10 of Our Favorite Columbus Christmas Traditions (Updated for 2025)

These are 10 Holiday and Christmas events we make sure not to miss every year! If you’re looking to start some family-friendly Christmas traditions around Columbus, start here!

Every year I feel slightly overwhelmed by all of the Holiday events in Columbus that I really don’t want to miss. A few years ago, I sat down and wrote them out on a calendar. And THAT is pretty much where the idea for this blog began! 😉

Now we’ve come full circle and, though there are probably hundreds of holiday events going on around Columbus, today I am sharing 10 things my family loves doing at Christmastime in Columbus!

This post has been updated for 2025!

1. Village Lights in German Village

• When: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM (first Sunday in December)
• Where: throughout German Village
• Website

This is one of my favorite Columbus traditions of the entire year! Wow, did I really just say that? I did. I look forward to this probably more than anything else. I honestly don’t know how much my kids like it, but there are free cookies and hot chocolate, so I haven’t heard any complaints!

The streets of German Village are lit with luminaries and restaurants, shops, and even a few private homes along the route are open late with special deals, free goodies and live music! Designated parking areas and shuttles are available.

Look for shopping at StrietzelMarkt on the Platz. Keep your eye out for Santa!

• Related: 7 of the Most Festive Things You Can Do in Columbus This Holiday Season

2. Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

• 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

You have to see Wildlights! The light shows are spectacular and the zoo becomes an (even more) magical place for about 6 weeks leading up to New Year’s Day! The first time we ever attempted to go to Wildlights, there was so much traffic that by the time we got there it was too late for my 1 yr old and we just drove right on by the entrance and back on home!

Weekends are very busy, so if you can, I suggest trying a week day evening and arriving before 5:00 PM! If you’re a member, you can also avoid the crowds by catching the Member Preview held in mid November.

• Related: The 5 Best Gift Memberships for Columbus Kids

3. 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

Conservatory Aglow offers special holiday decorations, performances and evening hours at Franklin Park Conservatory. Throughout the season live music and special events are scheduled and the Conservatory is decorated beautifully (that goes without saying)!

There are lights throughout inside and outside and it’s breathtaking! During this season, Franklin Park Conservatory is open until 9:00 PM, and now 10:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays! There will be special family-friendly activities happening all through the season!

Decorations now expand into the Grand Mallway. There is a Special Engagement Admission Rate for this event and members will receive half off these rates. See the link for details.

• Related: 5 Holiday Trains in Columbus

4. Wanderlights in Downtown Columbus

• 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

Throughout the holiday season, the Scioto Mile is awash in light – Christmas lights, that is!

In 2024, the city introduced 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!

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. Or you can take the trolley during the Wander Nights events!

Click the link above for specific details about Wander Nights!

• Related: Christmas Tree Farms in Columbus and Beyond

• Related: Tried and True Gift Ideas for Young Boys

5. Huntington Holiday Train at Main Library

• When: Dates not yet released
• Where: 96 S. Grant Ave. Columbus, OH 43215

Main Library is home to the Huntington Holiday Train and every year this amazing display is set up during the holiday season! The library typically begins set up of the train in November and it is usually up through New Years!

Every year they also host a Holiday Open House with special activities! This year’s event will be on Wednesday, December 3 from 6-8 pm.

• Related: 10 Things to be Excited About at New Main Library!

6. Holiday Train at Ohio History Center

• When: Dates not yet released
• Where: 800 E. 17th. Ave., Columbus OH 43211
• Website

If you happen to have kids that like trains, there is a also holiday train set up at the Ohio History Center. Granted, it’s not quite as elaborate as the Huntington Train, but since we’re members at Ohio History Center, this one is still a no-brainer for me and two boys who love trains! We don’t miss it!

• Related: MEGA Train List for Central Ohio and Beyond

7. Think Outside the Brick at Columbus Museum of Art – ON PAUSE FOR 2025 DUE TO CONSTRUCTION

• When: No exhibit in 2025 due to construction
• Where: 480 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215
• Website

I’m keeping this exhibit on the list to mark its place for next year, but there is no Think Outside The Brick exhibit in 2025 due to construction at the Columbus Museum of Art.

This exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art is definitely a holiday tradition in Columbus! If you have kids on Christmas break, this would be a great reason to take them to the Art Museum! This annual exhibit is included with your membership or admission.

The LEGO replica of Columbus is awesome and we love to visit at this time! There are blocks for free building in the Big Idea Gallery and a LEGO-themed scavenger hunt throughout the museum.

Admission is free on Sundays and on Thursday nights are $5 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM!

• Related: See more pictures from a past visit here!

8. Holiday Events and Decorations at Easton Town Center

• When: beginning November 22, 2024
• Where: 160 Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH 43219
• Website

We always enjoy going to Easton at Christmastime – and not just to do our Christmas shopping! There is a life-sized nativity and a humongous Christmas tree (an all-new, 56 ft tree covered in 28, 680 RGB LED’s arrived in 2017!)!

There are carriage rides, live music performances and the Grand Illumination lighting ceremony takes place on November 14, 2025 with festivities beginning at 5:00 PM.

• Related: 5 Tasty Kid-Friendly Restaurants at Easton Town Center

9. Nativity at Cathedral Square in Downtown Columbus

• When: November 28, 2025 – ?
• Hours: Lit nightly.
• Where: 212 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215
• Facebook Page

Christmas Corner is something we love to do close to Christmas Eve! You can walk through a life-sized nativity following the Christmas story!

In 2023, this larger than life nativity was 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 January 6, 2023. There is 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!

10. 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

Driving through Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights has become a yearly tradition for us, and it usually kicks off the season as one of the first things we do in mid-November!

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!

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I hope that whatever you chose to do, you have a special season with your family!

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ICYMI: Top 10 Things to do with Your Kids in Columbus, Ohio

Need even more ideas? Try 100 Fun Things to do in Columbus, Ohio