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!
Columbus Commons Holiday Lights
November 18, 2022 through January 1, 2023, EVERY DAY from 5 pm 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: December 2, December 9, December 16, and December 23
Take a photo and share it on Instagram using #CCHolidayLights!
Dine in or order takeout from local restaurants and enjoy it in the park, or take it to go when you leave! See some area options here.
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.
Huntington Holiday Train at the Main Library
November 21 through January 8, 2023 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. Holiday open house is November 30 from 6-8 pm. Details here.
Main Library Hours
96 S. Grant Ave.
Free one-hour parking in the library garage.
Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday: 1-5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving, December 24-26, New Years Eve, and New Years Day
Lights at the Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park
From November 23, 2022 through January 2, 2023, 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 3, 2022 from 11 am – 4 pm. Festival featuring live music, local craft beer, and food trucks, along with fun activities.
Segaway Holiday Lights Tour
December 1 – December 23, 2022, 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 for the Holiday Lights Tour.
Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus City Adventures Holiday Lights Tours
Fridays and Saturdays in December 2022. Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit with a drive through Central Ohio’s twinkling winter landscape with a Holiday Lights Tour.
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.
Santa at the Lazarus Building in Downtown Columbus
Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 1-5 pm.
This event may be one of the most anticipated events for Christmas in Downtown Columbus. If you grew up in Columbus, you probably remember visiting Santa at The Lazarus Building.
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. There is tons of holiday family fun scheduled for the day. Read more here.
Head to Columbus Commons for free carousel rides, hot chocolate, holiday music and more. Holiday lights come on in the park at 5 pm.
Ohio Statehouse Holiday Choir Performances
FREE lunchtime holiday choir performances from December 6-20, 2022 at the Ohio Statehouse on weekdays.
Shadowbox Live: Holiday Shows
Holiday Hoopla
November 17- December 23, 2022
(Slightly) raunchy Christmas Fun and Rock and Roll. Tickets for tables range from $45-$270 per table
Not So Silent Night
November 27 – December 18, 2022
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
State Auto Christmas Corner and Life Sized Nativity
Opens December 7, 2022 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.
Dec 7, 2022 – Jan. 3, 2023
Daily from 6 a.m. – 8 a.m.; 5:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.; until 12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Christmas Eve: 3:00 p.m. until 8 a.m. Christmas Day
State Auto Christmas Corner
- Subscribe to Columbus on the Cheap's email list
- Free and cheap events this weekend in Columbus
- Your Guide to Christmas and Holiday Events in Columbus
- Over 40 Holiday Art and Craft Festivals
- Turkey Trots and Holiday Races
- Christmas Tree Farms and Lots in Columbus
- Christmas Theater and Concerts in Columbus
- Photos with Santa
- Locations of Mailboxes for Letters to Santa
- Community Tree Lightings and Holiday Celebrations in Columbus
- Holiday Train Rides in Ohio: Santa Trains and Polar Express
- Free and Cheap Activities for Winter Break in Columbus
- Columbus Happy Hours
Leave a Reply