Charming Holiday Events in the West

Tired of the same old tree lightings, the same old carols, the same old ham? Banish the bah-humbugs with one of these extraordinary holiday-themed events taking place across the West. These far-from-hum-drum happenings are fun, festive, and guaranteed to recharge your seasonal spirit.

Holidays at the Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California

Let’s face it: Disney does the holidays right. And the festive fairy dust is sprinkled liberally throughout the Happiest Place on Earth with most holiday attractions starting Nov. 14.

At Disney California Adventure Park, guests get to vote for which Inside Out emotion will be spotlighted during the new “World of Color Happiness!,” a joyful late night extravaganza with colored lights, dance, music, and Muppets. Santa and his elves make daily appearances at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail until Christmas Day, when Goofy Santa takes over for the big guy. Hop into an Italian roadster and cruise through Cars Land with Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl adventure ride. The Disney Festival of the Holidays celebrates a multicultural array of holiday traditions including Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Diwali with special musical performances and entertainment (including the popular “Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party” celebration), and global eats at the Festive Food Marketplace. The park’s 50-foot tree is lit nightly and decorated with 1920s-era vintage ornaments.

In Disneyland Park, the daily “A Christmas Fantasy” parade features Mickey and Minnie in holiday finery, dancing toy soldiers, plus your favorite Disney princesses leading up to a grand finale with Old St. Nick. Go sleuthing for special ornaments on decorated trees along Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail. Purchase your scavenger hunt map and stickers in Downtown Disney, then return a completed map for a keepsake. Meanwhile, don’t miss the 60-foot tall Christmas tree in Town Square decked out with some 1,800 ornaments. Several popular attractions receive seasonal glow-ups, including the stunning sparkling light facade on the “It’s a Small World” Holiday; the Haunted Mansion Holiday (inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas); and Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle decked out in more than 80,000 lights. If you can, stay up for the famous “Believe … in Holiday Magic” evening fireworks show erupting nightly over the castle, capped off by a snowfall finale. Holiday events at both parks take place through Jan. 7, 2026.

Holiday Nights at Tohono Chul, Tucson, Arizona

Tohono Chul, the verdant 49-acre botanical garden and arboretum in north Tucson, blooms at its annual Holiday Nights celebration. Gardeners adorn cacti and succulents with a flurry of lights and holiday decor while glowing chimineas scent the air with mesquite. Kids will be amazed at the way Santa really gets them thanks to a questionnaire parents complete beforehand. Snap a photo with Santa, then explore the children’s museum and kids’ crafts like DIY reindeer antlers. Live music in three venues, a local artisan fair, museum-quality boutiques, and cuisine including fresh churros and cocoa make this one of the region’s premiere holiday events. The celebration starts Dec. 5 with a members-only night and repeats 6 to 9 p.m. every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through Dec. 21.

Christmas Ship Parade, Portland, Oregon

It started in 1954 with one lone sailboat decked out in a green bow and ribbon. Seventy-one years later, the Christmas Ships Parade has become a beloved annual spectacle in Portland, with some 80 boats festooned with increasingly elaborate holiday displays patrolling the city’s Columbia and Willamette rivers. Check the schedule to learn the boat routes and find the best viewing spots. The aquatic parade kicks off Nov. 28 by escorting Santa to the Vancouver Waterfront in Washington for a tree-lighting at Esther Short Park. You can see the boats up close and chat with their big-hearted volunteer skippers at meet-and-greet events at the public dock near Riverplace Marina on Dec. 20 and 21. Catch the lit-up flotilla for 15 nights (except Sundays) from Dec. 4 to Dec. 20.

Christmas on the Comstock, Virginia City, Nevada

Picture Santa Claus with a 10-gallon hat, and you’ll have an idea of what the holidays are like in Virginia City. The historic Gold Rush–era mining town celebrates in vintage style for the entire month of December, with activities like a “Grinch Made Me Do” It saloon crawl, authentic steam train rides on the V&T Candy Cane Express, and a light show with heated seats on the Electric Holiday Train O’Lights. Watch the sky for the rotating Christmas tree in the new Yule drone show by Sky Elements. Other events include a tree lighting, holiday craft fairs, and caroling around town.

Sheraton Grand Seattle Gingerbread Village, Seattle, Washington

These aren’t your typical modest gingerbread homes. No, for the Sheraton Grand Seattle’s annual Gingerbread Village, local architecture firms and building trade associations team up with hotel culinary staff to create six-foot, lighted edible engineering marvels. An estimated 1,200 pounds of dough, 800 pounds of icing, 200 pounds of white chocolate, 250 pounds of almond paste, and hundreds of pounds of candy are used to create these elaborate displays, which are accessible to the public daily and completely free to visit (although donations are welcome and benefit local diabetes research). The Gingerbread Village is open Nov. 20 through Jan. 1, 2026, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Holiday Concert, San Francisco Bay Area

We can all use a little unity these days. The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir offers exactly that with its uplifting annual holiday concerts. Led by Emmy-winning director Terrance Kelly, the group brings together singers and musicians of wide-ranging races, cultures, and faiths to inspire “joy and unity among all people through Black gospel and spiritual music traditions.” Catch this acclaimed 40th anniversary holiday performance on Dec. 6 at Downtown Oakland’s art deco–era architectural marvel, the Paramount Theatre, or at additional performances throughout December in San Francisco, Oakland, and the South Bay.

Bracebridge Dinner, Yosemite, California

The Bracebridge Dinner is an experience almost as remarkable as the vistas outside. For nearly a century, the Ahwahnee has been hosting this elaborate theatrical holiday production in the Yosemite Valley. Over the course of a candlelit seven-course gourmet feast in the historic hotel’s grand dining room, guests are transported to 18th-century England. The cast stages a musical that is inspired by the character Squire Bracebridge from author Washington Irving’s “Christmas Sketches,” depicting Christmas festivities with Lord Neville of Bracebridge and more than 100 guests, family, and household members. This year the production takes place every other night from Dec. 10 to 23.

Coeur d’Alene Resort Holiday Light Show, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Talk about making the most of your location. This golf and spa resort along scenic Lake Coeur d’Alene in northwest Idaho boasts the largest holiday light display on the water in the United States, with more than 1.25 million lights strung on and around the property. Starting Nov. 14, families can hop aboard Santa cruise ships bound for the North Pole, aka resort founder Duane Hagadone’s 32,000-square-foot former home transformed into Santa’s toy workshop, complete with elves and St. Nick himself. The town light ceremony on Nov. 28 kicks off the holidays in earnest, as entertainer Jenny Shotwell and her family present the “Let It Snow” Christmas show with nostalgic songs and storytelling through Dec. 21. The light show runs through Jan. 4, 2026.

Ethel M Chocolates Holiday Cactus Garden, Henderson, Nevada

Just outside the neon glitz of the Las Vegas Strip, Ethel M Chocolates lures visitors with a different kind of spectacle: Over one million lights twinkle throughout its three-acre botanical cactus garden. Guests can mingle with Santa on weekend evenings (through Dec. 23), and take Instagrammable photos around the garden while sipping Ethel’s signature hot chocolate. If that’s not sweet enough, factory chocolate-tasting experiences are available every hour on the hour until 6 p.m. The display runs from Nov. 6 through Jan. 3, 2026.

Ballet West’s Nutcracker, Salt Lake City, Utah

Now in its 81st year, Ballet West’s production of the Nutcracker is America’s 1st™️ staging in the United States. It was also honored by the state of Utah as a Living Historic Landmark—a first for a ballet. But rather than rest on its laurels, over the decades the acclaimed Salt Lake City company has unveiled brand-new sets, costumes, and special effects to breathe fresh life into the classic holiday show, featuring founder Willam Christensen’s historic choreography and Tchaikovsky's famous score. This year, more than 300 children from across the region will help present the show. Guests can join in themed nights such as showing off your best ugly sweater during the production that runs Nov. 28 to Dec. 27.

Great Dickens Christmas Fair, Daly City, California

Author Charles Dickens loved a good party, so it’s safe to say he’d feel right at home at this Great Dickens Christmas Fair. The annual holiday tradition is truly impressive in scope, as visitors to the Cow Palace on San Francisco’s southern border are magically transported to Victorian-era London. As guests stroll the four-acre site, they’ll encounter more than 800 period characters ranging from haughty lords to dancing barmaids to hardscrabble chimney sweeps and yes, even the Ghost of Christmas Past. The goblet overfloweth with entertainment at this event, which includes craft activities, dozens of themed live performances, and ample opportunities for shopping, eating, and drinking, courtesy of more than 100 food and retail vendors. Get in on the action any weekend from Nov. 22 to Dec. 21.