If you’re looking for something to do for the 2022 Thanksgiving Day weekend in Cincinnati, we’ve got you covered!
Whether you have family in town, you’re visiting for the weekend, or you simply have a few days off of work, you’ll enjoy this list of events for Thanksgiving weekend.
We will add to this list as more Thanksgiving Weekend events pop up so be sure to bookmark the link and check back often!
Don’t miss our list of Holiday Events that go on all weekend – find it after the dated events.
We have LOADS of Christmas and Holiday Craft Shows and Markets to choose from this weekend!
Friday, Nov. 25:
Santa arrives at Cincinnati Museum Center! Although guests will not be able to sit with Santa to make sure he hears their wish list this year, they will be able to speak with the jolly elf in the Public Landing adjacent to Holiday Junction. Santa will be busy preparing for the big day but will happily pause to speak with guests from a safe distance.
Macy’s Light Up the Square annual tree lighting celebration is back. Festivities will begin at 6pm with live music and a special appearance by Santa Claus with a dazzling fireworks display. And don’t miss the Shillito Elves, on display at the Foundry (across 5th Street) starting this weekend.
Washington Park will have a Winter Market featuring regional artisans and crafters in cozily designed huts! You’re sure to find something special for everyone on your list. Friday hours are 3-8pm.
Head to Indiana for the Metamora Old Fashioned Christmas Walk, opening for the season on Friday.
Deck the Y’alls Lightfest, new for 2022, opens for the season. This interactive sparkling wonderland features more than 2 million dazzling lights and ten immersive themed displays at Thomas More Stadium, located in Florence, KY. Guests will have the opportunity to walk around the field and can even skate on the outdoor ice rink located right on the first base line!
Winterfest at Kings Island opens for the season on Nov. 25.
Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt opens for the season on Friday. Adjacent to the Moerlein Lager House on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn and Stage in Smale Riverfront Park will be an all ages German-American Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt. The holiday themed Christmas festival with feature food, beverage, merchandise, holiday lights, choral and musical entertainment, with a European, yet Cincinnati Holiday theme.
Head to downtown Milford for Hometown for the Holidays, November 25-27. Visit with Santa, enjoy strolling carolers, watch the Silo Lighting at Little Miami Brewing (Sat., 7pm), take a ride in an Antique Fire Truck (Friday and Sat., 11am-4pm weather permitting), and more! Check their site for details and specific event times.
Saturday, Nov. 26:
Downtown Dazzle is happening at Fountain Square, 6-8:30pm. See Santa rappel from a Cincinnati skyrise and wait with anticipation for the sky to fill with a fabulous fireworks display! And don’t miss the Shillito Elves, on display at the Foundry (across 5th Street) starting this weekend.
Take the kids to see Santa at Washington Park as part of their “Santa’s Workshop“, 12-4pm. Every Saturday and Sunday in December, Santa and his merry band of Elves will be spending time in Washington Park. Bring your family, your dog, your friends, but most all–be sure to bring your cameras! *Please note that this event is free, but you must bring your own camera for photos.*
Head to downtown Milford for Hometown for the Holidays, November 25-27. Visit with Santa, enjoy strolling carolers, watch the Silo Lighting at Little Miami Brewing (Sat., 7pm), take a ride in an Antique Fire Truck (Friday and Sat., 11am-4pm weather permitting), and more! Check their site for details and specific event times.
Washington Park will have a Winter Market featuring regional artisans and crafters in cozily designed huts! You’re sure to find something special for everyone on your list. Saturday hours are 11am-5pm.
Head to Newport on the Levee for Light Up the Levee. The tree lighting happens from 4-6pm and Santa arrives!
The Annual Mt. Washington Holiday Walk will be held on Saturday 11/26 from 4-7pm with the parade kicking of the festivities at 330pm. There will be free food, carriage rides & the lighting of the Mt. Washington Water Tower. Sweets & Meats BBQ will be handing out complimentary BBQ sliders while supplies last.
Witness Santa being rescued by a CFD Ladder Truck at the Cincinnati Fire Museum, noon.
Get signed up for the Christmas Wreath Workshop at Marmalade Lily. Learn to design your own welcoming wreaths filled with botanical delights. Registration required.
Santa will make an appearance at the Fifty West Brewing Company, 6-8pm. Come by and get a picture in front of Santa’s mobile toy workshop with just the kids, or the whole family! While your photo prints, turn around and chat with Santa, and then head to the bar to grab a free hot cocoa for the kids! Dogs and kids are welcome 
Tickets required.
Sunday, Nov. 27:
Head to downtown Milford for Hometown for the Holidays, November 25-27. Visit with Santa, enjoy strolling carolers, watch the Silo Lighting at Little Miami Brewing (Sat., 7pm), take a ride in an Antique Fire Truck (Friday and Sat., 11am-4pm weather permitting), and more! Check their site for details and specific event times.
Take the kids to see Santa at Washington Park as part of their “Santa’s Workshop“, 12-4pm. Every Saturday and Sunday in December, Santa and his merry band of Elves will be spending time in Washington Park. Bring your family, your dog, your friends, but most all–be sure to bring your cameras! *Please note that this event is free, but you must bring your own camera for photos.*
Washington Park will have a Winter Market featuring regional artisans and crafters in cozily designed huts! You’re sure to find something special for everyone on your list. Sunday hours are 11am-5pm.
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Holiday Events That Go On All Weekend:
Christmas at EnterTRAINment Junction will be open Nov. 12, 2022 – Jan. 1, 2023 (closed on Thanksgiving Day). See the magic of Christmas at the home of the World’s Largest Indoor Train Display. Take a “Journey to the North Pole”, where you can meet Mrs. Claus and Santa himself.
Christmas Nights of Lights is at Coney Island Nov. 11, 2022 – January 2, 2023. If you’re looking for the perfect socially distanced Christmas event, this is it! Experience this amazing light show synchronized to both traditional and rocking holiday music through your car radio. Visitors of all ages will be awed by the larger-than-life trees, glowing snowflakes, dancing candy canes and fantastic tunnels of lights! In the warmth of your own car, you can sing along to the sounds of the season synchronized to each holiday display. Christmas Nights of Lights welcomes carloads of families and friends to enjoy this Christmas tradition. With two and a half miles to drive through, your family can see displays and light shows made of over a million lights driven by more than forty thousand computer channels. The show will begin nightly at dusk and run through 10 p.m. Christmas Nights of Lights will be open every night including holidays. See our best tips on making the most of the evening at Christmas Nights of Lights post.
Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo, Nov. 18, 2022 – Jan. 8, 2023. The Cincinnati Zoo will once again be transformed into a “Wild Wonderland” for the 40th annual PNC Festival of Lights! In addition to admiring the beauty of 4 million LED lights, visitors can find the 5 Fiona fairies in Fairyland, take in a blacklight puppet show, marvel at the spectacular Wild Lights show on Swan Lake, or snack at one of two S’mores-n-More stands. Santa will be available for visits starting at 4 p.m. through December 23. Reservations are required. Closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Fountain Square Ice Rink, Nov. 5, 2022 – Feb. 20, 2023; You’ll need reservations this year AND don’t miss the Bumper Cars on Ice! Details here.
Holiday Junction at Cincinnati Museum Center: Nov. 11, 2022 – Jan. 2, 2023; Come experience a deep-rooted Cincinnati holiday tradition: Holiday Junction Featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains. The exhibition, a display of hundreds of model trains zipping around a winter wonderland, has been a part of Cincinnati holidays since 1946. You’ll also get to see Brickopolis, a room full of fantastical scenes created with LEGO bricks. You can also play along with the new Holiday Scavenger Hunt which will feature a rotating set of objects hidden in the garden railway layout begging guests to walk around, peel their eyes and scour every detail for objects tucked away in the snowy hills.
Holiday Lights at Armco Park (the light show formerly at Sharon Woods), Nov. 18 – Dec. 30, 2022 (closed Thanksgiving Day); The holiday themed displays showcase everything from Santa Claus and his elves to every animal on the ark. There’s no need to bundle up to enjoy Holiday in Lights; simply warm up the car, turn your radio dial to Warm 98, round up your friends, family, or a special date, and head to Armco Park. It’s that easy. Special effect glasses available to enhance the experience. Show them this coupon on your phone and get $1 off. NOT open on Thanksgiving day this year and cash is not accepted.
Holly Jolly Days is at the Behringer-Crawford Museum from Nov 12, 2022 – Jan 8, 2023. Eight Lionel model trains will circle 250 feet of track, passing miniature cities, farms and snow-covered fields. Thirty moving displays will allow guests to activate landmarks along the way.
Journey Borealis is an artful drive through adventure at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Nov. 18, 2022 – Jan. 1, 2023. Journey Borealis: Holiday Lights on the Hill will light up the park with over one million holiday lights as well as dazzling scenic displays.
Krohn Conservatory’s Holiday Show – Celestial Holiday, Nov. 5, 2022 – Jan. 8, 2023. The seasonal display located in the main exhibition house, invites visitors to explore a botanically designed Cincinnati theme. Guests will experience an enchanting, immersive train display, winding their way through a miniature world of botanical models thoughtfully sculpted in natural plant material. Included are models of the famed Roebling Bridge, Great American Tower, P&G Towers, Fountain Square, Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park Water Tower, the Winton Place Rail Station, Mount Adams and its incline track, along with many other icons that represent the architectural diversity of the Queen City. G-scale model train tracks traverse the elegant flow of the walking path, and pass by a waterfall, which spills into a bubbling brook. Hand-sculpted cedar mountains combined with decorative grapevine stretch throughout the layout creating a perfect backdrop for the plants, trains and models. Open 10-5 on Thanksgiving Day.
All events were accurate at the time of this posting but things do happen and events do occasionally get canceled or postponed. You should always double check with the event source before you head out the door. Links for each event are provided so that you can be sure the date is still accurate before you head out.
Thanks for the convenient list!
So excited! Thank you for organizing this amazing list!
There will be a drive-thru light display at Coney Island, called Christmas Night of Lights beginning this weekend through Jan 1!
Thank you for putting things together. I have found your site the easiest place to find things to do. Bless you!