Your Guide to Boston Holiday Happenings
Photo via iStock/sborisov
Your Guide to Boston Holiday Happenings
From snow tubing to a self-guided lights tour, we’ve rounded up the best local festivities to get you in a celebratory mood
The holiday season is here, and Boston has transformed into the ultimate winter wonderland, with performances, unique shops, and cold-weather activities to get you in the holiday spirit. Check out some of these classic, and under-the-radar, recommendations, from the Boston Ballet’s annual performance of The Nutcracker to a self-guided holiday lights tour in Somerville.
Shopping
Sip & Shop Holiday Market
The year-round Boston Public Market—which supports local small businesses—welcomes pop-up vendors for its Sip & Shop Holiday Market, open Friday through Sunday this weekend. Enjoy a seasonal cocktail from the bar and explore a wide selection of handmade clothing and accessories, art, ceramics and pottery, toys, and small-batch jams, jellies, and relishes.
The Boston Public Market Sip & Shop Holiday Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston, is open from 8 am to 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, December 19 and 20, and from 9 am to 6 pm on Sunday, December 21. Find more information about the vendors here.
SoWa Winter Festival
The 10th annual SoWa Winter Festival turns the SoWa Power Station in Boston’s South End into a cozy winter wonderland decked out with lights and decorations. It features over 100 vendors selling handmade art, holiday gifts, specialty foods, and more. When you’re done shopping, hit up the nearby food trucks.
The SoWa Winter Festival, 550 Harrison Ave., Boston, is open through Sunday, December 28. Admission is $10. Find more information, including hours of operation, here.
The Holiday Market at Snowport
The long lines to enter show you how popular this bustling market in the Seaport is. But it’s worth the wait: the market features more than 125 local vendors, letting you knock out all your holiday shopping, including apparel, home decor, and jewelry, in one go.
You can also listen to live music, enjoy the twinkling lights, and sign up for 30 free minutes of curling for up to eight people. When you’ve had your fill, grab a snack and enjoy a cocktail or mocktail.
The Holiday Market at Snowport, 100 Seaport Blvd., Boston, is open 3 to 8 pm Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 9 pm Friday and Saturday, and 11 am to 8 pm Sunday, through December 28. Find more information here.
The Speedway Holiday Stroll
Still haven’t found the perfect gift for your aunt this Christmas? Then this holiday event is for you. Check out over 60 small local businesses at the Charles River Speedway this weekend. Vendors will offer art, vinyl, vintage, and other goods, and there will be a free gingerbread house–building competition from noon to 3 pm both days of the market, with awards for the winners. Other activities include a jar-decorating workshop and gallery and a card-crafting station. Grab a drink or a bite to eat at one of the food trucks or stalls, listen to the tunes, and grab your furry friend if you have one, since this is a pet friendly event!
The Speedway Holiday Stroll is at the Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave., Brighton, on Saturday, December 20, and Sunday, December 21, from 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is free. Find more info here.
Activities
Ice-Skating at Boston Common’s Frog Pond
BU is a hockey school, so you might as well be a good fan and learn how to skate, too. The Frog Pond on the Boston Common offers a discount for college students every Tuesday from 6 to 9 pm: half-price tickets, and BU students can receive free admission on Tuesday, January 6, as part of the rink’s College Nights program. The Skating Academy will lead group and private skating lessons on Sundays, Mondays, and Saturdays—register here. The Frog Pond hosts events, too: check them out here. This is the perfect time to hit the ice, whether you’re an experienced skater or a newbie.
Boston Common Frog Pond, 38 Beacon St., Boston; view hours and skate rental prices here. Tickets ($12 for adults, free for anyone under 4’10”) can be bought on site.
A Holiday Garden: Courtyard Display
Revel in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s display of forest greens, reds, and silver. Each year, the museum decorates the courtyard with various flowers and plants to give it a holiday feel. This year’s display includes jade trees, silver dusty miller, aloe, and amaryllis, providing an excellent background for a last-minute holiday card. The greenery is on display through January.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston, is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, Thursday, 11 am to 9 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Purchase tickets—$22 for adults, $15 for students with a valid ID—here.
Lights
See our full list here.
Menorah Lighting at Snowport
The Chabad of Downtown Boston will host its annual menorah-lighting ceremony on December 21 (Hanukkah is December 14 to December 22 this year). The event will include the lighting of a colossal nine-foot menorah, treats, and more.
Menorah Lighting at Seaport, 60 Seaport Blvd., Boston, Sunday, December 21, at 4:30 pm.
ZooLights at Stone Zoo
Each winter, Stone Zoo, a small zoo in Stoneham, Mass., turns into a winter wonderland. Stroll down tree-lined paths of twinkling lights and make your way to Yukon Creek, where you can visit some of the zoo’s most special inhabitants, like black bears, Canada lynx, and reindeer. On December 17, 18, and 19 and 21, 22, and 23, stop by for a meet-and-greet with Santa. There will also be a Reindeer Round-Up Scavenger Hunt on select nights from 4 to 7 pm, where you can use a “magical compass” to find the reindeer and other animals. Be sure to buy your timed ticket ahead of time because they do sell out.
ZooLights at Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham, is from 4 to 9:30 pm daily, except Christmas Day, until January 4. General admission for nonmembers is $18.95. Purchase tickets and find more information here.
Somerville Illuminations
For residents of this nearby suburb, Christmas lights are no joke. So much so that the Somerville Arts Council puts together an Illuminations map every year, marking local residences with extravagant holiday displays lighting up their front yards. Each year, Somerville residents take their decorations up a notch, with new and creative lighting schemes, so you won’t want to miss this local tradition. Hop in the car, or bundle up and go for a stroll, using the online map to set your route.
Somerville Illuminations is set to end in early January, when residents begin to take down their lights. Find more information and the online map here.
Holiday Kingdom in Downtown
Boston’s Downtown Crossing Holiday Kingdom Trail features 12 large, illuminated animal-themed Nutcrackers in addition to lights and decoration-adorned trees. There are also plenty of holiday shopping and photo opportunities. Plus, if you join the trail, there is a chance to win prizes. This free walkable experience is perfect for family or friends.
Holiday Kingdom at Downtown Crossing will be up until January 2. Check out the map and other details here.
Performances
Urban Nutcracker
If you’ve seen The Nutcracker in years past and are looking for a new holiday show, check out Urban Nutcracker, a fusion of classical ballet, hip-hop, swing, flamenco, and urban tap and step. The soundtrack takes the classic score by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and blends it with Duke Ellington’s jazz. This show is a relatable take on a seasonal classic, reflecting Boston’s diverse culture. Follow Clarice as she goes on the adventure of a lifetime and explores some of Boston’s most famous landmarks, before receiving a Nutcracker doll that comes to life with dance.
Urban Nutcracker is at the Shubert Theater, 270 Tremont St., Boston, through December 21. View dates and purchase tickets, starting at $47, here.
Holiday Movie Night: The Muppet Christmas Carol
Attend a family-friendly screening of this beloved 1992 holiday classic. The Muppet Christmas Carol removes most of the gloom from Charles Dickens’ classic tale and instead puts a unique twist on that fateful Christmas Eve, when Scrooge (Michael Caine) is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Together with kind, humble Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog) and his family, the Spirits open Scrooge’s eyes—and his heart—to the true meaning of Christmas. If you’re feeling extra festive, dress in your holiday best or an ugly sweater to win a prize. There will be drink specials for the older crowd and cocoa for the younger ones.
Upstairs at Bow, One Bow Market Way, Somerville, Saturday, December 20, from 7 to 10 pm. Buy tickets, $5, here.
Holiday Pops 2025
The Boston Pops annual holiday show is one of New England’s favorite festive traditions. Led by Keith Lockhart (Hon.’04), the concerts feature all the holiday favorites—like “Sleigh Ride” and “The 12 Days of Christmas”—and other beloved songs from around the world, performed by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Be sure to stay until the end to catch an appearance from Santa Claus and a sing-along.
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, December 19 through December 24. Purchase tickets here.
Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker
The beloved holiday tradition is back at the Citizens Bank Opera House through December 28. Experience the magic of Mikko Nissinen’s choreography and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, as young heroine Clara is whisked away to a winter wonderland full of snowflakes, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and those damn rats.
The Nutcracker, Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston, runs through December 28. Purchase tickets, starting at $40, here.
Disney on Ice: Frozen & Encanto
Disney on Ice is returning to Agganis Arena to bring characters like Anna and Elsa and the Madrigal family to life. This year features two musical numbers, from the snow-covered Arendelle to the tropics of Columbia, so the audience can sing along to these classics as the show unfolds. Classic Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy will also make an appearance.
Disney on Ice: Frozen & Encanto is at Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, December 19 through 29. Purchase tickets, starting at $24.80, and find showtimes here.