seaplane Basin, or the open bay near Marjorie Park. Those houses have two audiences, and most lighting companies only design for one of them.
From the street, the display needs to hold its own against the neighbors. From the water, it needs to be legible at distance, which usually means fewer, bolder lines rather than fine detail. We plan the rear elevation, seawall, and dock lighting as its own piece of the design, so the house looks finished from a boat coming back in at dusk, not just from the driveway.
Lighting for East Davis Boulevard businesses
The village along East Davis Boulevard is the commercial heart of the island, and a lit storefront pulls a lot of weight in December when the whole neighborhood walks and drives through it daily. We handle commercial Christmas light installation for shops, cafes, offices, and professional practices, scheduled early in the morning so we are finished and out before the lunch traffic builds.
Why Davis Islands homeowners choose Tampa Twinkles
- We are genuinely local. Our shop is at 1407 W Chestnut St, Tampa, FL 33607, about four miles from the Davis Boulevard bridge, so scheduling and in-season fixes are straightforward.
- Full service, start to finish. We design the display, install it, keep an eye on it through the season, take it down, and store it for next year.
- No damage to the house. No staples, no nail holes, no adhesive on stucco. Clips only, removed cleanly at takedown.
- We bring the lights. Commercial-grade LEDs, brighter and far more durable than retail strands, sized and cut to your home.
- Homes and businesses. Residential displays across the island plus storefronts in the village.
How installation works on Davis Islands
Every project runs the same way, and it is deliberately simple on your end:
- 1. Walkthrough and design. We look at the house, the trees, and the sightlines from the street and water, then put a plan and a fixed price in front of you.
- 2. Custom fabrication. Strands are measured and cut to your rooflines before we arrive, so install day is quick.
- 3. Installation. One crew, one van, parked in your driveway rather than blocking the street. Island roads are narrow and busy with pedestrians, cyclists, and golf carts, so we keep the work area tight and tidy.
- 4. In-season support. If something goes dark or a strand takes a hit in a storm, we come back and fix it. That is included.
- 5. Takedown and storage. Everything comes down in January, gets labeled, and is stored ready for next season.
When to book your Davis Islands install
Early, and earlier than most people expect. Island installs cluster tightly, because once a few displays go up the rest of the street tends to follow within two weeks. The dates that go first are the ones just before Thanksgiving, which is when most Davis Islands homeowners want their lights live. Booking in late summer or early fall is how you get the date you actually want instead of the one that is left. For the full picture, read when to book Christmas light installation in Tampa.
Services we offer on Davis Islands
- Christmas & holiday light installation
- Residential Christmas light installation
- Commercial Christmas light installation
- Roofline lighting
- Tree & wreath lighting
Getting to you on Davis Islands
From our shop at 1407 W Chestnut St, it is east on Kennedy Boulevard, south along Bayshore Boulevard, then left onto Davis Boulevard and over the bridge past Tampa General. Ten minutes on a normal day. We cover the whole island, from the north end near the hospital down past the village, the tennis complex, and the marina to the southern streets near Peter O. Knight Airport.
Tampa Twinkles LLC · 1407 W Chestnut St, Tampa, FL 33607 · 813-590-3332
Frequently asked questions
Do you install Christmas lights on Davis Islands?
Yes. We cover the entire island, both the north and south sides, including the streets off Davis Boulevard such as Adalia, Columbia, Blanca, Corsica, Aegean, and Adriatic, plus the waterfront and canal-front homes.
Will the clips damage my tile roof?
No. We do not use staples, nails, or adhesive. Lights are held with all-weather clips selected for your roof and eave type, and everything comes off cleanly at takedown with nothing left in the tile or stucco.
Can you light a two-story or hard-to-reach house?
Yes. Two-story rooflines, high gables, parapets, and tall palms are routine work for us. That is the main reason most people stop doing it themselves.
Can you wrap the palms and oaks?
Absolutely, and on Davis Islands it is often the highest-impact part of the display. Wrapped trunks and lit canopies work beautifully with the island's mature tree cover.
Do you light waterfront and dock areas?
Yes. We design the rear elevation, seawall, and dock lighting so the house looks complete from the water as well as the street.
When should I book?
Late summer or early fall. Davis Islands fills up quickly, and the pre-Thanksgiving install dates are the first to go.
Do you take the lights down?
Yes. Takedown is included in every quote, and we store everything labeled and ready for next season.
How much does Christmas light installation cost on Davis Islands?
Every quote is custom, based on the size of the home, the rooflines, and how many trees and features you want lit. The price includes design, installation, in-season support, and takedown, with nothing added afterwards.
Do you provide the lights, or do I?
We provide them. Commercial-grade LED strands are brighter, more consistent in color, and hold up far better through a Florida season than retail strands.
Do you work with businesses on East Davis Boulevard?
Yes. We light storefronts, cafes, and offices in the village, and we schedule those installs early in the morning so trading is not disrupted.
Nearby areas we also serve
Just over the bridge, we light homes throughout the rest of South Tampa and along the bay in Ballast Point. Close by on the mainland, see our Hyde Park page. For a tour of the whole area, see our guide to Tampa's best Christmas light neighborhoods.
Davis Islands is part of our wider South Tampa coverage. See all areas we serve →