Happy Together
The holiday season seems to start earlier and earlier each year. A few events are already underway, with more kicking-off this weekend. From evenings spent under the lights to listening to your fave carols, we’ve got a rundown of can’t-miss programs to make the most of the festive season.
First things first
You don’t have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start celebrating! Check out these holiday programs kicking off this weekend!
Festival of Lights
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Nov. 20 – Jan. 4
cincinnatizoo.org/events/festival-of-lights
The Cincinnati Zoo is shining bright for the 43rd annual PNC Festival of Lights! In addition to admiring the dazzling display five million LED lights, visitors can find five Fiona fairies in Fairyland, take in a blacklight puppet show, marvel at the spectacular Wild Lights on Swan Lake, and enjoy seasonal concessions.
One of my family’s traditions is baking Christmas cookies together about a week before Christmas. We bake probably about sixt to eight different types (sometimes more!) and fill tins for each family to take home to their respective houses. This involves my mom, me, and some of my nieces and nephew. I can’t wait for Zion for be old enough to join us!
– Tiffany Coleman
Cincinnati’s Nights of Lights
Nov. 21 – Jan. 3, 2026,
Clermont County Fairgrounds
queencitylightshow.com
Cincinnati’s favorite holiday drive-thru experience, Cincinnati’s Nights of Lights, celebrate’s its 10th season at its new location at the Clermont County Fairgrounds in Owensville, Ohio.
Guests will enjoy two million dazzling lights synchronized to holiday classics, creating a one-of-a-kind experience for families, couples and friends. Visitors can enjoy the warmth and comfort of their cars as they drive through the immersive displays of sparkling tunnels, animated scenes and festive music. Bonus: You can bring your own cookies and hot chocolate!
Servatii Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt
Nov. 22 – Dec. 28
Moerlein Lager House and Smale Riverfront Park
cincinnatichristkindlmarkt.com
This traditional German market returns for its fourth season, bringing European vibe to Smale Riverfront Park. Anchored at Moerlein Lager Hous, this year’s Christkindlmarkt expands its footprint from the Schmidlapp Event Lawn all the way to Carol Ann’s Carousel.
This winter wonderland under the Fest Test, features a large digital screen, a stage stacked with performers, and new food and beverage options. You can also cozy up in a private heated igloo for up to 15 guests, send letters to Santa, and enjoy rides on the carousel.
Taking the stage
For some folks the holidays aren’t official until you’ve gotten dressed up and gone to the theatre for classic (or not so classic!) tale.
A Christmas Carol
Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle
Nov. 21 – Dec. 28
www.cincyplay.com/productions/a-christmas-carol-25
The holiday story you love unfolds in spectacular fashion in Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre! In Charles Dickens’ classic tale, Ebenezer Scrooge is a greedy curmudgeon who finds his heart changing when three spirits and the ghost of a long-lost friend show him the errors of his ways. Across one fateful Christmas Eve night, Scrooge recalls the warmth and generosity of past loved ones, learns the value of kindness through Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family and glimpses a terrifying future should his heart remain the same. Featuring dazzling set, costume and lighting designs, A Christmas Carol promises a magical holiday experience for your family
Each and every holiday season since my son Max (who is 31) was 5 years old, the ETC Holiday Show has been part of our family tradition. We have carried on the tradition with our grandchildren to this day. They travel in town for the holidays and make sure we get tickets as soon as we know the dates! We never want to miss an opportunity to share these productions with them and some friend's little ones too. And I have to be honest, even if I didn't have a little one to share the experience, I'd still attend. It's that good!
– Pam Kravetz
It’s Fritz
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St.
Dec. 3 – 31
ensemblecincinnati.org/calendar/its-fritz/
Everyone knows Fiona the hippo, but her little brother Fritz is still figuring out who he wants to be. In this new family-friendly musical, Hippo Cove’s newest arrival is ready to wade out of the background and into his own big moment. Having a world-famous big sister, though, makes Fritz wonder if there’s any spotlight left for him. When he sets out to find what makes him special, the path isn’t always clear, but with some help from the zoo’s colorful cast of animals, Fritz discovers that standing out starts by listening, learning, and leaning on those who believe in you.
Every Christmas Story Ever Told
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Elm st
Dec. 11 – 28
cincyshakes.com/on-stage/every-christmas-2025
CSC's holiday smash hit Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) is back again for another season of holiday hilarity! What begins as another annual production of A Christmas Carol, soon devolves into a slightly irreverent (but undeniably adoring) look at all of your “Beloved Holiday Classics” including pop culture favorites like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Grinch, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and more! Add in topical references that always keep this annual tradition fresh and fun as we send up everything from Dickens to Dr. Seuss in an evening of high-octane jollity and frivolity.
Holiday Pops
Music Hall, 1243 Elm St.
Dec. 12 – Dec. 14
www.cincinnatisymphony.org/holiday-pops
There's nothing quite as magical as the Pops during the holiday season, when family memories are created anew at festive, sold-out performances of “Holiday Pops”! Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Cody Fry returns to the Music Hall stage for an evening of holiday magic featuring Studio for Dance, Sycamore High School Select Ensemble, SCPA Chorale, Winton Woods Varsity Ensemble and the May Festival Youth Chorus.
The Nutcracker is the kickoff to “Christmas week” for us. We all love it and each year we recall the memories of Nutcrackers past when each of our girls puts their Nutcracker ornaments on the tree. They each got one when they attended their first Nutcracker.
– Kathrine Nero
Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker
Music Hall, 1243 Elm St.
Dec. 18 – 28
cballet.org/performances/the-nutcracker-presented-by-sheakley-family-2/
No holiday is complete without a trip to the Land of Sweets! Don’t miss Cincinnati Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”at Music Hall. Full of magic and wonder, with sparkling choreography, awe-inspiring sets and costumes, and Tchaikovsky’s beloved score is family tradition like no other!
When Clara receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, her dreams take her on a grand adventure. Follow Clara and her Nutcracker Prince on a journey with a fantastic cast of characters – the Snow Queen and her King, Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier, mischievous mice, brave toy soldiers, and even Clara’s friend Minnie the Poodle.
Our little holiday circuit goes like this – After Thanksgiving dinner we decorate the tree, then we volunteer as the “Santa family” welcoming folks to Music Hall for the Pops. We always catch the Mighty Wurlitzer Holiday Concert that Friends of Music Hall puts on, and we galavant around Cincinnati to take in all the lights. We ring in the New Year at the Pops concert, then we head to Sundry and Vice for a nightcap.
– Yemi Oyediran
Out and About
Looking for some space to burn off all that extra cookie energy or take in the twinkling lights of the city?
Festival of Ferns
Krohn Conservatory
Now through Jan. 4, 2026
www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks/visit-a-park/find-a-parkfacility/krohn-conservatory
Cincinnati Parks’ Krohn Conservatory invites you to experience dazzling enchantment this holiday season with A Festival of Ferns! Walk through a botanical model of Cincinnati created by Applied Imagination. Experience classic trains and iconic landmarks like the Cincinnati Museum Center to the Roebling Bridge. Surround yourself with ferns, familiar and unexpected from towering tree to delicate maidenhairs complemented by the crimson hues of our seasonal poinsettias. Families, new and old delight in nature blended with tradition. Come celebrate with us among the fronds!
Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Now through Jan. 5, 2026
www.cincymuseum.org/holiday-junction
The Duke Energy Holiday Trains have been a Cincinnati holiday staple for decades, delighting generations since they first debuted downtown in 1946. Track-level views reveal intricate details of the display, where over 300 rail cars and 50 locomotives steam past anxious passengers waiting to board while cars sit with snow to their hubcaps and the perfect trees strapped to their roofs.
Winterhaus
Fountain Square
Now through February
myfountainsquare.com/winterhaus
Looking for a cozy spot? Winterhaus on Fountain Square is a heated, glass-enclosed, tented retreat with a full bar, Cincinnati-centric shopping options, and daily programming. There’s also space for co-working private event. Plus you can enjoy great views the Duke Energy Holiday Tree and CVG's Fountain of Lights, on the Tyler Davidson Fountain.
UC Health Ice Rink presented by Fifth Third Bank
Elm Street Plaza
Nov. 21 – Feb. 16, 2026
elmstreetplazacincy.com/ice-rink
Ice skating in the heart of downtown is one of Cincinnati’s quintessential winter traditions. This year, the beloved rink brings its signature charm and festive atmosphere to a new location at Elm Street Plaza, where families and friends can make lasting memories.
Scuba Santa’s Water Wonderland
Newport Aquarium
Nov. 28 – Dec. 24
www.newportaquarium.com/scuba-santa-s-water-wonderland/
Celebrate this one-of-a-kind Cincinnati holiday tradition with Scuba Santa and a Water Wonderland full of playful penguins, colorful holiday lights and a flurry of magical bubbles! Through holiday magic, kids can tell Scuba Santa what they want for Christmas while he swims underwater with a tank full of sharks, rays, schools of fish and a curious sea turtle! Meet cheerful elves straight from the North Pole and join in the fun as Scuba Santa fills the Theater with bubbles. His magical bubbles will float and fall all around you and every time a bubble pops, a wish will come true for someone throughout the world.