Your perfect guide to the holidays in Columbus is here! Explore the best festive events and attractions. For Columbus natives and curious travelers, this guide is your key to unlocking festive wonders.
One highlight this season is "Shine: A Celebration of Nature and Wonder," where breathtaking light displays transform the environment into a winter masterpiece. Additionally, "The Nutcracker" enchants audiences with its timeless ballet, showcasing classic holiday music and performances. And definitely don't forget "Stone Mountain Christmas," which offers delightful family activities and festive lights. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Holiday Events In and Around Columbus
- Stone Mountain Christmas (Stone Mountain)
- The Nutcracker
- Shine: A Celebration of Nature and Wonder
- Garden Lights, Holiday Nights (Atlanta)
- Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Resort and Gardens (Pine Mountain)
- Christmas with The Wave
- IllumiNights at the Zoo: A Chinese Lantern Festival (Atlanta)
- Magic of Lights: Dixie Speedway (Woodstock)
- Glow Light Show & Festival (Lawrenceville)
- A Tuna Christmas
See these and even more events listed below!
Columbus Holiday Light Displays
Shine: A Celebration of Nature and Wonder
What to Expect:
Interactive bioluminescence maze and holiday-themed craft stations.
Description:
SHINE at the Columbus Botanical Garden features twinkling lights, holiday-themed crafts, a bioluminescence maze, live entertainment, and Santa's special appearance. Enjoy festive fun and heartwarming memories amidst nature's wonder.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Shine: A Celebration of Nature and Wonder
Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Resort and Gardens
What to Expect:
10 million twinkling lights and 17 Christmas scenes.
Description:
At Callaway Resort and Gardens, Fantasy in Lights features 10 million twinkling lights and 17 Christmas scenes along a seven-mile drive-through experience. The event also includes a walk-through Callaway Christmas Village with a 40-foot Pixel Pine Tree, oversized ornaments, and larger-than-life Christmas decorations.
Where: Pine Mountain | More Info: Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Resort and Gardens
Glow Light Show & Festival
What to Expect:
Synchronized LED light display with holiday classics.
Description:
The Glow Light Show & Festival at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA, features a dazzling display of over a million LED lights synchronized to music. This drive-through event offers budget-friendly winter fun for the whole family, with options for basic, flex, and large vehicle tickets. Additional activities include the Jolly Trolley and holiday festival with food vendors, amusement rides, and photo opportunities.
Where: Lawrenceville | More Info: Glow Light Show & Festival
Magic of Lights: Dixie Speedway
What to Expect:
Over two million sparkling lights in a drive-through holiday light display.
Description:
Dixie Speedway transforms into a vibrant holiday-themed light display featuring dozens of displays, festive favorites, and digital animation, all constructed from millions of individual LED lights to create a memorable holiday experience for the whole family.
Where: Woodstock | More Info: Magic of Lights: Dixie Speedway
Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland: Marietta
What to Expect:
Synchronized light and sound show with interactive Santa's Village.
Description:
Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland in Marietta features a drive-through light show with cutting-edge technology and timeless holiday charm. The show includes a 300-foot RGB tunnel, 50-foot sparkling Christmas trees, and towering walls of lights. Guests can also visit Santa’s Village for themed activities, arts and crafts, and visits with Santa.
Where: Marietta | More Info: Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland: Marietta
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights
What to Expect:
Synchronized light and sound show with giant plant sculptures.
Description:
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights is an annual holiday light display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, featuring millions of LED lights, giant plant sculptures, and synchronized light and sound shows. The event includes various themed areas like Nature's Wonders and Alice's Wonderland Returns, offering a unique and vibrant holiday experience.
Where: Atlanta | More Info: Garden Lights, Holiday Nights
Stone Mountain Christmas
What to Expect:
Dazzling light displays and festive live entertainment.
Description:
Stone Mountain Christmas features live shows, millions of twinkling lights, and visits from favorite holiday characters, making it a heartwarming holiday celebration.
Where: Stone Mountain | More Info: Stone Mountain Christmas
Mountain Country Christmas in Lights
What to Expect:
Spectacular holiday light show with special exhibits and entertainment.
Description:
The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, GA, transforms into a spectacular holiday light show featuring Christmas music, arts and crafts, food, and photo opportunities with Santa Claus. The event includes special exhibits like Scott's Holiday Magic Show and a Christmas Cantata by Macedonial Baptist Church.
Where: Hiawassee | More Info: Mountain Country Christmas in Lights
IllumiNights at the Zoo: A Chinese Lantern Festival
What to Expect:
Holiday celebration in a zoo setting
Description:
IllumiNights at the Zoo features a mile-long stroll through a nighttime spectacle of hand-crafted and hand-painted lanterns celebrating the diversity of wildlife and nature. The event includes warm beverages, marshmallow roasts, and photo opportunities amidst the illuminated zoo.
Where: Atlanta | More Info: IllumiNights at the Zoo: A Chinese Lantern Festival
Columbus Holiday Shows and Entertainment
Christmas with The Wave
What to Expect:
Depiction of C.S. Lewis's Christmas celebrations with American guests.
Description:
Christmas with C.S. Lewis is a depiction of the author's home near Oxford on Christmas Eve, hosting a group of Americans who are Christmassing in England. They experience an unforgettable assortment of Yuletide recollections, stimulating a whole range of emotions, curiosity, laughter, gladness, and even some tears. They will discover how their encounter with fellow author J.R.R. Tolkien forever changed Lewis's Christmas celebrations and his journey from Atheism to Christianity.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Christmas with The Wave
The Nutcracker
What to Expect:
Family-friendly ballet performance with elaborate sets and costumes.
Description:
The Columbus Ballet presents a family-friendly rendition of The Nutcracker, featuring a talented cast and elaborate sets and costumes.
Where: Columbus | More Info: The Nutcracker
A Tuna Christmas
What to Expect:
Quirky characters and hilarious plotlines in a small-town setting.
Description:
A Tuna Christmas is a fast-paced, quick-change comedy set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas. The show features quirky characters and hilarious plotlines, entertaining audiences with its comedic chaos and colorful characters.
Where: Columbus | More Info: A Tuna Christmas
Columbus Other Holiday Activities
Cookies and Cocoa with Santa
What to Expect:
Holiday cookie decorating and extended visits with Santa.
Description:
Join us at the Columbus Botanical Garden for a delightful holiday event where children can decorate holiday cookies, make reindeer treat bags, write letters to Santa, and take pictures with him. The event includes a holiday cookie decorating station, a reindeer treat bag station, and the North Pole Postal Express where children can write their Christmas wishes to Santa.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Cookies and Cocoa with Santa
Festive Fun in Nearby Cities!
Discover Holiday events in hundreds of cities worldwide. Check out these nearby locations for more festive fun!
- Phenix City (1 miles)
- Opelika (26 miles)
- Auburn (31 miles)
- LaGrange (40 miles)