It’s that time of year again; Christmas time in Las Vegas! We might not have snow, but we sure do have a lot of fun things to do for families. From Holiday light shows to Christmas parades, music concerts, and Santa himself, Las Vegas has a whole lot of fun stuff going on this time of year.
The 2019 List of Christmas Lights, Displays, and Events
Just because we live in the desert, doesn’t mean we can’t do Christmas! Here is our annual list of the top Christmas events, holiday light shows, and Christmas time attractions in Las Vegas.
The Glittering Lights Holiday Light Show at the Las Vegas Speedway
The Glittering Lights Show features what they say is a Las Vegas style array of holiday light, more than 400 animated displays, and Christmas music. The Drive-Thru Light Show features more than 3 million Christmas lights that are displayed throughout the 2.5-mile Las Vegas Speedway course.
Glittering Lights has entertained more than 2.2 million people over the past 15 years.
Location:
The Glittering Lights Show is located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway ( 7000 Las Vegas Blvd. N Las Vegas, NV 89115) and is open from November 8, 2019 to January 5, 2020.
Hours of operation:
November Hours:
Sunday -Thursday 5:30 PM – 9 PM
Friday, Saturday & Holidays 5:30 PM – 10 PM
December/January Hours:
Sunday -Thursday 5:00 PM – 9 PM
Friday, Saturday & Holidays 5:00 PM – 10 PM
Cost:
$20 per vehicle
Monday through Thursday
$30 per vehicle
Friday-Sunday, holidays and December Peak Days
Buses $1 per person/minimum entry is daily entry cost
Opportunity Village Magical Forest Christmas Celebration
The Opportunity Village Magical Forest is an annual holiday tradition that brings over 150,000 people out to celebrate Christmas in the Magical Forest.
The Magical Forest is a beautiful winter wonderland that will have you feeling the holiday spirit right here in the desert. Stroll through hundreds of Christmas displays and decorated trees, ride the Forest Express passenger train & have your photos taken with Santa while enjoying nightly entertainment.
Location:
The Magical Forest is located at Opportunity Village at 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89146
Hours of Operation:
The Magical Forest is open:
November 29 – December 24
December 26 – December 30
January 1 – January 4
The park opens nightly at 5:30 PM.
Cactus Garden Holiday Display at Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Celebrate the 26th Anniversary of the Cactus Garden Christmas Display at the world famous Ethel M Chocolate Factory in Henderson.
Ethel M’s Holiday Cactus Garden is an annual Las Vegas Christmas Tradition that features a breathtaking display of more than half a million lights, decorating over 300 unique species of desert plants and cactus.
From chocolate sculptures and Ethel M Chocolate creations to Santa Claus himself, the three-acre botanical cactus garden display is unlike anything else you will see in the country. This year the entire Ethel M Chocolate factory was renovated for the coming holiday season.
Location:
The Botanical Garden is located at 2 Cactus Garden Dr, Henderson, NV 89014
Hours of Operation:
The Holiday Cactus Display will run through January 5, 2020. The Botanical Garden Display will remain open every night for free from 5 PM-10 PM
The LINQ Promenade Holiday Events
The LINQ Promenade is hosting a number of Holiday events , starting with a tree lighting ceremony at the Fountain Stage. The festivities continue through the holiday season with multiple holiday shows along The LINQ Promenade featuring singers and dancers, beginning Dec. 1.
Get in the holiday spirit with free entertainment, family fun and “snow,” even if it’s still 65 degrees out. The LINQ Promenade holiday shows run Thursday through Sunday evenings, starting Dec. 1.
The Lake Mead 43rd Annual Christmas Parade of Lights
On December 7th from 6-9 PM, head on down to the Special Events Beach near Boulder Beach on Lake Mead for one of the coolest Christmas Parades of the season. Boaters from around Lake Mead will be decorating their boats for this one of a kind parade on water.
Judging will be based on creativity, originality, brightness, and overall best of show.
The Nevada Southern Railway Santa Train
Ride the 187th Annual Santa Train with Santa and Mrs. Claus on the Nevada Southern Railway.
The Santa Train is a ten-minute ride on a real five passenger car train that rolls through the desert of the historic Boulder City, Nevada. The route follows a 3.5-mile section of track, through the Eldorado Valley, that was laid in 1931 when the Hoover Dam was under construction. It runs from 10am to 3pm Saturdays and Sundays select dates in December.
Tickets are $10 per seat and can be purchased at www.nevadasouthern.com. The Santa Train is located at the Nevada State Railroad Museum at 601 Yucca Street, Boulder City, Nevada 89005. Parking is available adjacent to the station.
Springs Preserve Holiday Express
Experince the holiday magic at the Springs Preserve with train rides to Santa’s magical village and festive activities including photos with Santa, holiday crafts, cookie decorating, holiday stories, a nutcracker display and more!
This special journey will include all of the quintessential holiday trimmings along the way—from snow to hot cocoa.
Date & Time: Dec. 6-8, 13-15 & 20-23, 2019, 2pm-6pm Fridays, 11am-6pm all other event days
Location: Springs Preserve
Admission: $10 members, $12 non-members. Free for children 2 and younger
It’s a family-fun winter wonderland with departures 12 times each day, every half-hour from 11am to 6pm. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time. The Springs Preserve Holiday Express experience is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
NFR Cowboy Christmas Gift Show
The NFR Cowboy Christmas Show returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center for a ten-day Christmas Extravaganza. Cowboy Christmas features over 440,000 square feet of vendor booths filled with the best in cowboy gear, gifts, and western fashion.
The show features 400 plus Cowboy and Western suppliers, Dozens of rodeo stars signing autographs, and plenty of interactive activities for rodeo fans of all ages. The gift show is a great place to take the family, especially if you have kids.
The show is at the Las Vegas Convention Center from December 5, 2019 – December 14, 2019 . The Expo is open daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and admission is always free.
Las Vegas Christmas Town at Wet’n’Wild
Get wrapped up in the holiday spirit at Las Vegas Christmas Town at Wet’n’Wild Las Vegas. The Event runs from November 29 – December 31 (*Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and features one-of-a-kind entertainment and attractions.
Experience the Wet’n’Wild like never before with:
- over three million lights
- a skating rink
- a 40-foot Christmas tree
- Polar Express train ride
- 100-foot sledding hill
- photos with Santa Claus
- paintball zone
- and much more.
Las Vegas Christmas Town visitors also have the opportunity to dine on delightful treats and interact with classic Christmas characters. Tickets are just $20 and include unlimited one-day access to all attractions and entertainment making Christmas Town the best value in Las Vegas!
7055 South Fort Apache Road, Las Vegas NV 89148
(Inside the Wet’n’Wild Water Park)
Sun-Thur: 5:30 – 9:00 PM
Fri-Sat: 5:00-10:30 PM
Town Square Holiday Lights Concerts
Town Square Las Vegas hosts a Holiday Nights & Lights Community Concert every Thursday Night in December.
Local community groups sing and demonstrate the spirit of the season. Once the show wraps up, celebrate the holidays with Snow in the Square at Town Square Park. Each show lasts 10 minutes and is choreographed to everyone’s favorite holiday music.
Location:
Town Square, 6605 S Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV. 89119.
Santa Experience at Fashion Show Mall
Santa arrives at the Fashion Show Mall on November 29, 2019. The Adventure to Santa Experience runs from November 29 to December 24, 2019.
Don’t miss the easiest way to visit Santa—just reserve your time and skip the line! Save $5 on photos when you book between Monday and Wednesday (through December 9th).
Reservations and photo purchases are not required to visit Santa.
Regular Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Downtown Summerlin Holiday Parade
Celebrate the holidays at Downtown Summerlin’s Grand Celebration + Santa’s Arrival on Friday, November 15, 2019! Enjoy a magical family-friendly holiday parade through the streets of Downtown Summerlin as we welcome Santa to his BRAND NEW Winter Wonderland Chalet with a festive light show at the Macy’s Promenade!
November 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30
December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
Time: 6:00 pm
The popular annual holiday parade at Downtown Summerlin features a magical family-friendly spectacle of floats, toy soldiers, snowflake princesses, nutcrackers, dancers and characters through the streets all set to holiday music. All shows are free and open to the public.
The Cosmopolitan Ice Rink
Bring the whole family to the Cosmopolitan this winter to Ice Skate on top of the Las Vegas Strip.
Each holiday season, the Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan transforms into a winter wonderland high above The Las Vegas Strip. At The Ice Rink, you can skate across 4,200 square feet of real ice, roast s’mores by the fire, and indulge in seasonal food and beverage offerings.
November 20, 2019 – December 20, 2019 | 3PM – 11PM (Mon – Fri) | Noon – 11PM (Sat – Sun)
November 28 & 29 | Noon – Midnight
December 21, 2019 – January 5, 2020 | Noon – 11PM
December 24 & 25, 2019 | Noon – Midnight
Closed New Year’s Eve
WinterFest North Pole Adventures
WinterFest is a family-friendly adventure that starts with official Henderson tree-lighting ceremony with Mayor Debra March and Santa. The tree lighting ceremony is followed by a fireworks display. The two-day festival, which runs December 13th – December 14th, includes a gift and craft fair, food vendors, entertainment and an activity area where children can decorate cookies, mail a letter to Santa and build a toy in Santa’s workshop.
The event is topped off with a spectacular evening light parade. WinterFest is open to all ages. Friday night festivities include the opening of the holiday season with a tree-lighting ceremony and festival. Saturday’s festivities conclude with our fabulous Evening Light Parade in the Water Street District.
Global Winter Wonderland
Global Winter Wonderland, at the Rio Hotel and Casino, is a Holiday festival that celebrates multi-cultural collaboration and celebration!
- Carnival Rides and a REAL Chinese Circus
- Shaolin Warriors and World-class entertainment
- Holiday Light shows
- Meet with Holiday characters,Snowmen, Gingerbread people, Elves and Santa
- Visit the Desert Dinosaurs
Global Winter Wonderland is located at the Rio – 3700W Flamingo Rd,Las Vegas, NV 89103
Event Dates: Now until January 21,2020
Hours: 5 PM to 10 PM
