Community Tree Lightings and Holiday Celebrations in Columbus

Columbus is made up with so many amazing communities that have their own traditions and events for Christmas.  No matter where you live, you’ll get into the holiday spirit at any of these FREE Community Tree Lightings and Holiday Celebrations in Columbus.  Go outside of your own neighborhood and explore and enjoy these fun events.  Most of these events include Christmas music, family activities, refreshments, and Santa!

Looking for other Christmas events in Columbus?  Check out these links.

• Your Guide to Christmas and Holiday Events in Columbus
• Over 30 Holiday Art and Craft Festivals
• Breakfasts with Santa
• Photos with Santa
• Locations of Mailboxes for Letters to Santa
• Holiday Train Rides in Ohio: Santa Trains and Polar Express

November Tree Lightings and Holiday Celebrations in Columbus

• Capital University Tree Lighting Ceremony: November 15 from 4-8 pm. Enjoy the iceless skating rink starting at 4 pm.  THe tree lighting is at 6 pm with refreshments, cookie decorating and the opportunity to have your picture taken with Santa in Kerns Religious Life Center. Donations of hats, scarves and gloves will be given to The Open Shelter and First English Lutheran Church.
• Christmas at Lynd Fruit Farm: November 18 & 19 from 11a.m. – 4 p.m. we will have S’more wagon rides, FREE kids craft, and SANTA will be making a special appearance! Local food trucks will be there, including Tortilla Street Food, Poppy’s Roadside Diner, The Bouncin’ Bean Coffee & Tea Co., & Waffle Joy!
• Short North Deck the District Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration: November 17 from 6 – 8 p.m. in Poplar Park festive tunes with Columbus Chorus Sweet Adelines, photos with Santa, the official tree lighting.
• Easton Holiday Lighting Ceremony: November 17 at 6 p.m.  Carriage rides, photos with Santa, and holidays sales and activities
• Gahanna Holiday Lights Celebration: November 19 starting at 2 p.m. with family fun, Santa, and so many events and activities
• Thanksgiving Family Friday at Ohio History Center: November 24 from 10 am – 5 pm Enjoy special animal-themed programming with us with Ironwood Wolves and the Ohio Bird Sanctuary to bring you live animals. We’ll have fun activities all three days of the weekend, but we encourage you to come on Friday and check out the live animals not typically at the Ohio History Center. See schedule for Friday and the whole weekend.
• Worthington Holiday Open House and Tree Lighting: November 26. Visit with Santa in front of the Worthington Inn to have your child’s picture taken between 12 – 4 p.m. Enjoy carolers, carriage rides, and the annual tree lighting at dusk.
• Marysville Uptown Christmas Walk: November 27 from 5-8 p.m.  Free, family-friendly festival featuring Santa, carriage rides, live nativity, holiday dancers, and the Christmas Tree Lighting at 6 pm.  Shops will be open and many will be offering refreshment and discounts.
• Reynoldsburg Tree Lighting Ceremony: November 27 at 7 pm. Sing carols, drink hot chocolate and watch the tree lighting ceremony at the Reynoldsburg City Hall.
• Main Library Holiday Open House and Topiary Park Lighting Celebration: November 29 from 6-8 pm, Meet Santa, see the Huntington Train leave the station, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate, make crafts, and watch the BIG tree light after a reading of the holiday classic, A Night Before Christmas!  Enjoy the lighting of Topiary Park adjacent to the library.
• Christmas at the Coffman Homestead: November 30 from 3-7 pm. See the historic Coffman House and homestead Thursday November 30th during the Tree Lighting ceremony, and on Saturday December 2nd in conjunction with Holly Days. The Coffman House will be decorated with a Victorian Christmas theme by the Muirfield Village Garden Club. On both days, the barn will be open with a gaily-decorated sleigh offering a perfect spot for a photo.
• City of Dublin Annual Christmas Tree Lighting: November 30 from 5-7 p.m.; Santa, music and more.

December Tree Lightings and Holiday Celebrations in Columbus

• First Friday and Holiday Tree Lighting in Delaware: December 1 from 6 – 9 p.m., featuring caroling, carriage rides, the Tree Lighting and more.  Ice Skating will be available from December 1-3.
• Upper Arlington Winter Festival and Tree Lighting: December 1 from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Caroling, carriage rides, bonfire with s’mores, visits with Santa and the tree lighting ceremony.
• Old Pickerington Village Holiday: December 1 from 5-8 pm. Strolling carolers, cookie decorating, storytelling, crafts, horse-drawn carriage rides, indoor Holiday gift market, hop on/off trolley, Gingerbread House contest, visit with Santa, lighting of the pantry lights at 6:00 pm and lighting of Pickerington’s Christmas Tree at 7:00 pm.
• German Village Garten Club Tree Lighting: December 1 from 7-9 pm. The traditional lighting of the trees in Frank Fetch Park complete with Santa and hot chocolate.
• Westerville Tree Lighting Ceremony: Friday, December 1 from 7-8 pm in the new Civic Green at Westerville City Hall with live holiday music, a candle lighting celebration and much more in Uptown Westerville. Attendees can stay warm with hot chocolate provided by the Westerville Noon Rotary Club and enjoy musical performances from MileStone Lane, the Westerville Community Band and the Westerville Community Choir.  Santa Claus will also be available for photos after the official ceremony outside the Westerville Division of Police.
• Holiday Open House in Delaware: December 2 from 12 – 4 p.m.  Downtown businesses will offer treats and treasures, ice skating will be available, and Santa’s Village is open from 1-3 for photos with Santa.
• Holly Days in Dublin: December 2 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. in Historic Dublin. Family activities including Irish elf pictures, Irish holiday momentos, a Holiday photobooth, and Irish Christmas in Dublin at Ha’Penny Bridge Imports of Ireland. 12 Elves of Dublin Hunt, Touch-a-Truck, Photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus at Our Cupcakery, Free Hot Chocolate from Starbucks, and more.
• Bexley Holiday Hop: December 2 from 12 – 4 pm.  Hop on the Holiday Hop Express and enjoy shopping and special promotions and events through the district.  Catch live entertainment, a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and a snowman hunt to win prizes.  The Jeffrey Mansion hosts a pre-Hop PJ Party with Princesses; tickets required.
• Granville Christmas Candlelight Walking Tour: Saturday, December 2 from 1 – 9 p.m.  All day activities, plus Santa
• New Albany Holiday Market & Tree Lighting Celebration: December 2 from 2 – 5:30 pm. Shop the New Albany Indoor Farmers Market at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany from 9 am – 12 pm. Healthy New Albany is hosting a Kids Only Holiday Shop from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. where kids can shop (with adult supervision).  Santa arrives on a fire truck at 2 pm for photos while you enjoy entertainment, caroling, crafts, snacks, hot chocolate & more before the lighting ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m. in Market Square. The Plain Township Fire Department will also be collecting unwrapped toys for children.
• Holidays in Powell: December 2, from 2 – 6 p.m. at the Village Green Park; carriage rides, crafts, Santa, and more
• Grove City Christmas Celebration and Mistletoe Market: December 2 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; This family-friendly festival features photos with Santa, live reindeer, Mistletoe Market and Secret Santa shop, carols, a parade, Grove City tree lighting and more.
• Christmas Under the Clock in Plain City: December 2 from 5-8 p.m. At the Clock Tower.  Wagon rides, pics with Santa, business open houses, ice sculpting, craft vendors, etc.
• Downtown Lancaster Winter Fest: December 2 from 12-5 pm. Free carriage rides, photos with Santa at the Santa House, kids crafts in the businesses, elf scavenger hunt, holiday music, and much more!  The downtown tree lighting is at 5 pm.
• Santa Parade and Home for the Holidays in Johnstown: December 2 The parade will start at 5 pm with tree lighting and downtown activities until 8 pm.
• Holiday Hop in the Short North: December 2 from 12 – 10 p.m. Enjoy the Holiday version of Gallery Hop in the Short North, with special holiday flair and events.
• Winterfest at Bicentennial Park: December 2 from 11 am – 4pm The celebration features DJ RJD2, live music, seasonal beer from local breweries, and Columbus food truck favorites.  A portion of food truck and beer sales will be donated to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.
• A Winter Evening on the Farm at Gallant Farm Preserve: December 2, from 3-8 p.m. Free event will celebrate Christmas as they would have done in the 1930’s. Bring the whole family.
• Pataskala Main Street Christmas Cookie Walk & Lighted Parade: December 2 from 3:30 – 8 pm. Make a donation to receive a bag with which you can walk between shops collecting your goodies.  Donations will be given to local food pantries.  Mama Linda’s Pizza, Food truck and/or vendors will be open for dinner.  Free activities include kids crafts, letters to Santa, hot chocolate, face painting, train display, light refreshments, character experiences, caroling, music, Mead Needham Museum tour, selfie station, and Lighted Christmas Parade at 6:00 pm.
• Holiday Hop and Hilliard Tree Lighting: December 3 from 5-7:30 p.m. Lighting of the tree in Hilliard’s Station Park with music, visit by Santa, ice sculpting demonstrations, reindeer, cookie decorating, face painting, wagon rides and hot chocolate!
• HolidayVille in Clintonville: December 3 from 12 – 4 p.m. Neighborhood party with shopping, holiday cheer, and the Jolly Trolley to transport you between stores!
• Village Lights in German Village: Sunday, December 3 from 5-9 p.m.; lots of holiday spirit out and about, including shopping, food, decorations, and luminaries to lead you through the Village.
• Grandview Heights Holiday Tree Lighting: December 5 from 6 – 8 p.m. Carolers, refreshments, and the tree lighting
• Christmas Corner Lighting of State Auto Christmas Display and Life-Sized Nativity: Opening night December 5 from 5:30-8 pm.  Will be lit nightly at State Auto Downtown through the season, with choir performances on Fridays and Saturdays.  The display is lighted daily through January 2.
• Ohio Statehouse Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival: December 7 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.; Free, family-friendly holiday festival including Santa and Mrs. Claus, the lighting of the Statehouse and trees, and more!