Charlotte, NC Holiday Celebrations

Charlotte is full of Christmas cheer in December, and I have compiled this list of celebrations happening in and around the Queen City to keep your bells jingling all month long. Whether you want to look at Christmas lights, watch a bawdy play, drink holiday cocktails, or just go ice-skating, I’ve got you covered.

LIGHTS

McAdenville Christmas Lights: Drive or walk through the 1.3 miles of the town of McAdenville, NC. The town itself decorates the trees, light posts, and public buildings, and nearly all of the residents take part by decorating their own houses and yards. The lights are on 7 days a week, starting at 5:30 from Dec 1-26. There is no fee/admission to view the lights.

Note: The wait time can be very long on weekends and the week leading up to Christmas Day. Take your potty break before you get in the traffic line; you’ll thank me for that tip. 😀

Charlotte Motor Speedway Christmas: Drive the 3.7-mile course to view the more than 3 million lights on display. Your admission also includes fun family activities like a petting zoo and pictures with Santa. The speedway is open nightly from December 1-31, but is closed on Christmas Day. The wait time here can also be rather daunting.

Holiday at the Garden: Visit Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens from Nov 18-Jan 1 for their annual holiday celebration. The garden itself is decorated with over 600,000 lights (lights go on at 5 pm), and Santa is on-site to visit with the children on the weekend days. There is also live music, carriage rides, marshmallow roasting, and a model train display to enjoy. The garden shop has holiday gifts, and Crowders Creek Coffee is on-site for hand-crafted beverages.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Camp North Pole: Head to Camp North End for a fun (and freezing) evening of ice-skating. The rink is open Nov 20 - Jan 4. Once you've had your fill of the ice, you can wander around the 76-acre site shopping, eating, and (of course) sipping cocktails.

Gingerbread Lane: Visit The Ballantyne Hotel from Dec 8-28 to view the gingerbread houses on display made by local bakers both professional and amateur. You can vote for your favorite house with a $1 donation that goes to the Levine Children’s hospital. If you are lucky, you might even see Santa there!

Leonard Bearstein Symphony: A Charlotte tradition, this animatronic bear orchestra performs several times daily at Founders Hall from Nov 28-Dec 26. The bear musicians play various Christmas songs in 45-minute sets throughout the day, starting at 10 am. Admission is free.

Christmas Village: From Nov 24-Dec 24, Romare Bearden Park in Uptown will be transformed into a quaint European village market. There will be food vendors, family activities, live performances, hand-made items for sale, and visits from Santa. For the full experience, order a cup of Glühwein, a mulled wine served warm.

LIVE PERFORMANCES

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical: Belk Theatre welcomes this musical comedy from Dec 23 - 28. Tickets start at $52.77, but several days are close to selling out!

The Charlotte Symphony will bring all your favorite carols to life at the Holiday Pops Family concert on December 13. The show will be held at the Knight Theatre, and tickets are now on sale.

A Christmas Carol: Join Theatre Charlotte for their 19th annual production of Charles Dickens’ classic story. The show runs from Dec 5 to Dec 14, and the tickets are $34 each. Theatre Charlotte is the oldest continuously running community theater in the state!

On December 14, head to the Spectrum Center for the The Lost Christmas Eve Tour by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This year's tour includes an ALL-NEW version with the final chapter of their trilogy.

Need more Christmas music? There is a candlelight Christmas Carols on Strings show at the Great Aunt Stella Center Dec 18th. Tickets are selling fast, so you better grab yours soon if you want to attend!

FOR THE GROWN-UPS

Sippin' Santa tiki pop-up: For the fifth year in a row, The Royal Tot will be hosting its tropical Christmas cocktail event. Think beach-inspired drinks served in fun glasses and mugs.

On Dec 20th, it is time for the Queen City Ugly Sweater Christmas Day Party! Head to Blush CLT for $5 drink specials and tacky holiday fun.

Santa Bar Crawl: On Dec 13, it is time to don your most festive Santa gear for an epic holiday bar crawl. Expect holiday spirits and probably a festive-flavored brew or two! You'll stumble your way through South End and Uptown, enjoying drink specials, DJs, and (of course) Santa!

OTHER CELEBRATIONS (since not everyone celebrates Christmas)

You'll find several ways to celebrate Hanukkah in the Queen City this year, from a breakfast with Clifford the Big Red Dog to Menorah lighting ceremonies. You can find a list of the happenings here.

Kwanzaa Celebrations: Kwanzaa Charlotte has several free family events hosted at various spaces from Dec 26-Jan 1. Check the event page to see when and where each of the events are taking place.

Where will you celebrate?

I hope you find at least one activity to enjoy on this list. Actually, if you can’t, you are probably the Grinch 😉 I know I am excited for quite a few of these!