Christmas in Downtown Columbus

Downtown Columbus comes alive during the holiday season with dazzling light displays and holiday fun! Check out these fun events for Christmas in Downtown Columbus!

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State Auto Christmas Corner and Life Sized Nativity

Opening night December 1 from 5:30-8 pm, with a performance by the Columbus Children’s Choir. The Christmas display and Nativity is lit nightly at State Auto Downtown through the season, with choir performances on select weekends (see schedule).

Join the for a Christmas Eve ceremony at 3 pm on December 24. The beautiful display is lighted daily through January 2.

Columbus Commons Holiday Lights, powered by the AEP Foundation

November 19 through January 2, EVERY DAY from dusk until to 11 pm.

Enjoy the festive lights at Columbus Commons through the season. Stop by after a Downtown dinner to see more than 400,000 LED lights dazzle in the park, thanks to the partnership with the American Electric Power Foundation.

Fridays in December will be a little extra festive, with free hot chocolate and carousel rides from 5pm to 9pm. Plus, you’ll hear the music of the season with musicians roaming around the park. You can find that extra bit of holiday cheer on these dates

Friday, December 3
Friday, December 10
Friday, December 17

Take a photo and share it on Instagram using #CCHolidayLights!

Lazarus Building Holiday Display 

After you’ve walked through the Commons’ holiday haven, hop across High Street to check out the displays in the Lazarus Building windows along High and Town Streets.

Lights at the Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park

From November 24, 2021 through January 3, 2022, the Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park with be lit with more than 400,000 lights for the Holiday Light Display.  This spectacular display will span Columbus Commons, the Lazarus Building and along the Scioto Mile.

Winterfest at the Bicentennial Park: Saturday, December 4, 2021 from 11 am – 4 pm. Festival featuring live music, local craft beer, and food trucks, along with fun activities. A portion of the food truck and beer sales will be donated to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank to warm your heart and fill your belly. 

Huntington Holiday Train at the Main Library

November 22 through January 8, 2022 during regular library hours. This fixture of the downtown holiday scene has delighted people of all ages since 1992 with its trains, tracks, tunnels, bridges and replicas of historic German homes and castles. Free one-hour parking in the library garage.

Check out some festive programs also happening at Main Library.

Choo Choo Train Storytime: Saturday, Dec. 4 | 11 a.m.
Bring the Farm to You: Winter Animals: Saturday, Dec. 11 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Snowy Day Holiday Storytime: Saturday, Dec. 18 | 11 a.m.

Shadowbox Live: Holiday Shows

Holiday Hoopla
November 18- December 23, 2021

(Slightly) raunchy Christmas Fun and Rock and Roll. Tickets for tables range from $45-$270 per table

Shadowbox Live Not So Silent Night
November 28 – December 19, 2021

Not So Silent Night follows the story of a DJ taking requests and dedications on Christmas Eve, leading to a sweet, fun and song-filled holiday night. Tickets for tables range from $40-$240

photo courtesy of Shadowbox Live

Segaway Holiday Lights Tour

December 1 – December 23, 2021, beginning at 6 p.m. or 8:15 p.m., take a festive ride on a segway through downtown Columbus and the Scioto Greenway to enjoy seasonal decorations, lights, and holiday music.  Training + tour is about 1.5 hours and costs $49 per rider. Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio.

Columbus City Adventures Holiday Lights Tours

Fridays and Saturdays in December 2021. Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit with a drive through Central Ohio’s twinkling winter landscape with a Holiday Lights Tour. Downtown will be alive with festive energy of hundreds of thousands of lights, including the Grand Illumination along the Scioto Mile, the Festival of Lights at Columbus Commons, and the beloved tradition of Christmas Corner. 

This 2 hour tour will include the viewing of the many light displays and decorations laced through the downtown area as well as the recounting of stories of Central Ohio holiday traditions.

Special stops include a stroll through Christmas Corner, take in its life-sized Nativity display details about the cherished history of its annual exhibition. You’ll also enjoy the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s annual Huntington Holiday Train Display. A new stop will be at the The Museum of Catholic Art and History for a private tour of their beautiful Nativity Display.

Find more details here!

Ohio Statehouse Holiday Choir Performances

FREE lunchtime holiday choir performances from December 3-21 at the Ohio Statehouse on weekdays.

We’ll be adding more to this list throughout the season, but check out the other upcoming holiday fun around the city!

Monday, January 24, 2022

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Monday, January 31, 2022

Santa at the Lazarus department store in Downtown Columbus: Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 12-6 pm. This event may be one of the most anticipated events for Christmas in Downtown Columbus. Take photos with Santa in the original sleigh from the former Lazarus building, do crafts with OSU Urban Arts Space, and check out Orange Line Holiday Train in The Center for Architecture and Design. Head to Columbus Commons for free carousel rides, hot chocolate, holiday music and more. Holiday lights come on in the park at 5 pm.