Lancaster PA Christmas
November 29, 2023
The holidays are a magical time in Lancaster PA and we’ve pulled together a list of our favorite Christmas shows and special events that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit! These Lancaster PA Christmas Shows, Holiday Tours and Special Events are festive traditions to help you enjoy the holiday season.
This blog is all about Lancaster PA Christmas
1. The First Noel - American Music Theater Holiday Show
The First Noel is AMT’s newest Original Show, featuring the sacred and secular holiday songs you know and love. Visitors will enjoy all-live performances by a sensational cast of Singers and Dancers, as well as the remarkable AMT Orchestra. This experience is something your entire family will enjoy! The show is 2 hours with an intermission. The First Noel runs from November 7th - December 30th.
2. Amish Christmas Cookie Tour – Amish Farm & House
On the Amish Farm & House Amish Cookie Tour, you'll interact with Amish families in their homes and learn about their heritage while sampling homemade cookies. During the tour you will visit three authentic Amish homes to sample homemade Christmas cookies. You’ll leave with an appreciation of another culture along with recipes and cookies to take home and enjoy. This tour takes place every Friday & Saturday from November 24 - December 30.
3. Strasburg Rail Road Christmas
Choose your Christmas full-steam train adventure at the Strasburg Rail Road! Enjoy Le Train Cabaret (Christmas Concerts) Breakfast with Mrs. Clause, Dinner with Mrs. Clause, or enjoy the Christmas Tree Train & return home with a pre-cut Frasier Fir from Lehman Place Grove! No matter which experience you choose, you’ll feel the excitement of meeting Santa and the rest of his crew combined with Steam Trains... a truly magical combo!
4. Christmas Spirit Light Show – Clipper Magazine Stadium
Christmas Spirit Light Show is an exciting, one-of-a-kind Christmas light display that you and your loved ones will enjoy from the comfort of your vehicle. As you journey through our mile-long track, you will be immersed and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of color-changing lights, animated and dancing in harmony with your favorite Christmas classics. Our show is a breathtaking holiday experience that you and your loved ones will never forget.
5. Yultide at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
New this year, experience holiday merriment at a festive celebration that's like no other! Prepare to be whisked away into a wonderous winter wonderland, where the magic of the holiday season comes alive amid a realm of fantasical characters, mouthwatering delicacies, and exquisite beverages. This outdoor event is taking place every weekend from November 24 - December 10th. Tickets are available online, click here for more details and to buy tickets.
6. Kitchen Kettle Christmas – Kitchen Kettle Village
Through the holiday season Kitchen Kettle Village stays open until 8pm on Friday nights. Visitors enjoy the beautiful lights of the villages as they shop. On Saturdays they have live music performed throughout the village. They have cookies to treat you. And shopkeepers to greet you. You can even roast a marshmallow over an open fire at the "Pepper Lane Fudge S'more Station."
7. Christmas Lights & Ziplining – Refreshing Mountain
Refreshing Mountain's Christmas Lights & Ziplining is a fastastic way to experience Christmas lights in a unique & fun way! I mean, when's the last time you flew on a zipline through a canopy of decorated trees, right?! There are 4 ways to enjoy the lights depending on your level of adventure. The holiday display runs through January 9th!
8. Christmas at Hershey Park
Hershey Park has two fantastic holiday traditions for visitors young and old to enjoy!
Hershey Sweet Lights: Enjoy nearly 600 illuminated, animated displays from the comfort of your car as you drive through 2 miles of wooded trails at Hershey Sweet Lights®! Buy online in advance and save by 5PM on the day of your visit. Price varies by day. Hershey Sweet Lights is located at 1183 Sandbeach Road, Hershey, PA 17033.
Hersheypark Christmas Candylane: Hershey has decked the halls with more than 5 million lights for the most merry event of the year, Hersheypark Christmas Candylane! Enjoy your favorite rides and coasters, a visit with Santa, festive Hershey Character experiences, and more.
9. Dutch Winter Wonderland – Seasonal Royal Fun
Dutch Winter Wonderland is a fun, family friendly event featuring themed rides, special entertainment, warm holiday drinks, and The Royal Lights Show! Take in thousands of twinkling lights as the kingdom is fully decorated for a truly royal holiday! There are special events in the park each weekend including a Craft Market December 18th & 19th.
10. Scootin’ with Santa – Strasburg Scooters
Strasburg Scooters has a super-fun holiday tradition! Saturdays & Sundays in December, enjoy a backroads tour of Amish Countryside in a bright red scout coupe decked out like a reindeer. Your guide, in Santa attire, will take you on a 1.5 – 2 hour journey that includes seeing covered bridges & visiting with Amish neighbors.
11. A Christmas Carol – Dutch Apple Dinner Theater
Enjoy dinner and a show at Lancaster’s premier dinner theater! For the holidays they’ll be performing A Christmas Carol based on the beloved book. His heartwarming classic story will melt even the most "bah-humbuggy" Scrooges!
12. 6th Annual Christmas Light Drive Through at Stone Gables Estate
Celebrate the traditions and true meaning of Christmas with your loved ones from the comfort of your vehicle. Stone Gables Estate invites you to experience a spectacular 3-mile Christmas Light Drive-Thru which features over 600,000+ brilliant LED lights. Stone Gables also has a Christmas Village shopping experience, Nativity Workshop, and Christmas Dinner & Shows! Check their website for tickets and pricing.
13. National Christmas Center at Stone Gables Estate
If you were heartbroken by the closing of the National Christmas Center in Paradise, PA, we have news to make your day. You’ll be happy to know that the entire collection of exhibits and memorabilia were purchased by the Stone Gables Estate where they’re being restored and displayed in the new 40,000 sf Barns of Belmont. Tours can be booked online. While you’re visiting, you should also take a ride on the “Santa Express”, a magical narrated train experience aboard the Harrisburg, Lincoln & Lancaster Railroad.
14. Magic & Wonder Christmas Show - Winter Wonderland
Join Brett and his cast in a heartwarming new show for holiday season. Family and friends of all ages will enjoy the illusions, comedy, costumes, and music in this spectacular 90 minute holiday Magic & Wonder Christmas production.
15. Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Fulton Theatre
The Fulton Theater is one of the premier theatrical venues in Lancaster PA. This holiday season they're performing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from November 17 - December 30th! Buy your tickets ahead of time online, you'll be guaranteed to enjoy a fantastic performance!
16. Shop the Christmas Village at Ironstone Ranch
If you love shopping in the Kiosk-style Christmas Villages for unique gifts and wares, you're in luck. On November 25 & 26, and December 3rd, 10th and 17th, there will be a wonderful Christmas Village with shopping vendors, food trucks, live entertainment and more at Ironstone Ranch!
17. Koziar’s Christmas Village
One of the best holiday attractions in Pennsylvania, Koziar’s Christmas Village has a rich history and tradition. The elaborate Christmas light displays draw thousands of visitors from around the globe each year.
Kozaiar’s Christmas Village is open weekend evenings (Fridays: 6-9p, Saturdays; 5-10p, Sundays: 5-9p) starting the first Saturday in November until Thanksgiving. From Thanksgiving to January 1, 2022, Koziar’s Christmas Village is open 6-9pm Monday-Thursday, 5:30-9p on Friday, 4:30-10p on Saturdays, and 4:30-9pm on Sundays.
Book your Lancaster PA Christmas Getaway at the Historic Smithton Inn!
If you like this article about Lancaster PA Christmas. Here are some related blogs you might also enjoy:
- Winter activities in Lancaster PA
- Snow Geese at Middle Creek
- Lancaster PA Mud Sales
- Things to do in Downtown Lancaster
- Favorite Amish Owned Shops in Lancaster PA
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