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Throughout the holiday season, neighborhoods and attractions across Philadelphia glow with trees decked out in lights and seasonal decor.
At spots like City Hall, Rittenhouse Square and more, locals gather to celebrate as switches are flipped to illuminate towering firs.
These occasions are often celebrated with seasonal drinks and food, festive sing-alongs and appearances from Santa Claus himself.
And the fun doesn’t stop around the tree. Take in the shimmering winter wonderland during A Longwood Christmas, tour a festively decorated Fonthill Castle or head to Sesame Place to help the cast of Sesame Street usher in the holidays.
For even more holiday happenings around the city, check out our roundup of The Holidays in Philadelphia.
Neighborhoods come together at the triangle at North Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue to celebrate the holidays with the Spring Garden Community Development Corporation’s second annual event. Festivities include holiday music from the Franklin Learning Center string ensemble and choir, hot drinks and sweet treats, and a visit from Santa Claus.
Where: Fairmount Avenue & North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
Manayunk kicks off its holiday festivities at its Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, November 21. The event features performances, an appearance from Santa Claus and more.
Where: Location TBD, Philadelphia, PA
Woodmere Art Museum celebrates the beginning of the holiday season in at its Circle of Trees event. Live music, hot chocolate and cookies follow the free annual tree lighting, and guests get a first look at the museum’s holiday exhibition, Merry and Bright II: The Christmas Collection of Jeanette Turnbull. Families are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy that will be given to local children in need.
Where: Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
There aren’t many better photo ops this holiday season than the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s public tree lighting, when the attraction’s giant tree lights up atop the Rocky steps. Guests can enjoy free museum admission, festive treats, warm beverages and music by Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Nine and the Sister Cities Girlchoir.
Where: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
During the South Street Headhouse District’s annual Winter Wonderland, Santa arrives via firetruck to light the Headhouse Christmas Tree and poses for pics alongside Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. The event also includes music, gifts and treats.
Where: Head House Square, 200 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA
Thousands of lights and a 30-foot live Christmas tree turn Rittenhouse Square into one of Center City’s most festive public spaces for the holidays. Don’t miss the official tree lighting on Tuesday, December 3, when locals and visitors pack the popular park to usher in the season with music by the Philly POPS, Mummers Greater Overbrook Stringband and more.
Where: Rittenhouse Square, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA
Mayor Jim Kenney and the Office of the City Representative host the free Visit Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting powered by NRG on Wednesday, December 4. Thousands gather at the tree at the Wawa Holiday Plaza on the North Apron of City Hall to enjoy a festive evening with holiday cheer, live entertainment and more. New this year, visitors can enjoy an extension of Christmas Village in Philadelphia, which includes more shopping, a 65-foot-tall Ferris wheel and a children’s holiday train ride next to the tree (November 28 – December 24).
Where: City Hall, 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia’s East Passyunk neighborhood decks the avenue during its annual tree lighting at the famous Singing Fountain. The festivities include festive carolers from Alphabet Academy, student musicians from Andrew Jackson School, an appearance from CBS3 meteorologist Lauren Casey and more before Santa lights the tree. Afterward, guests can visit the stores and businesses along East Passyunk Avenue for holiday sales and treats.
Where: East Passyunk Avenue & South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA
The Betsy Ross House hosts the third annual Historic Holidays Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, December 5 in the attraction’s courtyard, complete with seasonal treats, musical performances and a tree designed by Petit Jardin en Ville’s expert floral designers.
Where: Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
The popular Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest on the Delaware River waterfront goes all out in lighting its tree on Friday, December 6. Attendees can enjoy multiple music and ice-skating performances throughout the night, an appearance from Santa, tasty snacks and drinks, crafts and a grand tree-lighting finale complete with fireworks.
Where: Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, 101 S. Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
November 12 – December 30, 2019 (select dates)
Lit-up trees and holiday decorations abound in room after room inside this charming stone-farmhouse-turned-national-landmark that once belonged to novelist Pearl S. Buck. During the festival, artists from Bucks County come together to fill the museum with artful decor and vignettes celebrating the holiday season.
Where: Pearl S. Buck International, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA
Tens of thousands of twinkling lights kick off the holiday season at Peddler’s Village during the Grand Illumination Celebration, when Santa Claus himself flips the switch to turn on the majestic holiday lights at 6:15 p.m. sharp. The event comes with shopping, carolers, warm apple cider and toasted marshmallows.
Where: Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope, PA
Thousands of poinsettias, Christmas trees and flowers transform the heated four-acre Conservatory at Longwood Gardens during the much-anticipated A Longwood Christmas. Outside, 500,000 lights glitter in trees while spectacularly restored fountains and fire pit flames dance to seasonal music.
Where: Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA
The big guy himself lights Ardmore’s tree at a merry event that brings the whole town together. Santa leaves his sleigh at the North Pole and arrives on a Merion Township Fire Company truck just in time for carols, hot cocoa and cookies. Once the tree is lit, he hands out candy canes to kids of all ages.
Where: Schauffele Plaza, 10 E. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA
November 23, 2019 – January 1, 2020 (select dates)
A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place is a festive celebration with everyone’s favorite Sesame Street friends. The park gets transformed into a Christmas wonderland with millions of twinkling lights and festive decorations. Don’t miss the 1-2-3 Christmas Tree show, which features a 30-foot illuminated pixel-based tree that projects animated images while guests sing and dance along to an all-new soundtrack. There’s also three Christmas shows, a train ride tour through the Twiddlebugs’ Gingerbread Cookie Factory on the Sesame Place Furry Express and the Neighborhood Street Party Christmas Parade.
Where: Sesame Place, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, PA
Doylestown residents and visitors greet Santa Claus as he rides on a firetruck to town to flip the switch at the town’s 105th annual tree lighting on Friday, November 29. Guests can enjoy performances by Bucks County Gilbert and Sullivan Society and the Central Bucks West Choir. Afterward, children are welcome to meet Santa at his Christmas Cottage at the corner of State and Hamilton streets. Be on the lookout for other holiday characters, strolling carolers and more.
Where: East State Street & North Main Street, Doylestown, PA
State Street in Media is the place to be for the annual Festival of Lights, featuring music by the Brass Works and colorful lights all along the street. Pro-tip: Bring along letters to Santa for the town’s strolling postman to deliver to Santa!
Where: Church & State streets, Media, PA
Wayne’s Christmas Tree Lighting is an all-evening affair on Friday, December 6. Wayne’s shops are open late for shopping and treats as strolling carolers make their way down North Wayne Avenue. Folks can decorate ornaments at the Radnor Fire House or take a horse-drawn carriage ride before heading to the Wayne train station at 7:30 p.m. for the official Christmas tree lighting.
Where: South Wayne & Runnymede avenues, Wayne, PA
Bridge Street, Phoenixville’s main thoroughfare, is the site of the town’s annual Christmas Parade and tree lighting. The Winter Shopping Market opens at 5 p.m. and the parade, which starts at 7 p.m., includes a visit from Santa Claus. The tree is lit right after the parade.
Where: Bridge & Main streets, Phoenixville, PA
Strolling Victorian carolers, school choirs, alpacas (!) and much more are on hand for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in downtown Quakertown. Hungry visitors can fuel up for the festivities with free cookies and hot cocoa.
Where: 200-300 W. Broad Street, Quakertown, PA
Levittown’s Bolton Mansion hosts its own tree-lighting ceremony on December 6 featuring face painting, ornament workshops and light bites. Santa arrives to take photos and accept wish lists, and families are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to charity.
Where: Bolton Mansion, 85 Holly Drive, Levittown, PA
Dozens of decorated trees throughout Rose Tree Park set Media aglow during the holidays as part of the annual Festival of Lights. Vistors can stroll the grounds and walkways, taking in festive displays featuring Charlie Brown, Santa and more. The season kicks off on Friday, December 6 with a tree-lighting ceremony and choral performances, and the trees light up nightly from 5:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Rose Tree Park, 1671 N. Providence Road, Media, PA
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive in their sleigh for this year’s Upper Merion Township Holiday Village celebration on Saturday, December 7. At the event, guests can make balloon animals with Mrs. Claus, enjoy a tree lighting, snap photos at the sleigh selfie photo booth and peruse the Gingerbread House Village.
Where: 175 W. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, PA
The Spring City Free Public Library hosts the Chester County town’s tree lighting celebration. Residents and visitors can enjoy a visit with Santa, listen to live music and more.
Where: Spring City Free Public Library, 245 Broad Street, Spring City, PA
Historic Fallsington gets into the spirit of the season with its Christmas Tree Lighting at the Stagecoach Tavern on December 8. Handmade ornaments by children from the William Penn Center Preschool and Kindergarten decorate the tree.
Where: Stagecoach Tavern, 1 Meetinghouse Square, Levittown, PA
The nation’s oldest community tree lighting celebration takes place in this Bucks County town. The event — now in its 110th year — includes appearances by Mary Poppins, Bert and Santa. Pro-tip: Families who bring a non-perishable food item get one entry into a drawing for one child to join Santa in flipping the switch to turn the lights on!
Where: Perkasie Borough Town Center, 620 W. Chestnut Street, Perkasie, PA
The impressive Fonthill Castle in Doylestown hosts its annual Holiday Lights Meander on Sunday, December 22. At the event, guests can check out the castle’s many decorated rooms while enjoying seasonal refreshments.
Where: Fonthill Castle, 525 E. Court Street, Doylestown, PA
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.
The holiday season shines bright in Philadelphia...