
Looking for things to do in December
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
So so many fun family events, better start planning now.
We have lots of ideas for things to do inside and outside around Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen and surrounding cities in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.
For Events Happening Each Weekend, we have a Round Up for you!
Events are subject to change, be sure to check events are as scheduled before heading out. We rely on pricing being provided by event hosts but this information is not always available and we recommend checking directly with the event host.
FEATURED EVENTS
Photos with Santa – Goldreich Orthodontics
Help Goldreich Orthodontics make this holiday season extra special for local families in need! They will be collecting donations (children’s toys, coats, non-perishable food items, and miscellaneous household items) for the Plano Christmas Cops on December 4th from 11:00am-1:00pm in their office parking lot. Snap a photo with Santa while you’re there, and enjoy fresh baked cookies from Mrs. Claus!
When: December 4, 11 am – 1 pm
Where: Goldreich Orthodontics, Plano
Cost: FREE with a donation
Christmas Village at Warehouse Church
Join Warehouse Church for a fun day filled with over 50 market vendors, awesome food trucks, live music, petting zoo, pictures with Santa, and even more holiday fun!
When: December 4, 11 am – 2 pm
Where: Warehouse Church, Plano
Cost: FREE
Circo Metropolis
Hosted by the zany and dynamic clown duo Slappy and Monday, Circo Metropolis will engage audiences with spine-tingling acts, magical mirth, and general mayhem, all presented under the idyllic setting of the Bavarian Big Top!
When: select dates, December 16 – January 2
Where: Samuell Grand Ampitheatre, Dallas
Cost: $15 – $30 ***Save 20% on tickets, use promo code 20MAGIC at www.circometropolis.com
The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey
After a sold-out run in Los Angeles last year The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey is coming to Dallas FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER with a whole new open-air experience to spread a Texas-sized serving of Christmas cheer!
When: through January 2
Where: Choctaw Stadium, Arlington
Cost: from $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids aged 3-12
Day 1 DFW
Day 1 DFW is specifically designed for children and families to celebrate New Year’s Day together. This kid-friendly celebration features interactive activities, crafts and games, great food and a spectacular fireworks show. Come out and play on New Year’s Day!
When: January 1, 2022 9 am – 2 am
Where: 7 DFW Main Event locations
Cost: $20 Buy tickets at https://www.vogelalcove.org/events/day1dfw/
This Month’s Events
ALL MONTH LONG
Free Live Online Art Class – Plano Arts & Events
Join them for a free live art class, suitable for all ages and skill levels. Classes are taught using watercolor paints and modified for colored pencils, markers and crayons. We’ll have a new class every Monday at noon. No registration – just go to their page every Monday at noon CST and click on the live video.
When: every Monday, 12 pm – 12.45 pm
Where: online
Cost: FREE
The Friends Experience
When: through January 17
Where: The Shops at Willow Bend
Cost: from $32.50
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
Explore his life, his work, and his secrets as never before through cutting-edge 360 degree digital projections, a one-of-a-kind VR experience, and a uniquely atmospheric light and sound show.
When: through December 12
Where: Secret Location Dallas
Cost: from $34.90
Dinosaurs Live
Let your imagination run wild as you travel back in time along a half-mile nature trail to get up-close and personal with 11 life-size animatronic dinosaurs.
Jurassic World: The Exhibition
When: through January 2, 2022
Where: Grandscape, The Colony
Cost: $29.50 for adults, $19.50 for children 3 – 15
Kids Movie Saturdays
When: every Saturday, 12 pm
Where: Lava Cantina
Cost: Free admission and $2 off kids meals during the movie
Holiday Events
Where can you go for photos with Santa?
Holiday at the Arboretum
The Trains at NorthPark
When: through January 2
Where: NorthPark Center, Dallas
Cost: $10 Adults, $5 Children (2-12)
Santa at Galleria Dallas
When: through December 24
Where: Galleria Dallas
Cost: photo packages available
Snow Day Dallas
SNOWDAY takes guests on an explorable adventure through 20+ imaginative rooms and hundreds of surprises for all ages.
When: through January 19
Where: Galleria Dallas
Cost: Adults $27, kids $12
Santa’s In Town
When: through December 24
Where: Stonebriar Centre
Cost: photo packages from $39.99
Christmas in the Square
When: through January 3
Where: Frisco Square
Cost: FREE
Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza
When: through December 18
Where: The Star in Frisco
Cost: FREE
Texas Christkindl Market
When: through January 2
Where: Choctaw Stadium, Arlington
Cost: tba
Christmas Farm Adventure
When: through December 18
Where: Mainstay Farm Park, Cleburne
Cost: from $16.95 for earlybird tickets
Join Operation Kindness’ Countdown to Holiday Pet Adoptions
When: through December 24
Where: Operation Kindness, Carrollton
Cost: tba
2021 Christmas Carnival
When: through December 12
Where: YesterLand Farm
Cost: $12.95 – $22.95
2nd Annual Christmas on the Farm
When: through December 12
Where: Team Family Farms, Aubrey
Cost: $15
North Pole Express
When: through December 23
Where: Grapevine Vintage Railroad
Cost: $35 – $40
Radiance
When: through January 1, 2022
Where: Rough Riders Stadium, Frisco
Cost: from $29.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids
Super American Christmas Circus
When: December 2 through January 2
Where: Traders Village Parking Lot, Grand Prairie
Cost: $15 – $40
Scrooge The Musical – NTPA
When: December 9 through December 19
Where: The Courtyard Theatre & Willow Bend Center of Arts, Plano
Cost: $20 – $30
Holidays at the Heard
When: December 17 – 18
Where: The Heard Museum
Cost: $10 adults, $7 kids (3-12)
Check out all these Holiday Lights around Dallas
Vitruvian Lights
When: through January 2
Where: Vitruvian Park
Cost: FREE
Lights on the Farm
When: through December 26
Where: Heritage Farmstead Museum
Cost: $10 adults & $7 kids
Dallas Zoo Lights
When: through January 2
Where: Dallas Zoo
Cost: $50 – $65 per car
Prairie Lights
When: through December 31
Where: Grand Prairie
Cost: from $40 per car
BY DATE
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1
- 5 pm – 9 pm Christmas on the Square – Downtown Celina & the Square
- 5 pm – 8 pm Christmas Tree Lighting – Prestonwood Baptist Church Plano & North Campuses
THURSDAY DECEMBER 2
- Dec 2 – 5, First Monday Canton
- 6 pm – 9 pm, Happy Hour Hike at Legacy West
SATURDAY DECEMBER 4
- 8 am – 10.30 am Breakfast with Santa, Profound Foods, Fairview
- 8.30 am – 10.30 am Frosty 5K & Merry Mile, Frisco
- 9 am – 11 am A Santa Experience CUMC Plano
- 9 am – 4 pm Wylie Arts Festival
- 9 am – 4 pm, Gift Galleria at Hebron High School
- 10 am – 5 pm Hometown Christmas, Rockwall
- 11 am – 2 pm, Christmas Village, Warehouse Church
- 3 pm – 7 pm, Prosper Christmas Festival
- 4 pm – 8 pm Christmas on the Square, Pilot Point
- 5 pm – 10.30 pm Dickens in Downtown Plano
- 6 pm – 10 pm Annual Tree Lighting & Parade, Little Elm
SUNDAY DECEMBER 5
- 1 pm – 5 pm Christmas at the Cove, Little Elm
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8
- Dec 8 – 19 Scrooge Community Theatre, NTPA, Courtyard Theater, Plano
- 7 pm Elf Movie Night at Legacy Hall
THURSDAY DECEMBER 9
- 6 pm – 8 pm Holiday Gingerbread Decorating, Grandscape
FRIDAY DECEMBER 10
- Dec 10-12 Empowered Family of Origin workshop D2Counseling Register here – https://d2counseling.com/upcoming-workshops/
SATURDAY DECEMBER 11
- 8.30 am – 10 am Candy Canes for Kids, Breakfast with Santa, Fairview Town Center
- Dec 11 – 12 Breakfast with Santa at Epic Waters
- Dec 11 – 12 Plano Trade Days
- 8.45 am – 11.30 am Trot for Tots Outlaw FitCamp Plano 5K Fun Run
- 10 am – 2 pm Santa Claus is coming to Dallas Farmers Market
- 10 am – 3 pm Christmas in Adriatica Village & Toy Drive, McKinney
- 12 pm – 6 pm 12 Wines of Christmas Wine Walk, McKinney
- 2 pm – 7 pm Grinchmas at Grandscape Family Festival & Movie Night
- 6.30 pm Christmas Parade of Lights, McKinney
SUNDAY DECEMBER 12
- 9.30 am – 10.30 am St Andrews Christmas Festival of Music
- 11 am – 2 pm The Legacy North Pole, The Shops at Legacy
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15
- 10th World Nursing, Healthcare Management and Patient Safety Conference
THURSDAY DECEMBER 16
- 4 pm – 7.30 m Surf with Santa, Little Elm
FRIDAY DECEMBER 17
- Dec 17 – 18 Holidays at the Heard
SATURDAY DECEMBER 18
- 8.30 am – 2 pm 23rd Annual Christmas in the Park at Fair Park
- 11 am – 1 pm Elf Kids Movie Saturday at Lava Cantina
- 12 pm – 5 pm Gingerbread House Decorating at the Colony Public Library
- 7 pm – 8 pm A Rockin Christmas – Christmas by the Pond, St Andrews UMC Plano
SUNDAY DECEMBER 19
- 12 pm – 5 pm The Market at Legacy North
- 7 pm – 8.15 pm A Rhythm & Blue Christmas at St Andrew UMC Plano
FRIDAY DECEMBER 31
- 11.30 am – 1 pm Noon Year’s Eve Celebration Sweet & Sassy Plano
- 10 am – 3 pm, Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden Noon Year’s Eve Celebration
Want to celebrate New Year’s? Here’s are some socially distanced and fun ideas to celebrate
SEE ALSO:
Farmers Markets
Dallas: Saturday 9 am – 5 pm & Sunday 10 am – 5 pm, 920 S. Harwood, Dallas
Plano Farmers/Artisan Market: Saturday 9 am – 2 pm, The Shops at Willow Bend
Frisco Fresh Market: Saturday 8 am – 4 pm, Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
McKinney: Saturday 8 am – 12 noon, Downtown McKinney Square
Richardson: Saturday 9 am – 1 pm, 101 S. Coit Road, Richardson
Carrollton: Sunday 10 am – 2 pm, 2722 N. Josey Lane, Carrollton

Ongoing Events
Native Texas Butterfly House and Garden
When: Tuesdays through Saturdays 9am-4pm and Sundays 1pm-4pm until October 2, 2022
Where: Heard Museum McKinney
Cost: included with admission
CityLine Live
When: every Friday, 6 pm – 9 pm
Where: CityLine DFW, Richardson
Cost: Free
Kids Movie Saturdays
When: every Saturday, 12 pm
Where: Lava Cantina
Cost: Free admission and $2 off kids meals during the movie
Teen Night
When: every Friday, 7 pm – 10 pm
Where: JW Entertainment, Allen
Cost: tba
Family Storytime
When: every Saturday, 10.30 am – 11.15 am
Where: McKinney Public Library
Cost: Free
Legacy West Music Series
When: every Saturday, 6 pm – 8 pm
Where: Legacy West
Cost: Free
Sounds of Summer
When: every Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm
Where: Grandscape Texas
Cost: Free
Safari Nights at the Dallas Zoo
When: every Saturday, through July 2, 9 am – 9 pm (band starts at 7 pm)
Where: Dallas Zoo
Cost: included with admission
Psychedelic Robot: An Immersive Art & Storytelling Experience
When: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through August 21
Where: The Shops at Willow Bend
Cost: from $32.30
Family Movie Matinee
When: every Friday in June and July, 1 pm – 3 pm
Where: The Colony Public Library
Cost: Free
Music & Movies – FREE Live Music
When: every Friday & Saturday in June and July, 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm
Where: Fairview Town Center
Cost: Free
Related Links
Holiday Craft Fairs in Collin County
Fun Ideas for Winter Camps for Kids
31 Really Fun Things to do this Winter in DFW
Where can you see Santa & get your pictures?
The Best Places in Dallas to see beautiful Christmas Lights
Go Visit “We Love Christmas” at the Gaylord Texan