101 Ideas for Holiday Family Fun in Charlotte - 2025
KidsOutAndAbout is Charlotte's online guide to everything for kids, teens, and families! The activities we've listed here are confirmed for this year, but many require reserving ahead of time, and please keep in mind that events could be canceled... so click through to make arrangements. Enjoy the holidays!
If we're missing an activity that should be on our list, please email Mindy Mangan at mindy@kidsoutandabout.com. Please make sure to include a link to the event when you email. Thank you!
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Join a High-Energy Christmas Eve Celebration for the Whole Family at Matthews United Methodist
Experience Christmas Eve in a new way -- where kids can be kids as carols set the scene for an interactive nativity in which the whole family can participate, followed by the Christmas story told in a way you have never seen before. Take in the wonder after the 1:00 worship hour at the live Nativity in the courtyard while petting animals and snagging the perfect family photo or hang out after the 2:30 & 4:30 services for family activities, s’mores, hot chocolate, treats for Santa & more.
Check out seasonal events for ALL ages at MatthewsUMC.org/Christmas.
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Home Alone in ConcertA true holiday favorite, this beloved comedy classic features renowned composer John Williams's charming and delightful score performed live by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as the entire feature-length film plays on the big screen. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who's accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, and who must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the entire family.
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Holiday Pops Dec 12-14, 2025Come home for the holidays in a merry celebration featuring North Carolina's rich musical heritage. Festive favorites like "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" alongside traditional songs with sounds of bluegrass and blues will wrap you in the season's warmth and joy.
Family Matinee: Dec 13 at 11 am -- Gather the whole family for holiday cheer at our one-hour family performance!
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Cirque de Noel: Dec 19-21, 2025The magic of Cirque de Noël returns! Experience jaw-dropping feats as aerialists soar high above the orchestra, alongside awe-inspiring acrobatics set to your favorite holiday music. With thrilling new acts and beloved favorites, this annual event is sure to fill your family with the wonder and joy of the holiday season.
101 Ideas for Holiday Family Fun in Charlotte - 2025
Santa Sightings
| Nov 22, 2025 | Christmas Comes to Conover 2025 |
| Dec 2, 2025 | Belmont Christmas Parade |
| Dec 4, 2025 | Cramerton Christmas Parade + Downtown Eats, Treats, & Holiday Cheer! |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Santa at the Lake - City of Gastonia, NC |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Lowell Christmas Parade & Artisan Market |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Mount Holly Christmas Parade |
| Dec 6, 2025 | 78th Annual Fort Mill Christmas Parade |
| Dec 7, 2025 | Pancakes & Pajamas with Santa & Mrs. Claus - Millstone Creek Orchards |
| Dec 10, 2025 | Santa Visits the Grand Hall |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Santa Paws - Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden |
| Dec 14, 2025 | Waxhaw Christmas Parade |
| Dec 20, 2025 | Morning with Santa - Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden |
Old-Time Christmas
| Dec 6, 2025 | Christmas in Carolina: Candlelight Tours - Alamance Battleground State Historic Site |
| Dec 11, 2025 | 2025 Yule Log Parade at Christmas Town U.S.A. |
| Dec 13 & 14, 2025 | Christmas Candlelight Tours - Historic Brattonsville |
| Dec 14 & 15, 2025 | Rainbow Express Live Nativity |
| Dec 21, 2025 | Children’s Nativity (During Worship) - Matthews United Methodist Church |
Light Displays
| Multiple dates starting Nov 15, 2025 | Kannapolis Celebration of Lights |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 21, 2025 | Christmas Wonderland of Lights at Zootastic Park |
| Nov 22, 2025 | Waxhaw Tree & Downtown Lighting |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 28, 2025 | Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 28, 2025 | Holidays at the Garden - Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden |
| Dec 1, 2025 | Christmas Town U.S.A. Tree Lighting Ceremony |
| Dec 1, 2025 | City of Lowell Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony |
| Dec 1, 2025 | Belmont Christmas Tree Lighting |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 1, 2025 | City of Belmont's Annual Festival of Trees |
| Dec 4, 2025 | Christmas Village & Lighting of the Tree - Fort Mill, SC |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Deck The Hall |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Annual Christmas Tree Lighting 2025 - Town of Harrisburg |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Winter Wonderlights - Matthews, NC |
| Dec 7, 2025 | Christmas in the City - City of Gastonia, NC |
Holiday Races
| Nov 22, 2025 | 2025 Charlotte Jingle Bell Run |
| Nov 26, 2025 | Bright Lights 5K and Fun Run |
| Nov 29, 2025 | ChristmasTown 5K 2025 |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Channel The Holidays 5K, 1 Mile & Kids Run |
Holiday Theatre
| Nov 1, 2025 | A Holly Jolly Christmas Show at Union County Agricultural Center |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 28, 2025 | The Nutcracker Ballet: a Matthews Ballet and Dance Production |
| Nov 30, 2025 | Snow Queen by The Grand Kyiv Ballet |
| Dec 5 - 7, 2025 | 3rd Annual Hickory Christmas Show |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 5, 2025 | Nutcracker - Charlotte Ballet |
| Dec 12 - 14, 2025 | The Nutcracker: A Children's Ballet Sponsored by Austin Orthodontics |
| Dec 12 - 14, 2025 | Clara's Trip: A Cirque & Dance Nutcracker Story |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 12, 2025 | Scrooge! The Musical - Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts |
| Dec 13 & 14, 2025 | Nutcracker (in a nutshell) - Open Door Studios |
| Dec 19 - 21, 2025 | A Charlie Brown Christmas at Newton Performing Arts Center |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 23, 2025 | Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical - Blumenthal Arts |
Holiday Concerts
| Dec 7, 2025 | Noel and Maria: A Jazz Celebration of the Holidays |
| Dec 9, 2025 | Melody Makers Christmas Concert - Matthews United Methodist Church |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Holiday Pops Family - Charlotte Symphony |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Bilingual Holiday Concert by Latin Band Café Amaretto |
| Dec 13, 18, & 20, 2025 | Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings |
| Dec 19 & 20, 2025 | Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More |
| Dec 19 - 21, 2025 | Cirque de Noel - Charlotte Symphony |
| Dec 20, 2025 | Tom & Amelia's 5th Annual Holiday Show |
| Dec 20, 2025 | The Embers Christmas Show |
| Dec 22, 2025 | Vienna Light Orchestra Christmas Tour 2025 |
| Dec 22 & 23, 2025 | Soulful Noel |
Christmas Tree Experience
| Multiple dates starting Nov 22, 2025 | Cedar Lake Tree Farm |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 26, 2025 | Millstone Creek Orchards |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 28, 2025 | Penland Christmas Tree Farm - York, SC |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 28, 2025 | Cherry Place Farm |
Ice Skating
| Seasonal | Ice Skating at United States National Whitewater Center |
| Seasonal | Founders Holiday Ice Rink |
| Year Round | Extreme Ice Center |
| Year Round | Pineville Ice House |
Shopping & Craft Fairs
| Nov 1, 2025 | The Rose & Cherry Christmas Market |
| Nov 8, 2025 | Christmas Market 2025 in Thomasville, NC |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 48th Annual Craft Fair - Thomasville, NC |
| Nov 15, 2025 | Carolina Christmas Bazaar |
| Nov 22, 2025 | 2025 Merry Market |
| Nov 28 - 30, 2025 | Christmas Market at Caldwell County Fairgrounds |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Mistletoe Market at Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Christmas Bazaar - Town of Monroe, NC |
| Dec 6 & 7, 2025 | 2nd Annual Columbia Christmas Extravaganza |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Cramerton Holiday Bazaar |
| Dec 13, 2025 | WinterFest 2025 at 760 Craft Works |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Christmas Market at Koren Farms |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Old Waxhaw Christmas by Sunny Day Markets |
| Dec 20, 2025 | WinterFest in Downtown Matthews! |
Hanukkah
| Dec 14, 2025 | Southern Fried Chanukah - Temple Beth El |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Dreidel Party at North County Regional Library |
| Dec 17, 2025 | Holiday Toddler Storytime: Hanukkah at North County Regional Library |
| Dec 18, 2025 | Festival of Lights: A Hanukkah Concert - Charlotte Symphony |
| Dec 19, 2025 | LIBERTY Latke Lock-In - Temple Beth El |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Chanukah Service and Dinner - Temple Beth El |
| Dec 21, 2025 | Hanukkah and Hockey - Temple Beth El |
Kwanzaa
New Year's Eve
| Dec 31, 2025 | Ring in the New Year with the ACE Party Band |
| Dec 31, 2025 | Noon Year's Eve Party - Matthews, NC |
| Dec 31, 2025 | New Year's Eve at WinterFest 2025 - Carowinds |
| Dec 31, 2025 | New Year's Eve Bash - Town of Cornelius, NC |
Miscellaneous
| Multiple dates starting Dec 1, 2025 | Mount Holly Carriage Rides |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 9, 2025 | Tree of Blessings - Matthews United Methodist Church |
| Nov 15, 2025 | Choo Choo & Snowman, Too! |
| Nov 22, 2025 | Howl for the Holidays: Pet Supplies Plus Adoption Event |
| Nov 22, 2025 | Snow Days: Winter Experience - Discovery Place Science |
| Dec 8, 2025 | 2025 Holiday Film: The Santa Clause @ Main |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Bavarian Holiday Fest! |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Fort Mill Cookie Crawl |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 13, 2025 | A Highland Cow Christmas Adventure Featuring Santa & Mrs. Claus - Millstone Creek Orhards |
| Dec 14, 2025 | Very Merry Youth Christmas Party - Matthews United Methodist Church |
| Dec 20, 2025 | ELF - Belmont Movies In The Park |
| Dec 22, 2025 | DIY Crystal Snowflakes at West Boulevard Library |
| Dec 23, 2025 | Now Showing: Klaus (2019) at SouthPark Regional Library |
| Dec 23, 2025 | Holiday Cookie Decorating at North County Regional Library |
Below are holiday events that have been posted to our calendar by local organizations. If we're missing an activity that should be on our list, please email Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com and BeyondTheNest.com at ross@kidsoutandabout.com. Please make sure to include a link to the event when you email. Thank you!
Christmas Tree Farms
Shopping for a Christmas tree? Here's our list of farms where you can purchase your own Christmas tree in Charlotte.
Subscriptions Boxes: Gifts That Keep on Giving
Send thoughtful choices to the ones you love near and far, and plan some excellent expected surprises for your own family in the months to come. KidsOutAndAbout has put together of some of our favorite choices with a range for all different ages and interests.
