7 of the Most Festive Things You Can Do in Columbus This Holiday Season (2025)

We’re never at a loss for things to do around here and the Holiday events in Columbus do not disappoint!

If you’re looking for holiday things to do in Columbus over Winter Break or if you’re in need of a healthy dose of festivity to get into the Holiday Spirit, here are 7 holiday and Christmas events around Columbus that are guaranteed to put you in a festive mood!

All info is being updated for the 2025 holiday season! Please continue to check back!

1. Conservatory Aglow at Franklin Park Conservatory

• Dates: November 22, 2025 – January 4, 2026
• Hours: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM nightly, 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays
• During Conservatory Aglow, The Conservatory Closes AT 4 PM and reopens at 5 PM.
• The Conservatory will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Where: 1777 E. Broad St., Columbus, Oh 43203
• Phone: 614-715-8000
• Website and Tickets

• Related: 5 Holiday Trains in Columbus

Franklin Park Conservatory does not disappoint when it comes to creating a festive atmosphere! Conservatory Aglow offers special holiday decorations like a 100-foot light tunnel, live performances, an ornament tree with 1,400 ornaments, and much more during special evening hours at the Conservatory.

Throughout the season live music and special events are scheduled and the Conservatory is decorated for the holidays. New in 2025 there will be rentable igloos with food and drinks available to reserve in the Bonsai Courtyard.

Also, make sure not to miss the gingerbread competition beginning in December and the Paul Busse Garden Railway!

This annual holiday show extends inside the Conservatory, and outside in the Children’s Garden and the Grand Mallway.

There is a special engagement rate for this event and members receive 50% off. Reserving tickets in advance is strongly recommended. Access Family Members and families participating in SNAP, EBT, WIC and Medicaid can qualify for $4 Special Engagement Rates.

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2. Wildlights at Columbus Zoo

• Dates: November 21, 2025 – January 4, 2026
• Hours: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM Sundays – Thursdays, 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM Fridays and Saturdays (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
• Where: 4850 Powell Rd., Powell, OH 43065
• Phone: 614-645-3400
• Website and Tickets

In my opinion, Wildlights gets better every year! This is one of our favorite holiday events in Columbus! Each year there are more lights than ever and the season includes special visitors and performances. 

Walk through the zoo and enjoy millions of LED lights, animated light shows, Rudolph and Friends, Santa, a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 4-D theater short and much more!

This event is included in regular admission and free for members! If there is any way you can do this on a weeknight, I highly recommend doing so, as traffic on the weekends can be a nightmare! It’s best to arrive early (before 5:00 PM) and then stay for the light show.

New this year: the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is now cashless.

• Related: The 5 Best Gift Memberships for Columbus Kids

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3. Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights

• Dates: November 21, 2025 -Jan. 4, 2026
• Hours: Sunday-Thursday: 5:30pm – 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 5:30pm – 10:00pm
• Holiday Hours (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day): 5:30pm-9:00pm
• Where: Alum Creek State Park Campgrounds, 3311 South Old State Rd., Delaware, OH 43015
• Website and Tickets

Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights is an annual holiday 3 mile drive thru light show, with over 300 LED brilliant light displays you can see in the comfort of your own car.

Tickets are sold per carload online or at the gate. Click this link for detailed pricing info. Expect longer wait times or traffic shut-downs on the weekends and plan to visit during the week if possible!

You can also buy a season pass for $80 which is good for any time the show is open during the season. Season passes can only be purchased at the gate.

The Fantasy of Lights benefits many local charities such as Recreation Unlimited and A Kid Again, among others, and honors current and former military through specialized evenings.

• Related: Two Local Non-Profits Who Offer Respite and Fun for Families of Children with Serious Medical Conditions and Developmental Disabilities

4. WonderLight’s Christmas

• Dates: November 14, 2025 – January 4, 2026
• Hours: Nightly: 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM
• Where: Hartford Fairgrounds, 14028 Fairgrounds Rd, Hartford, OH 43013
• Website

“WonderLight’s Christmas”, a drive-through Christmas light show, is housed at Hartford Fairgrounds in Hartford, Ohio, about 33 miles from downtown Columbus.

This family-friendly event will feature a 2-mile car ride through more than a million LED lights, all synchronized to music! Giant Christmas trees, floating snowflakes, shooting stars, dancing candy canes, and (a favorite of children of all ages) three enchanting tunnels of light will illuminate the night!

Guests will be able to watch the lights dance around them to traditional and newer, rocking Christmas music from the warmth of their own vehicle.

This event happens rain or shine every evening, including holidays! Reservations are recommended. The cost of admission is $30 for a carload pass that covers up to 8 passengers. There is also pricing for vehicles carrying more than 7 passengers. Make sure to click the link above for all of the details!

5. The Nutcracker

• Dates: December 11-28, 2025
• Hours: Performance times vary throughout the month.
• Where: Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St., Columbus, OH 43215
• Website and Tickets

We have enjoyed seeing The Nutcracker at The Ohio Theatre during many holiday seasons! It feels very festive to get dressed up and enjoy the elaborate decorations in the theatre.

The ballet is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes which includes a 20 minute intermission. As you can see below, one year we got to sit in the very front row and could see the orchestra. My kids loved that! They haven’t had an orchestra in recent years however!

• Related: Tried and True Gift Ideas for Young Boys

If your kids aren’t ready for the full-length show, try My First Nutcracker, which features a shorter performance (1 hour) on December 23 and 26, both days at 11:00 AM. This show is sensory-friendly.

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6. Nativity at Cathedral Square

• Dates: November 28, 2025 – ?
• Hours: Nativity can be seen 24/7 and will be lit at night.
• Where: front lawn of St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215
• More Info: Visit their Facebook Page for the most up to date info.

The Nativity at State Auto was recently donated to the Museum of Catholic Art and History and is now located at St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 212 E. Broad St. in downtown Columbus, OH.

The nativity will be lit nightly through. There is a parking lot behind the St. Joseph Cathedral. The link above will take you to their Facebook page so you can stay in the know about upcoming events!

Take a walk through this downtown nativity for a life-sized retelling of the story of Mary and Joseph’s trek to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus.

My family does this each year as close to Christmas Eve as we can. On Christmas Eve, baby Jesus has been placed in the manger, but I’m not sure of the plans since the nativity has moved.

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7. Holiday Lights in Downtown Columbus (Wanderlights)

• Dates: November 21, 2025 – February 15, 2026
• Hours: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM daily
• Festive Fridays will take place the first 3 Fridays in December from 5:00 – 9:00 PM.
• Where: Columbus Commons, Town Street and Bicentennial Park
• Website and More Info

We’ve been doing this path for years but in 2024, the city made it an official event with the introduction of Wanderlights! The path includes holiday lights at Columbus Commons, along Town Street, and at the Scioto Mile Fountain!

These lights are free to experience nightly, and on select weekends, there will be special nights called Wander Nights!

NEW in 2025: FREE Wander Nights: At all 3 Wanderlights locations listed above on select Fridays and Saturdays, (Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20) from 5p.m. – 8 p.m.

There will be free fun including hot chocolate, trolley rides and carousel rides, plus seasonal beverages and food for sale at Columbus Commons. The Good Market will take place near the Ohio Theatre to shop for local holiday gifts. Share your wish list with Santa in the Lazarus Building Galleria, and unwind in a cozy atmosphere at Bicentennial Park for crackling firepits, cocktails, holiday movies, games, face painting, food trucks, and more.

Hop on and off the free covered trolley at Columbus Commons and Bicentennial Park during
Wander Nights to see the Nationwide Children’s Hospital butterfly light show.

*Please note that Wander Nights will not occur at Bicentennial Park on Dec. 5 and 6 due to
WinterFest.

Wander Nights Movie Schedule:
Movies start at 6 p.m. at Bicentennial Park

• Friday, Dec.12: Frozen
• Saturday, Dec. 13: Frozen 2
• Friday, Dec. 19: Miracle
• Saturday, Dec. 20: Cool Runnings

See all the exact details at the link above!

A good plan to see the lights downtown is to park in the Columbus Commons parking garage, walk around Columbus Commons for holiday lights and decorations and then head down Town Street to Bicentennial Park and the Scioto Mile to see the lights that deck the entire area from Bicentennial Park to Broad Street.

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• Don’t forget to check out 10 of Our Favorite Columbus Christmas Traditions for more ideas!

What are you favorite Columbus holiday traditions?

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ICYMI: 10 of Our Favorite Columbus Christmas Traditions