The Best Holiday Events in The Valley

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… now what to do with the family to celebrate the season?  We have put together our favorite holiday activities and events, the very best in the valley,  for you and your family to ENJOY!

Santa Saturdays at The Shops at Norterra December 13th and 20th. Visit with Santa every Saturday at Elevate Coffee Co and enjoy a FREE holiday kids craft. Come celebrate the holiday in style on Friday, December 12th with the arrival of Santa’s Corvette Christmas with Corvettes.

Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo through January 11th.  Zoo lights powered by SRP is a magical experience guaranteed to illuminate your holiday season featuring over 3.8 million lights! Meet Tortuga the Talking Galapagos Tortoise and Jengo the Talking Giraffe! Enjoy Stingray Bay touch tank, the Endangered Species Carousel and camel rides. Additional fees. Alcoholic beverages available for purchase every Friday and Saturday night. Make ZooLights a family tradition and enjoy one of the largest holiday light shows in the country!

Cookie Doughjo offers Gingerbread Decorating and Holiday Cookie Baking Classes for the season and two special Cookies for Santa baking events on 12/23!  This place is sure to leave children (and mommies!) with happy tummies and visions of sugar-plums (or cookies?) dancing in their head.

Glendale Glitters through January 10th. Glendale’s award-winning holiday lighting event has become a family tradition across the Valley and Arizona. The stunning display of 1.5 million lights will illuminate sixteen blocks of Historic Downtown Glendale, making it the largest free holiday light display in Arizona.

Las Noches de las Luminarias at Desert Botanical Gardens through December 30th.  DBG celebrates its 37th year one of Arizona’s best holiday events. Be sure to visit the garden as it comes to life with over 8,000 hand lit luminaries bags, thousands of twinkle lights and music provided by local entertainment groups.

Christmas at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess through January 4th.  Witness the resort turn into  an enchanting winter wonderland with a Desert Ice Holiday Rink, four story high Christmas tree, nightly 3D light shows, spectacular lagoon and garden lights, Princess Express Train rides, Christmas Carousel, Holiday Tree Lot by Moon Valley Nursery, Photos with Santa in Santa’s Workshop and Menorah Lighting and latkes with applesauce for Hanukkah.

Celebration of Christmas by Phoenix First Assembly performs through the 13th. This broadway performance features singing, dancing, flying angels and live animals.  This holiday production is one of America’s largest Christmas musicals.

Holiday Events at Desert Ridge. Nightly Snow Fall in North Phoenix for the holidays each evening at 7pm and 8pm.  December 24th, it will snow every hour on the hour starting at 11am until 8 pm. Don’t miss out on Story Time December 10th and 17th. Bring the kids out to get in the holiday spirit and enjoy FREE hot chocolate and cookies from California Pizza Kitchen, story time readings of holiday classics with Mrs. Claus, dancing and exercises by The Little Gym® and special guest characters presented by PBS Channel 8.

Miracle on Main Street at Kierland Commons. Every Saturday through December 20th come celebrate the season with live festive music, photos with Santa, storytelling with Mrs. Claus, gourmet S’mores stations, horse drawn carriage rides and snowfall at 6, 7 and 8 PM.

City Skate at Cityscape through February 2nd.  Phoenix’s only REAL outdoor ice rink! Ice Skate all season long in the middle of Central Avenue, it’s downtown Phoenix’s favorite new tradition.

Carefree Christmas Festival December 12th-14th. Three days and two nights of FREE holiday festivities and entertainment featuring an electric Light Parade, Holiday Fireworks Extravaganza, 35 tons of real snow, a Holiday Pet Parade and live music, dance, carolers, nativity scenes and more.

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport to Host Santa December 19th and 20th and then every weekend until Christmas. Saturday’s at 10 am Sunday’s at 3pm.  Santa will be leaving the reindeer at the North Pole as he visits the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport. He will arrive by helicopter outside the restaurant patio and spend a couple hours visiting. Goody bags will be handed out inside the restaurant.  Free event and parking.

The Nutcracker by Ballet Arizona with shows through December 28th.  The magic of The Nutcracker illuminates the stage with more than 150 performers, hundreds of costumes and the beauty and athleticism of Ballet Arizona’s nationally recognized dancers. A timeless holiday tradition for all ages. Choreography by artistic director Ib Andersen danced to Tchaikovsky’s famous score.

December Holiday Lights at Mccormick-Stillman Railroad Park through January 3rd. All Aboard Arizona’s most unique holiday event! Take a train ride through many festive holiday light displays turning the Railroad Park into a winter wonderland. Santa will be at the park through December 23rd.

Snow Much Fun Day at Children’s Museum of Phoenix. December 13th.  The museum opens early this day for a yummy breakfast with Santa Claus! Then children can spend the rest of the day playing in the Museum and enjoying all of the snow activities!

Visit Santa at Westgate through December 24th. Share wishes, snap pictures and receive a free gift! Westgate Entertainment District will also be bringing snow to Glendale for the Holidays! Snow What Fun will provide snow fall each night through December 24th promptly at 7pm and 8pm.

December Kids Workshop with North Phoenix Moms Blog on December 21st.  Join us at The Corner Bakery for a candle painting kids workshop where your child can make a handmade holiday gift for a loved one.  We will be providing muffins and hot cocoa for everyone in attendance in addition to your Ellery Mae Candle Gift Set and crafting supplies!  Everyone attending needs a ticket so be sure to get your tickets before this event sells out!

One of our favorite places to visit as a family, The Phoenix Zoo, is giving away a Family 4 pack to Zoolights! Thank you to them for sending (sponsoring/providing tickets) one of our lucky readers to this special holiday experience!