Through 12/24
Santa in Winter Wonderland
Spreading holiday cheer in a North Pole-inspired igloo in Fenton is the jolly ol’ man himself—aka our favorite Santa, JD Thomas. Snap a pic with the man in red for a happy holiday mem to hold onto. … “There’s room for everyone on the nice list!” fentonnc.com
Through 12/30
Magic of Lights
Baby it’s cold outside, so stay warm in the comfort of your car as you wind through a mile of light displays at Walnut Creek. magicoflights.com
Through 12/30
Miracle at The Haymaker
Rock around the Christmas decor at The Haymaker’s annual holiday pop-up bar—and nab naughty (or nice!) cocktails to cheers to the holiday season. Deck the halls, indeed! thehaymakerraleigh.com
Through 12/31
St. Nick’s: Raleigh Jolly Pop-Up House
There’s snow place like St. Nick’s for the holidays! This decked-out Christmas pop-up bar features holiday decor galore, themed rooms, spirited cocktails, treats and a Grinch bus outside. Read: Plenty of photo opps for the ’Gram! Also don’t miss live music, DJs and comedy shows on select nights! stnicksnc.com
Through 1/8
NC Chinese Lantern Festival
The fan-fave fest promises to be lit again this year. Stroll 40+ awe-inspiring Chinese lantern displays and stay for the captivating cultural performances nightly. Glow on! boothamphitheatre.com
Through 1/14
Illuminate Art Walk
See DTR lit up (literally!) for the holiday season as you stroll parts of Fayetteville Street and Glenwood South taking in large-scale interactive and light-based art pieces. … And not to be missed is the new centerpiece exhibit, Sonic Runway, a special installation with the ability to convert audio into light patterns shooting down a long corridor of arches (!). #ItsLit. downtownraleigh.org
Through 1/16
THE RINK
“We’ll go ice skating; then eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can; then we’ll snuggle.” ’Tis the season to live it up like Buddy the Elf at Raleigh’s festive Rockefeller-esque ice skating rink at Red Hat. redhatamphitheater.com
12/22
Cream Cabaret Deco Ball
Flashback to the glitz and glam of the Roaring ’20s—and the secrecy of the prohibition era, of course—at Watts & Ward’s burlesque and live jazz soiree. Sounds like it’ll be the bees knees! wattsandward.com
12/22
NC State v. Louisville
All we want for Christmas is a Wolfpack win. gopack.com
12/22–23
Jourdain Fisher
Born-and-raised NCer (now based in NY) Jourdain Fisher is bringing his quick wit and social observations back home to the Improv stage for a weekend of stand-up sillies. improv.com
12/23
Hurricanes v. Flyers
Watch the Canes as they send Philly flying. nhl.com
12/23
Ugly Sweater Christmas Party
Everyone loves an excuse to wear an ugly Christmas sweater, so dig yours out of your closet and join Killjoy for a Christmas Eve-Eve party feat. music by Uncool Kev and spirited drinks, natch. killjoycocktail.com
12/27
Hurricanes v. Blackhawks
Cheer on the Canes as they send the Hawks squawking back to Chicago. nhl.com
