Master Guide to Holiday Fun in Greater Rochester, NY
The Rochester, NY area finds endless ways to fill Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's with fun!
| 101 Local Holiday Events Where to See Santa Christmas Tree Farms Holiday Concerts and Performances FREE Holiday Events |
Christmas Activities Chanukah Kwanzaa New Year's Eve Lightbulb Day |
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101 Holiday Happenings in Rochester
Rochester has tons of events for families!KidsOutAndAbout.com compiles a comprehensive list of holiday family activities in our area each year, organized under various categories. These categories include Santa Sightings, Light Displays, Living Nativities, Holiday Theatre, Holiday Concerts, Christmas Tree Experiences, Ice Skating, Hanukkah celebrations, Shopping & Craft Fairs, New Year's Eve events, and more. The list features both traditional holiday experiences like visiting Santa and viewing light displays, as well as unique local offerings. It's our mission to make it easy to plan your holiday schedule out and about; you'll be amazed at the wide variety of activities on the list!
150-House Driving Tour of Holiday Light Displays in Greater Rochester
Christmas lights, and lots more!So many families have the tradition of hopping in the car and going to see the lights in neighborhoods around our area. Check out KidsOutAndAbout's big list of holiday light displays... as reported by readers.
Sweet Creations at the George Eastman Museum
Saturday, November 9, 2024–Sunday, January 5, 2025The George Eastman Museum is delighted to invite visitors to its enchanting 2024 holiday season events. Known for creating memorable experiences, the museum’s seasonal lineup includes the beloved Sweet Creations Gingerbread Display, holiday wreaths, festive tabletop trees, decorative mantels, and so much more. Sweet Creations returns with more than 50 uniquely decorated gingerbread creations; the exhibit will be available for viewing through January 5 and you can take one home for next season if you're the highest bidder in the online silent auction. To manage visitor flow, advance ticket purchases are recommended and can be made at eastman.org/tickets. (Sponsored by The Summit Federal Credit Union with additional support from Tops Friendly Markets.)
Also, the annual holiday film series at the Dryden Theatre kicks off Thanksgiving weekend with family-friendly favorites like Elf (2003), The Polar Express (2004), and Edward Scissorhands (1990). For a full list of holiday screenings and ticket details, visit eastman.org/dryden.
RPO's The Nutcracker
Nov 27, 29, 30 and Dec 1, 2024 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre with the Rochester City BalletTara Simoncic, guest conductor
Rochester City Ballet
Your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Rochester City Ballet celebrate 25 years of The Nutcracker at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre! This timeless tale of wonder and imagination has become a Rochester holiday tradition. Be whisked away to a magical land of sparkling snow and delectable sweets as delightful dance pairs with Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score. This beloved story of a young girl’s Christmas Eve dream never fails to touch the heart!
Holiday Happenings at Genesee Country Village
There are so many ways to include Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, NY, in your family's traditions this holiday season! With festive special events like our Holiday Market & Preparing for Winter (November 16 & 17), Yuletide in the Country Theatrical Tours and Dinners (select Fridays and Saturdays in December); Holiday Open Houses December 8 and 22 (Kids 12 and under FREE!); as well as Breakfast with Saint Nick (which typically sell out, so get your tickets asap!) and holiday cookies and shopping in the Flint Hill Store, GCV&M can help you plan ahead for a season of winter wonder.
A Christmas Carol at Geva Theatre Center
November 23 – December 29, 2024Rochester’s favorite holiday tradition returns in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic story by Award-winning playwright Harrison David Rivers. Beginning with a wish made by young Tim Cratchit, over the course of one night notorious grump Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four ghosts. But will their intervention prompt him to change his “humbug” ways? Filled with humor, heart, hope – and a little bit of horror – A Christmas Carol reminds us that it is never too late to have a change of heart.
Kodak Hall Movie Series Presents: Elf in Concert Dec 14, 2024
Experience your favorite Christmas film transformed with the music of a live symphony orchestra and choir with Elf™ in Concert! For the first time ever, audiences can rediscover the magic of this holiday classic while a live symphony orchestra performs John Debney’s wonderful score and Santa Claus soars across the big screen in high-definition. Saturday, December 14 at 2pm and 7pm in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
For more information and to order tickets, visit EastmanTheatre.org or call (585) 274-3000 to purchase tickets for this and other Eastman Presents concerts.
Christmas at RCCM 2024
Dec 13-15 and 18-23: Gates open at 6pm nightly. Register for your free ticket nowChristmas at RCCM is truly a magical place…. It’s a place filled with wonder, excitement, and Christmas cheer! Christmas at RCCM consists of 4 major attractions: Miracle, the thrilling and inspiring 4D motion ride; The Name, our brand new and incredible "spoken word”, multi-sensory experience; Raffadali's Great Adventure, our exciting and interactive family show starring Raffadali the donkey; Star’s Yuletide Workshop where cast members assist kids in making their very own Star-themed ornament! Plus don’t miss RCCM’s Musical Light Show Spectacular! Tens of thousands of color-changing lights animated all across the RCCM campus will leave you in awe! All FREE! Each show is about 20 minutes in duration, and each runs continuously from 6-9pm each night.
For more information and to reserve advance tickets, visit RCCM.org or call 585-247-4444. RCCM is located at 3177 Lyell Rd in Gates.
Holly Trolley Rides at the New York Museum of Transportation
December 7, 8, and 15 - Reservations requiredIt's a unique holiday tradition! Enjoy a 2-mile round trip trolley ride, visit with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, enjoy delicious hot chocolate and cookies, and thrill to holiday decorations throughout the museum. December 7, 8, and 15. Family-friendly admission for the whole experience is just $17 adults and seniors, $13 ages 3 - 14. By reservation only. Find details at http://www.nymtmuseum/Christmas
A Magical Christmas Adventure at Hidden Valley
Get Ready for a Magical Christmas Adventure as Santa and Mrs. Claus bring holiday wonder to Hidden Valley. Decorated in Christmas splendor, The Lodge will host Santa’s Wonderland where you’ll decorate cookies, write letters to the North Pole, take holiday photos and more before boarding your trolley for a journey through Hidden Valley’s Mystical Forest. There you’ll see herds of bison and elk, Randy the camel, llamas, and blackbelly sheep roaming the wintery terrain. Upon your return, pet and feed a variety of live animals in open-air stalls. Five dates only: November 29, 30, December. 1, 7, & 8. Reservations Required. Visit our website for details. Allow 3 hours for the full adventure.
Pirate Toy Fund's Toy Drive 2024
Main drive week Nov 29 - Dec 7. Toys are collected throughout December.The Pirate Toy Fund's main toy drive, where they press to collect 25,000 toys, is November 29 - December 7. The toy drive continues throughout December. Drop off a new, unwrapped toy so that a needy child in our area can benefit at the holidays and through the year. Go shopping with your kids and ask them to pick out a toy they know another child in our community would love. Then drop off the NEW, UNWRAPPED TOYS at any area Wegmans locations, Kinecta Federal Credit Union, Eastview Mall, Marketplace Mall, the Mall at Greece Ridge, or Mark's Pizzeria. ...and feel great that you're helping other kids in our area at the time they most need comfort and joy. Or CLICK HERE to donate toys online!
The Child Advocacy Center (CACGROC) brings you The RGE Holiday Lights Tour presented by Montage Wealth Management
December 7-31, 2024Experience the magic of the season at The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester’s RG&E Holiday Lights Tour Presented by Montage Wealth Management! Make a gift of $50 to CACGROC in return for a Tour Kit to accompany you on this year’s Holiday Lights Tour! CACGROC has partnered with some of the brightest and most festively decorated homes in the Greater Rochester area to bring you a fun, family-centered event. Tour Kits are given as a “thank you” for your $50 gift. The contents are ideal for a family of four. To receive a Tour Kit, you must make your online gift by December 5 to cacgroc.org/hlt. Pick up your Tour Kit on Saturday, December 7 from 5pm-7pm where Santa and Mrs. Claus will be waiting to greet you at 1 Mount Hope and send you on your way!
Roc Holiday Village
Wednesdays to Sundays December 6 – December 29, 2024The sixth annual Roc Holiday Village presents 17 days of enchanting festivities from December 6 to December 29, every Wednesday to Sunday. The downtown Rochester festival features free ice skating and skate rentals, a unique Shopping Village, free visits & pictures with Santa, fire pits with outdoor seating, indoor and outdoor bars, hand-crafted goods, Cozy Winter Igloos, free crafts for kids, food trucks, a variety of holiday celebrations, live music, private events, nightlife and more.
There's fun for everyone at the Holiday Village! www.rocholidayvillage.com
Tim Horton's Iceplex
Rochester's #1 Ice Skating DestinationJoin us this holiday season for Open Skate! Lace up the skates and see for yourself why ice skating at the Iceplex is one of Rochester’s favorite activities for people of all ages. Whether you are with friends, with family, on a date or just out for some exercise, ice skating is a great activity for all occasions. Throughout the season, we have multiple sessions hosted weekly and during winter recess we’ll have sessions every day! Make sure to purchase your tickets in advance, as sessions will sell out.
Stokoe Farms
Experience the magic of the holidays at Stokoe Farms! Begin your tradition with a wagon ride to cut your own meticulously hand-trimmed Fraser, Douglas, or Concolor Fir tree. For just $68, any size or variety includes shaking, baling, fresh cutting, and drilling for a pin stand. While you're here, enjoy free family activities, including a Live Nativity, Straw Fort, Giant Slides, Bonfires, and the whimsical Hillbilly Hen Chicken Show. Admission is free!
You can also choose to enhance your visit with private animal encounters at The Roo Ranch—hold a kangaroo or meet exotic animals ($15 online, $20 at the door). Weekends and Black Friday, November 23–December 8, 2024.
The Stokoe Farms Christmas experience runs weekends from the weekend before Thanksgiving to mid-December. In 2024 the last day is Saturday, December 14, 9am - 2pm, after which we are closing for the season.
Christmas Tree Farms
Do you cut your own Christmas tree? Here's our big list of farms where you can cut your own Christmas tree in Rochester.
Subscriptions Boxes: Gifts That Keep on Giving
Send thoughtful choices to the ones you love near and far, and plan some excellent expected surprises for your own family in the months to come. KidsOutAndAbout has put together of some of our favorite choices with a range for all different ages and interests.
FREE Holiday Events
You think you can't get anything free anymore? Nonsense! Here are a bunch of free holiday events (listed day by day) coming up in our area.
Chanukah
Hanukkah begins in the evening of December 25, 2024 and ends January 2, 2025.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is celebrated December 26-January 1 each year.
Lightbulb Day
Lightbulb Day is celebrated on the Winter Solstice, on or about December 21.
Holiday concerts and performances
There are lots of special concerts and shows... and some of them are free! Click here for the entire Holiday Performance list.
