The Best Holiday Events Happening in Raleigh, North Carolina!
Tis the season to embrace all the festive spirit happening in the Triangle! Elevate your holiday experience with enchanting activities, mesmerizing light displays, musical performances, and delectable treats. We’ve compiled a list of the best holiday events and activities happening in and around Raleigh, NC this year for you to enjoy with friends and family!
APEX
Christmas Parade
This is the only nighttime parade in Wake County!
🗓️Dec 2nd
📍1012 Holt Rd, Apex, NC 27523
⌚5pm
🎟️Free
Holt Lights
A beautiful drive-thru display of Christmas lights. The lights are installed and powered at a single-family residence.
🗓️Beginning November 17th, 2023
📍1012 Holt Rd, Apex, NC 27523
🎟️FREE (Donations accepted)
CARY
Skate The Square at Fenton
🗓️November 5th - February 5th, 2024
📍201 Fenton Gateway Dr
More Events at Fenton:
Light The Square at Fenton
Tree lighting, ice skating, laser light show, holiday performers, and more! Visit the site for the full breakdown of events!
🗓️November 19th
⌚5pm- 8:30pm
🎟️Free to attend
Chinese Lantern Festival
The Chinese Lantern Festival is returning for its 8th year! There will be over 40 light displays, consisting of hundreds of parts and thousands of LED lights.
🗓️Nov. 17 through Jan. 14, 2024
📍Koka Booth Amphitheatre
🎟️Starts at $11
Downtown Cary Events:
Gingerbread House Competition - Dec 2nd- Dec 9th
A Gift to Cary Celebration
“There will be special live performances, Cary’s official tree lighting ceremony, unique photo opportunities, a skating rink, Santa’s workshop, which will offer a wide range of creative activities, and many more surprises.”
🗓️Dec 2nd
📍Cary Park
⌚10am - 10 pm
🎟️FREE
Christmas Parade
Visit the website to learn more about the safety updates made to the parade this year.
🗓️Dec 9th
📍The parade starts on E. Chatham Street at Ward St, proceeds down E. Chatham to S. Academy Street, turns left onto S. Academy Street, and ends at Dry Ave in front of the Cary Arts Center.
⌚2pm - 4pm
🎟️FREE
DURHAM
Holiday Parade
🗓️Dec 9th
📍Downtown Durham
⌚10am
🎟️FREE
WOOL E. BULL’S WINTER WONDERLAND!
A new Christmas Event in the Triangle for 2023 is the Wool E’s Winter Wonderland, hosted by WRAL and the Durham Bulls. The ballpark will be covered with 13,000 lights along 4 miles.
🗓️November 22nd - December 31st (Please
📍Durham Bulls Stadium
⌚3pm - 10 pm
🎟️$11
FUQUAY VARINA
Christmas Parade
🗓️Dec 3rd
📍34 N. Main St., Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
⌚4pm
🎟️FREE
GARNER
Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting
This year’s parade will include the Town’s Holiday Block Party and Tree Lighting. Learn More Below.
🗓️Dec 2nd
📍Downtown Garner
⌚4:30
🎟️FREE
HOLLY SPRINGS
Happy Holly Days Christmas Parade
The parade begins on Main Street near its intersection at Oakhall Drive, in front of the Food Lion shopping center - a few blocks farther north than in previous years. The route continues down Main Street, through downtown Holly Springs, ending at Oak Avenue, just past The Block on Main.
🗓️Dec 9th
📍Main St, Holly Springs
⌚10 am
🎟️FREE
RALEIGH
The Dessertery
Experience elaborate holiday decor, all you can eat sweets and hot cocoa, plus live entertainment (on select nights)!”
🗓️Nov 19, 2022 - Fri, Dec 23, 2022
📍Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
⌚Varied Times
🎟️$25 ages 7+
Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting
Free Santa Claus meet-and-greet, Food truck, Decorate Your Own Mini Christmas Tree, Live music performances all evening, Local vendor marke, Beer & wine for sale by Crank Arm Brewing and Raleigh Wine Shop
🗓️November 17th
📍Downtown Raleigh
⌚5:30 - 8:00pm
🎟️Free to attend
Christmas Tree Lighting at North Hills
🗓️November 18th
📍North Hills Shopping Center
⌚4pm - 7pm
🎟️FREE
Raleigh Christmas Parade
“You won’t want to miss the pageantry and excitement of the 2023 ABC11 LeithCars.com Raleigh Christmas Parade presented by Shop Local Raleigh on November 18, 2023 in Downtown Raleigh! The parade will kick off the holiday festivities at 9:30 am street side and on ABC11, the ABC11 streaming apps, and the ABC News Hulu channel.”
🗓️November 18th
📍Downtown Raleigh
⌚9:30-Noon
🎟️Free
Ice Skating at Red Hat Amphitheater
🗓️Nov 18th - January 15th, 2024
📍Red Hat Amphitheater
⌚See website for hours
🎟️$15
North Carolina Symphony performances
Visit the website for more information on times, dates, and prices!
Special performances include Holidays at Hogwarts (Nov. 22-25), Handel's Messiah (Dec. 1 and 2), Holiday Pops (Dec. 8 and 9) and A Candlelight Christmas (Dec. 22 and 23).
North Carolina Theatre presents Elf: The Musical
This hilarious musical follows the hit 2003 movie that’s now a holiday classic (after all, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear). When Santa breaks the news to him that he is, in fact, a human, Buddy—played by Max Chernin—sets out from the North Pole determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
🗓️Dec 9-17th
📍North Carolina Theatre
🎟️$48+
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Celebrating more than 25 years of the bring-the-whole-family rock holiday tradition which has now been played to more than 17 million fans all across the nation.
🗓️Dec 13th
📍PNC arena
⌚7pm
🎟️$49+
Carolina Ballet presents The Nutcracker
“Experience Carolina Ballet’s reimagined Nutcracker. First performed in December 2022, this new production is the Ballet’s most-attended Nutcracker ever. Our new production stays true to the original story as it moves this holiday classic into modern times.”
🗓️Dec 14th - 24th
📍Martin Marietta Center for Performing Arts
⌚See website for times
🎟️$27+
New Year's Eve with The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers bring their annual New Year's Eve show back to Raleigh's PNC Arena with special guest Marcus King.
🗓️Dec 31st
📍PNC Arena
⌚8pm
🎟️$64+
WAKE FOREST
Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting
The ceremony will feature the lighting of the town’s 30 foot Christmas tree and the arrival of Santa in a Wake Forest fire truck!
🗓️Dec 1st
📍Centennial Plaza
⌚5pm-8pm
🎟️FREE
WENDELL
Wendell Wonderland
Wendell’s annual holiday festival including craft vendors, food trucks, a cookie walk, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa
🗓️Dec 1st
📍99 W. 3rd St., Wendell, NC 27591
⌚5pm-9pm
🎟️FREE
THE LAKE MYRA LIGHTS CHRISTMAS SHOW
This light display features over 400,000 dancing lights synched up with holiday music. It’s a drive thru style with an interactive light show that typically lasts around 30 minutes!
🗓️November 22nd- December 31st
📍10 S Cypress St, Wendel
⌚7pm-9pm
🎟️Free (accepts donation)