Christmas in Dallas: 20 Places for Boosting the Holiday Spirit!

Dallas is a hub of arts and culture and the fastest-growing metropolitan in Texas. The city celebrates Jesus’ birthday with traditional and fun events, creating merry and cozy vibes for the holidays. From light shows to chocolate tasting tours, this city is full of old and new traditions to light up your Christmas. Here are some fun ways to enjoy Christmas in the heart of North Texas!

20 Places to Celebrate Christmas in Dallas

Christmas in Dallas is not complete without light decorations and shows. Certain places in the city are embellished with lights and there is nothing better than driving down one of these shows with hot cocoa in your car. Here are 4 places you can enjoy a Christmas-themed light show:

6 Best Places to Enjoy Light Shows in Dallas

1. Plano

Plano is a small city near downtown Dallas. The light shows of this city will not disappoint you. Some of the places hosting light decorations include The District at Willow Bend, Legacy West, Downtown Plano, and the best drive-thru light show- Deerfield Holiday Lights. The entry here is free, and you don’t even have to get out of your car in the drive-thru. The District at Willow Bend also holds a big event with animated lights and Christmas trees along with specialty experiences.

2. Highland Park

Highland Park is the most dreamy location to witness light displays in Dallas. The entire neighborhood is professionally decorated with lights in red, green, and golden colors, and you can drive through them in your car. If not, you can also book carriage rides, and experience the ecstasy in a true Christmas manner. The light display starts in November and lasts all through the holidays.

3. Grand Prairie: Prairie Lights

The Prairie Lights is a 15-year old tradition of Dallas Christmas. Located along the shores of Joe Pool Lake in Grand Prairie, it is a 2-mile display with over 5 million lights, a plethora of lights, and a Holiday Village complete with Santa and festive vibes. You can drive or walk through the show, and spend time in the village to shop around, eat some sweets, drink hot cocoa, and click pictures with Santa. This display starts on Thanksgiving and lasts till New Year’s Eve.

Address: 5610 Lake Ridge Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75052
Timings: 6 PM to 10 PM

4. Radiance!

More commonly known as Christmas in the Square, Radiance! is a light display with more than 200,000 lights choreographed to a musical melody. This light show gives you all the liberty to drive through, walk around, or take a carriage ride along the block. Frisco creates a winter wonderland with snow flurries from snow machines around the square. You can also shop and eat while enjoying the vibes of Christmas in Dallas.

Address: 7300 Roughriders Trail, Frisco, TX 75034

5. Dallas Zoo Lights

Dallas Zoo Lights is another drive-thru light display at the most prominent zoo in the city. It has a newly-constructed passageway with over 1 million lights, silk-covered animal lanterns, an ice palace fit for a trio of penguins, and much more. This display is family-friendly with concession stands on both ends. The tickets for the same can be purchased online and the display lasts for all of December.

Address: 650 S R L Thornton Fwy, Dallas, TX 75203
Timings: 6.30 PM to 9.30 PM

6. Dallas by Chocolate Tours

This tour gives you chocolate, drinks, and a fantastic light display- all in one. Known as Chocolate and Sips Tours, they take you around 3-4 places for delicious chocolate treats, and then to decorated light displays around the city (according to your ticket). You can enjoy the light show from your car or in-person, and relish holiday desserts along the way.
Address: 4925 Greenville Ave Suite 255, Dallas, TX 75206

4 Malls and Markets for a Wholesome Shopping and Holiday Experience

What’s Christmas without Santa at a mall and a shopping spree? Fortunately, Dallas Christmas has plenty of places to view Christmas decorations, meet Santa, attend events, and shop- all at the same time. The malls in Dallas do a lot more than just embellishing- check out these places for a fun holiday!

7. Galleria Dallas

You simply can’t experience Dallas Christmas without spending a day or two at Galleria Dallas. It has been a holiday destination for over three decades with its famed Grand Tree Lighting Celebrations, inviting over 7 million shoppers every year. The lighting celebration is around the country’s tallest indoor tree with choreographed Christmas lights, surrounded by an ice skating rink for some winter fun. And of course, Galleria Dallas is the optimal place for Christmas shopping and festive food.

Along with that, you can click photos with Santa on a sleigh and experience Snow Day Dallas, a pop-up Christmas themed exhibition spread over 11+ rooms. It is an interactive experience, with cameras and lighting in each room to photograph the moments with the set show. Snow Day is an awesome experience of Christmas in Dallas.

Address: 13350 Dallas Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75240
Timings: 11 AM to 7 PM

8. The Shops at Legacy

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The Shops at Legacy in Plano offers another drive-thru experience, but it’s not limited to light displays. Their event is Lights at Legacy- where the light display will be accompanied by Santa and Mrs. Claus’ appearance, the Sugar Plum Fairy, a live reindeer, and much more. Each car is also given a goodies bag from the Shops at Legacy. There is another exhibition known as the Gingerbread Village, where visitors can behold life-sized gingerbread and sugar-cookie characters, trees, and decorations. You can also shop inside and relish season festivities with your family.

Address: 5741 S Legacy Dr, Plano, TX 75024
Timings: 10 AM to 10 PM

9. NorthPark Center

NorthPark Center is another crucial destination for Dallas Christmas. Along with shopping in the mall and relishing good food, there are several exhibitions on each level to amp up the holiday spirit. The Salvation Army Angel Tree is a good way to begin the holidays by giving back to society. There is also a 12 Days to Christmas Clock, Puppet Theatres, The Trains, and several decorated exhibitions.

The NorthPark Center also hosts a Dallas Symphony Orchestra Concert. You can grab a drink from nearby shops, sit to listen to your favorite melodies, and sing-along the carols with the orchestra. The show is free and is attended by a plethora of people, collectively getting into the holiday spirit.

Address: 8687 N Central Expy, Dallas, TX 75225
Timings: 11 AM to 7 PM

10. Texas Christkindl Market

Texas Christkindl Market is an annual holiday market in Arlington, started in 2011. It is an optimal shopping place for gifts, decoration, and traditional items. It is a German holiday tradition, and consequently, it is the only place in Texas to find original Käthe Wohlfahrt merchandise and art from the iconic Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Village. This market also has handcrafted items, along with authentic German cuisine and live entertainment.
Address: 1650 E Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, TX 76011

2 Best Theatres for Live Shows

Dallas Christmas is not only about shopping and Christmas movies at home. It is famous for live productions of Christmas movies, along with musical shows for its dwellers. Your holiday season must include at least one live show in Dallas to reach the peak of Christmas celebrations. Check out the following places for a wholesome experience:

11. Pocket Sandwich Theatre

Pocket Sandwich Theatre hosts regular shows and performances and amps it up during the holiday season. Classics like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Scrooge’ are performed live on the stage to bring a change in the traditional Christmas movies. This theatre has been holding these shows for over 38 years and has never failed to put its audience in awe of the actors and grandeur of the plays.

Address: 5400 E Mockingbird Ln #119, Dallas, TX 75206

12. Texas Ballet Theatre

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The Texas Ballet Theatre puts on a live show every year during the Holidays: The Nutcracker: At Midnight, the Clock Strikes Magic. This is known as the most magical tradition in Fort Worth. Two hours of a winter wonderland and the Sugar Plum Fairy never fails to leave the audience in awe. The Texas Ballet Theatre will put you in the holiday spirit.

8 Places for Events, Activities, and Christmas Festivities

Christmas in Dallas is met by decorations and festivities in every corner of the city. Each nook has Christmas music playing, along with small events, and of course, Santa. Check out these places to get in the holiday spirit!

13. Six Flags Amusement Park

Located in Arlington, Six Flags over Texas provides a Christmas experience like no other. There is a light display, amazing stomach-crunching slides, and a visit from Santa to brighten up your holidays. You can eat, drink, and sing carols in SantaLand, along with a Christmas craft workshop. The park also has the tallest steel hybrid roller coaster, along with an actual snow hill for sledding down with choreographed Christmas lights.

Address: 201 E Road to Six Flags St, Arlington, TX 76011
Timings: 12 PM to 7 PM

14. Holiday at the Arboretum

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Dallas Arboretum is at its best during the festive month of December. It holds several events, lighting shows, and exhibitions, the most popular being ‘12 Days of Christmas’. It’s an outdoor exhibit featuring 25-foot-tall Victorian gazebos displaying characters and objects in ascending order each day till Christmas. Alongside the exhibition, the newly-opened Christmas Village is not to be missed. It’s a beautifully decorated space for festive food and drinks, and the entire village lights up (like a Christmas tree) at night for the perfect holiday experience.

Address: 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218
Timings: 9 AM to 5 PM

15. Holidays at the Hilton Anatole

The Anatole provides a great opportunity for family fun during the holidays. They have a special R&R package for overnight family stay and breakfast with Santa in the morning. Santa (and Mrs. Claus) joins the families during a truly delicious and assorted feast, talking to the children, and reciting Christmas stories and carols. There is also a mailbox for children to send letters to Santa, along with Christmas arts and crafts stations.

Address: 2201 N Stemmons Fwy, Dallas, TX 75207

16. Panther Island Ice

Panther Island Ice is an outdoor ice skating rink in Fort Worth, Dallas. The pavilion is turned into a winter wonderland with Christmas lights and decorations, and plenty of carols. You can buy tickets online and enjoy skating on real ice in the rink as a fun holiday winter activity any day of the week.

Address: 223 NE 4th St, Fort Worth, TX 76164
Timings: 11 AM to 11 PM

17. Sweet Tooth Motel

Sweet Tooth Motel is an immersive art experience, organized by the franchise Sweet Tooth Hotel. It is a private mini pop-up, converting small vans into various sceneries and delights every year. In the past year, they converted a 1969 van to a vintage motel, a dessert, a snowy forest overlooking the Northern Lights- all at once. This exhibit is private to each group and tickets are purchased beforehand.

Address: 2316 Victory Park Ln, Dallas, TX 75219

18. Dallas Holiday Parade

Dallas Holiday Parade is a tradition of more than 30 years, started by The Adolphus and Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Today, Christmas in Dallas is incomplete without the largest event in the city. The parade can be viewed on television as well as in-person for the complete experience. Downtown Dallas converts into an area of music, floats, dance, and absolute ecstasy with family traditions falling into place.
Address: Downtown Dallas

19. Holidays in Klyde Warren Park

The Klyde Warren Park hosts a Tree Lighting Celebration annually, presented by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District. The event lasts for seven days, wherein, the tree is lightened each evening to carolers’ mesmerizing voices and with cozy blankets and drinks. The event is followed by several other small activities for kids, including Santa visits.

Address: 2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy, Dallas, TX 75201
Timings: 6 AM to 11 PM

20. Grapevine

Grapevine is a city in suburb Dallas, about 20 miles from the main area. It is the ‘Christmas Capital of Texas’, with a plethora of events, activities, and shows. Grapevine is an extremely fun place to spend Christmas with your family and enjoy several traditions along the way. Here are some of the prominent-not-to-be-missed events:

North Pole Express: A fun train to take the entire family to the North Pole with onboard performances, stroll through the snowy north pole forest, and photos with Santa!

Gaylord Texan: Events such as Snow Tubing and I Love Christmas movies which is an interactive pop-up experience through a hallway displaying the most iconic scenes from Christmas movies.

Texas Star Dinner Theatre Holiday Show: A production-related to Christmas and holiday ‘crisis’ is put on every year by the theatre.

Christmas on Main Street: Forty-day event, featuring Christmas markets (Grapevine Christmas Market), light parades, music, and dance!

So, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington circle knows how to celebrate the esteemed holiday of Christmas and everything around it! The traditions and events of this city are well-organized to give you the most magical experience of the season.