There are many places around the world where you can jet off for a memorable Christmas 2024 celebration. The United States of America ranks high on that list because of its festive parades; fabulous shopping; cultural attractions like concerts and Christmas performances; adventure activities like skiing, snowboarding, cold water swimming and ice skating; and wide-ranging climate, from the frigid temperatures of Alaska to the sunny climes of Florida. According to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 90 per cent of Americans say they celebrate Christmas, and whether you are in New York City or Honolulu, Christmas celebrations will be marked with fervour and excitement throughout the nation.
Here’s a guide to Christmas festivities across the USA in 2024.
The towering tree at Rockefeller Center is a must for any holiday visit to New York. Other city favourites include magical window displays at department stores like Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman; the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Neapolitan baroque crèche; New York City Ballet’s “Nutcracker;” and Radio City Rockettes’ “Christmas Spectacular.” Shop at unique holiday markets in Bryant Park, Union Square and Grand Central. To celebrate Hanukkah, a massive menorah will be lit at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street for eight nights beginning December 25.
Washington, DC attractions include the National Christmas Tree and the National Menorah on the White House Ellipse; the US Capitol tree on the West Lawn of the US Capitol building; ZooLights at the National Zoo; and the US Botanic Garden, which hosts a model train show, thousands of poinsettia plants and more. For shopping, check out the DowntownDC Holiday Market outside the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Dupont Circle’s DC Holiday Market.
At Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg, you’ll find tours, street theatre, concerts, craft workshops and special menus, all themed on the history of Christmas in early America. Nearby, Busch Gardens Christmas Town offers one of the largest lighting displays in North America, along with Christmas shows, Santa’s Fireside Feast and holiday shopping.
For a charming winter-themed getaway, consider picturesque Vermont towns like Woodstock, Manchester, Grafton or Stowe, or start your adventures from the state’s biggest city, Burlington. Try downhill or cross-country skiing; go sleigh-riding, snowshoeing or snowmobiling; or just curl up by a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, founded on Christmas Eve in 1741, is nicknamed “Christmas City.” Tour the historic district with a costumed guide; view the city’s famed mountaintop star, 91 feet tall, on a Bethlehem by Night bus ride; and shop at Christkindlmarkt and Christmas City Village. Don’t miss the unique Live Advent Calendar, featuring music, stories, treats and more.
In the Indiana town of Santa Claus, you can roast chestnuts on an open fire at Santa’s Candy Castle, shop at the Santa Claus Christmas store, decorate Christmas cookies and experience Christmas dinner with Santa. Indianapolis, meanwhile, offers the massive Newfields’ Winterlights display, WinterFaire at the world’s largest children’s museum and the Athenaeum Christkindlmarkt for shopping.
In Columbus, Ohio, the German Village offers a European-style holiday marketplace complete with cobblestone streets, cafés and Christmas décor, while visitors to Steubenville’s Nutcracker Village will see 215 life-size, handcrafted nutcrackers and a collection of 400 crèches from around the world. In Cleveland, visit the house where “A Christmas Story” was filmed.
In Chicago, Illinois, go shopping along the iconic Magnificent Mile or visit the downtown Christkindlmarkt. Glide along the Skating Ribbon in Maggie Daley Park with views of the skyline and Lake Michigan; see 50 decorated trees honouring holidays around the world at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry; and check out lighting displays at the zoo, Botanic Garden and Morton Arboretum. Theatre fans will want to catch “A Christmas Carol” and a live version of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
In Minnesota, Minneapolis’ Holidazzle festival runs December 18-22, with interactive light displays, pop-up markets, live music and more. At the nearby Mall of America, the country’s largest shopping mall, you can shop till you drop, meet elves and Santa, enjoy lavish decorations and visit the Candy Cane Institute. In Duluth, nicknamed “The Christmas City of the North,” go dog-sledding, see the incredible Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” and look for the Northern Lights.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, the NOLA ChristmasFest (December 20-30), offers a skating rink, gingerbread village and carnival rides, while restaurants around the city host Reveillon, a Creole holiday feast. Enjoy the 25-acre light display in New Orleans City Park, free concerts at Saint Louis Cathedral, carolling in Jackson Square and bonfires along the Mississippi River.
Parts of artsy Asheville, North Carolina, were hurt by recent floods, but many attractions are welcoming tourists again, and Christmas at Asheville’s famous Biltmore Estate promises to be as charming as ever. Candlelight Christmas Evenings reimagine Biltmore’s first-ever Christmas in 1895, complete with live music, glittering decorations and cosy fireplaces. Stay at an onsite hotel, tour the main house and grounds, and see the spectacular Chihuly at Biltmore exhibition.
In Florida, check out Saint Augustine’s Nights of Lights, Pensacola’s Winterfest, and Miami's Luminosa Festival and Santa’s Enchanted Forest. Holiday boat parades take place December 14 in Fort Lauderdale and December 7 in Jupiter, while Surfing Santas arrive in Cocoa Beach at 7:30AM on December 24. Disney World hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays, while Universal Orlando hosts Grinchmas. The tiny town of Christmas, near Orlando, is home to a Santa statue, streets named for Santa’s reindeer and a post office where mail is postmarked “Christmas.”
In Colorado, Denver’s spectacular Mile High Drone Show lights up the sky for 40 nights beginning November 22, while other glittering light displays can be found at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Zoo, Elitch Gardens, Cherry Creek North and around downtown. Shows include Cleo Parker Robinson's “Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum” and cool Christmas concerts at the Dazzle Jazz Club.
In nearby Golden, The Polar Express Train Ride—themed on the children’s book and film—includes carolling and a visit with Santa. Take the train from Denver’s Union Station straight to the Winter Park ski resort, or go skiing at Breckenridge, about 130 kilometres away, where a Christmas parade of Bernese mountain dogs takes place on December 7.
In New Mexico, Albuquerque’s Luminaria Tour shows off the local tradition of paper lanterns lining plazas and pathways. Shop at Santa Fe’s Winter Spanish Market; take a boat ride to see Carlsbad’s Pecos River glittering with millions of lights; and visit a native community like Taos Pueblo, which marks Christmas Eve with bonfires, the Procession of the Virgin and rifle salutes from ancient adobe dwellings.
Christmas in California includes the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade (December 18-22) and the Festival of Lights at Riverside’s historic Mission Inn. In the Los Angeles area, see the tree at The Grove, holiday lights on Rodeo Drive, Pershing Square’s ice rink and the December 1 Hollywood Christmas Parade. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been staging “The Nutcracker” with puppets since 1969, while Walt Disney Concert Hall hosts holiday concerts, a singalong and screenings of the movie “Home Alone” accompanied by a live orchestra.
The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park offers holiday fun at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World and Grinchmas at Whoville. Disneyland hosts a Christmas Fantasy Parade, icicles on the Sleeping Beauty Castle and spectacular holiday lights at “It’s a Small World.”
For Christmas fun in Oregon, try Portland’s Holiday Brew Fest for beer lovers; Victorian Christmas Open Houses in Florence; and Bend’s waterway parade of decorated kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. Outdoor winter adventures include truffle-hunting, snowshoeing and eagle-watching.
The bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, get a holiday makeover for Christmas. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts a Glittering Lights show; Enchant Las Vegas features a light maze and holiday scavenger hunt; and M Resort in nearby Henderson hosts Candy Rush, a drive-through animated light show. The Bellagio Conservatory reimagines its floral displays for winter while its famous fountains dance to Christmas music, and the Fontainebleau turns its pool deck into an ice rink.
Hawaii puts a tropical spin on Christmas with holiday luaus and hula shows, Santa arriving by outrigger canoe, and beach resorts decked out for the season. It’s also a great time of year for whale-watching.
Puerto Rico has the USA’s longest holiday season, starting with Christmas light displays in town squares across the island and churches holding special Misa de Aguinaldo services from December 16 to 24. Festivities continue with Three Kings Day on January 6 and the San Sebastian Festival from January 16 to 20.