Ready for some holiday cheer? Here's a list of major holiday happenings in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this weekend sure to get you in the spirit.
Enjoy!
(If you're looking for holiday light shows or displays available any day, check out our holiday guide here.)
Thursday
1. Highland Park Village's Christmas Lights Celebration and Shopping Stroll is this Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. The free event will have live performances, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, plenty of in-store deals on gifts for everyone and ways to give back to local charities as the spirit of the season lights up the Village.
For more information, click here.
2. Take an enchanting tour of two historic areas in Garland all dolled up for the holidays during the Magical Christmas Candlelight Home Tour 2019 this Thursday. Open to the public from 5 to 9 p.m., horse-drawn carriage rides will take guests to and from a number of different houses decorated for the season in the Travis College Hill Historic District. There will also be special features and events, like hot cocoa, carolers and Santa Claus lined along the streets of the neighborhood.
Tickets for the event are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Carriage rides are $40 total for up to 5 people or $50 total for groups of 6 or more.
Friday
3. Head out to the historic Fairmount neighborhood in Fort Worth for its annual public holiday light tour this weekend.
The Fairmount Festivus Annual Light Tour will be from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and feature plenty of historic bungalows all competing for best holiday displays. There will be food, wine and beer available along with vendors selling all sorts of holiday gifts and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there to take pictures.
Admission costs $10 for adults or $8 for children. Bring a new unwrapped toy to donate and it will be halved to $5. All proceeds go towards keeping the historic area intact. For more information, click here.
4. Detour to downtown Denton this Friday night to watch the 2019 Holiday Lighting Festival on the square. The free event will have food, festivities and family fun from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. to bring the community together.
Attendees are only asked to bring a toy for Denton's toy drive to help Elves Shelves be filled with good cheer to spread out this year.
5. Let visions of sugar plum fairies dance in your heads this weekend with a performance of Ben Stevenson's "The Nutcracker" at the Winspear Opera House in downtown Dallas.
Tickets range from $25 to $135 for the Texas Ballet Theater's holiday performances Friday through Sunday. The troupe will also be performing the show in Fort Worth starting next week through the end of the month. For showtimes and tickets, click here.
Saturday
6. Check out Christmas in the Stockyards this Saturday in Fort Worth to really get a feel for a Cowtown Christmas.
The event starts at 10 a.m. and lasts until 5 p.m. With a cattle drive, reindeer games, armadillo races, cowboy Christmas poetry, a cowboy Santa, carolers, Christmas cloggers and plenty more, it's sure to be quite the holiday spectacle.
7. Watch the big man parade through downtown this Saturday at the Dallas Holiday Parade. The event will start at 10 a.m. and is free to attend, although there are bleacher seats available for purchase. Those without tickets can bring chairs or blankets to sit on.
The parade will start at Commerce and Houston streets and is expected to last about two hours. For more information, click here.
8. Check out the historic homes of Winnetka Heights in North Oak Cliff during the neighborhood's Holiday Home Tour this Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. The area is known for its Arts and Crafts/Prairie style architecture, which will be on full display during the tour.
Six different homes will open their doors during the event, and there will also be a silent auction with items from local artists and businesses. Tickets to the tour are $18 in advance or $20 day of.
9. Grab all your bells and get ready to jingle all the way as you run a 5K during this festive, fun and feel-good race on Saturday. The Jingle Bell Run-Plano benefits the Arthritis Foundation with 100% of registration fees going to the cause.
Participants (you can run or walk) are encouraged to dress in holiday costumes and there will be plenty of holiday festivities before the race begins to enjoy as well. The run will be at Granite Park's Boardwalk. Participants can register online until Friday at 4 p.m. or on Saturday at the Registration Desk before the race begins.
10. Ready to see Rudolph's Reindeer Games or a Winter Woodlands Village? Then head out to Mesquite's Westlake Park from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday for Christmas in the Park.
The event will have free carnival games, make-and-take crafts and free cookies with hot cocoa, along with storytime hosted by Mrs. Claus marshmallow roasting on a yule log, a petting zoo, bounce houses, and pony rides. Admission to the event and parking will be free, although not all activities will be.
11. Enjoy Klyde Warren Park's free Tree Lighting Celebration. The holiday extravaganza will have a number of performances, snow flurries, crafts, games and Mr. and Mrs. Claus, of course!
The tree lighting and fireworks will take place at 5 p.m., with events starting at 2 p.m.
12. After the Tree Lighting Celebration, head over to AT&T Performing Arts Center for another free family-friendly lighting ceremony-- Reliant Lights Your Holidays. The event will have a "gigantic fireworks show" and a holiday concert with performances by WAR and Mariachi Rosas Divinas.
The festivities start at 5:30 p.m., with the lights and fireworks coming on at 7:15 p.m. For more on the schedule of performances and activities, click here.
13. Don't forget to check out the Christmas Tree Lighting in Farmers Branch. There will be plenty of fun, including outdoor ice skating, holiday music, a marketplace and activities for children!
The event begins at 5 p.m. Click here for more information.
Sunday
14. Check out the Bishop Arts District during its Holiday Poinsettia Walk this Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. Attendees can stroll from store to store, shopping and sipping on samples of different bubbly cocktails all the way.
Participants will need to buy a tasting glass beforehand to sip those samples, which will cost between $15 and $20 and include 10 tastings. Visit the Walk's Facebook event for tickets and more information here.
