10 DFW Holiday Activities to Multiply Your Christmas Magic
Our 2024 DFW Holiday Event Guide
DFW is brimming with holiday spirit and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in North Texas. ‘Tis the season to treasure time spent with loved ones by attending classic cultural events, dazzling light displays, and pop-up holiday-themed restaurants. From timeless traditions to novel immersive experiences, we’ve collected some of the best Christmas events this city has to offer. So, whether you’ve been naughty or nice, savor some hot cocoa and check our thoughtfully curated DFW holiday activities list twice before you embark upon your Christmas adventures.
1. Christmas Parades & Tree Lightings
Dallas Holiday Parade
Dec. 7 | Downtown Dallas
Kick off the holiday season with your family at the annual Dallas Holiday Parade and experience the city’s largest one-day outdoor event. All your favorite characters will accompany marching bands from around DFW, along with festive floats and balloons to usher in the spirit of Christmas. Visit the many surrounding food trucks and restaurants for a snack and stay for the tree lighting.
Klyde Warren Park’s Tree Lighting Celebration
Dec. 7 – 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Klyde Warren Park
As you amble about downtown Dallas, family members young and old will enjoy Christmas activities and entertainment amid life-like snow flurries. From face painting and crafts to holiday performances and food, you’ll have plenty to do as you wait for the sun to set behind the cityscape and witness Klyde Warren Park’s annual Christmas tree lighting. Visit KlydeWarrenPark.org for more information.
2. Ice Skating in DFW
Peace Plaza Ice Rink
Nov. 22 – Jan. 7 | Peace Plaza, Grapevine
Ice skating in Texas? Yes, the city of Grapevine rivals the nostalgia of Rockefeller Center at Peace Plaza with the largest outdoor ice rink in Texas. Presented by Champion Energy Services, this Texas-sized 4,500-square-foot outdoor ice-skating rink on Historic Main Street features a 60-foot Christmas tree that beckons you to lace up your skates like it’s actually winter.
Purchase tickets or rent the rink for your group.
*NEW* Omni Dallas, Ice, Lights and City Nights
Nov. 22 – Jan. 5 | Omni Hotel, Dallas
For the first time ever, Omni Dallas transforms its iconic Pegasus Lawn into a whimsical winter wonderland. Start a new tradition as you skate under the city skyline surrounded by twinkling holiday lights.
3. Christmas Concerts
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Everyone knows that “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” So, gather the family for a musical escapade as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra transforms the Meyerson Symphony Center into a winter wonderland. From Christmas Pops and brass ensembles to acapella vocal stylings and Elf in Concert, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has a little something to put everyone in the Christmas spirit this season.
View the Meyerson holiday concert schedule
4. Holiday Cultural Performances
Black Nativity
Dec. 5 – 22 | Bishop Arts Theatre
The Bishop Arts Theatre proudly presents the 20th year of its holiday favorite, “BLACK NATIVITY,” inspired by Langston Hughes’s iconic 1960 Broadway show. Enjoy hand-clapping, toe-tapping, and finger-snapping performances through Gospel music, dramatic dance, and Biblical narrative in this heartwarming retelling of the Nativity story.
The Nutcracker
Nov. 29 – Dec. 29 | Winspear & Bas Performance Hall
Revel in the romantic Christmas symphony of sweets as The Texas Ballet Theater presents the beloved ballet, “The Nutcracker”. With performances at both the Winspear in Dallas and Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall, you can enjoy artistic choreography by Ben Stevenson, O.B.E. set to the legendary music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Scoop up your favorite sugar plum fairy for this iconic Christmas classic.
5. Walkable Christmas Wonderlands
Holiday at the Arboretum
November 9 – January 5 | Dallas Arboretum
One of the most celebrated DFW Christmas activities is a visit to Holiday at the Arboretum. The tradition continues with the 10-year anniversary of the 12 Days of Christmas Gazebos nestled along a winding path with a spectacular display of lights and foliage. including the beloved Christmas Village, and the Dazzling Musical Tree! This year, check out the historic DeGolyer House.
Lightscape
Nov. 22 – Jan. 5 |Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Immerse yourself in an entanglement of nature and light. This year’s installation also features new trails with displays from around the world a Christmas Village, seasonal bites and beverages, holiday music, and photo opportunities with the man in the red suit!
Coca-Cola Classic Christmas
Nov. 22 – Dec. 29 | Choctaw Stadium
Marvel at what claims to be the most vast Christmas maze and holiday village in the world. Visitors can delight in life-size light sculptures, live entertainment, interactive games, ice skating, dining, shopping, and a guest appearance by Santa.
Visit ClassicChristmas.com for more information.
ICE! at Gaylord Texan
Nov. 24 – Jan. 5
Adults and children alike come from all over to marvel at the Gaylord Texan’s ICE! display. This year’s fabulously frigid ice sculptures showcase the theme, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer™. Plus, marvel at the acres of festive lights at the #LIT light show, slide down slippery snow tubes with real snow, perform a holiday heist in the escape room, cap it off with a cool cocktail at the Ice Bar, and much more at this spectacular spectacle.
7. Neighborhood Light Displays
Highland Park
Since 1951, Highland Park Village’s Christmas lights have been dazzling shoppers and tourists alike with their gloriously wrapped trees. Catch a carriage ride and cover up with a cozy blanket as you cruise through the streets of Highland Park to bask in some of DFW’s most decadently decorated homes.
Other Notable Neighborhoods to Visit:
- Swiss Avenue
- Lakewood
- Kessler Park
- Forest Hills
8. Christmas Pop-Up Bars & Restaurants
Some DFW cocktail and dining establishments are decking the halls to create the most festive Christmas pop-up bars and restaurants. Enjoy seasonal spirits and merry menu items in a winter wonderland of instagrammable delight at these magnificently made-over spaces around town.
Here are a few of our recommendations:
Mariah Carey’s Black Irish Holiday Bar | Virgin Hotel
Leela’s Holiday House Collection | Leela’s Wine Bars
Miracle on Greenville Ave. | HIDE
Winterproof at Waterproof | Statler Hotel
The Cocoa Lounge | Adolphus Hotel
Winter Wonderland Bubbles | Hotel Vin
Tipsy Elf | Bishop Arts District
St. Henry Winter Wonderland | The Henry
9. Family Dinner at DFW’s Michelin Restaurants
With the recent announcement of The Michelin Guide Texas, it’s the ideal time to gather friends and family to feast at one of these top-rated restaurants. View our blog to choose which culinary contender your group would like to visit and book early because reservations are flying faster than Santa’s sleigh!
10. Seasonal Soirees at Home
You’ve likely decked the halls, trimmed the tree, and poured the bubbly to celebrate the season, but is your landscape spreading holiday cheer? Contact us to create a festive outdoor display with a winter maintenance refresh and vibrant seasonal color installation to impress your guests and dazzle neighborhood light enthusiasts.
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