December? Where has this year gone?!
2024 may be coming to a close but there’s still a lot to celebrate in Cincinnati for the month of December! From historic tours to sing along movies to outdoor markets, this curated list of things to do should keep you busy this month!
The list below is date specific for Cincinnati in December, 2024.
You might also want to check out these seasonal guides:
50+ Christmas and Holiday Things to Do
Drive Through Christmas Light Shows (plus walk thru too!)
Christmas Craft Shows
Where to Find a Live Nativity Scene
Breakfast with Santa
December 4-6: The Heritage Village Museum hosts 19th Century Holiday Guided Tours (advanced ticket purchase required). Celebrate the season with a holiday guided tour of the Village! Go inside eight historic houses and learn how Christmas celebrations changed and evolved over the course of the 19th century in Southwestern Ohio. See glimpses of the earliest Christmases of Cincinnati, hear about some of the Christmases of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the new traditions introduced by Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens. New this year: the Great Circle Line & Points North Rail Road will be here to demonstrate the GCLPNRR beautiful train display in Chester Park Station. Tickets required.
December 5: Light Up College Hill is coming on December 5th, 6-9pm! This will be an avenue-wide event with the annual tree lighting in Patrick’s Park (7:30pm), a Winter Market (located in the lot behind Brink Brewery), a train ride for kids, Santa, live reindeer and more! As part of Light Up College Hill festivities, several businesses throughout the district will be hosting special (free!) activities for families and then offering some adult options as well.
You might also like: Ultimate Christmas and Holiday Fun Guide
December 6: Enjoy the Holiday Wonderland Laser Show at the Haile Planetarium at NKU. Enjoy the warmth and nostalgia of timeless classics, brought to life with dazzling laser displays. Whether you’re revisiting cherished songs or introducing new generations to holiday favorites, this experience will fill your heart with joy and wonder. Perfect for families, friends, or anyone looking to celebrate the season in a unique way! Tickets required (just $10-ish).
December 6-8: Head to Waynesville for Christmas in the Village. Stroll in and out of retail and dining storefronts, while listening to carolers, choirs, and musicians. Santa arrives daily, 1300+ luminaries along Main Street, 40+ shops, and much more.
December 7-8: It’s time for the annual Newport’s historic East Row Victorian Christmas Tours. Residents will be opening their spectacular historic homes to the public, just in time for the Christmas season. They will have 7 distinct homes scattered around the Historic District, each with a unique character sure to delight visitors. Tour hours each day will be from 12pm to 6pm this year. Tickets required.
December 7-8: Grab some great gifts at The City Flea‘s Holiday Market at Factory 52 (Norwood), 11am-4pm.
December 7: It’s Findlay Market’s annual Holiday Market Weekend 1! They will have dozens of local artisans alongside the normal lineup of merchants selling holiday gifts, food and decor.
December 7: Lebanon’s 35th Annual Horse Drawn Carriage Parade and Christmas Festival returns. There will be two horse-drawn carriage parades this year: a daylight parade at 1 pm and their traditional candlelight parade at 7 pm. Enjoy a Christmas Festival (starting at 10am), visits with Santa, shopping, food, lights, and more.
December 7: It’s “Dad Day” at Rhinegeist, 12-8pm! Their Hoppy Holiday Ale has returned, and that calls for a celebration! Holiday-themed cocktails, FIND THE PICKLE (if you know, you know), and more Dad Day fun for the whole family!
December 7: The Comboni Mission Center invites you to Breakfast in Bethlehem, 9am-11am. Visitors will get an early viewing of the animated Nativity before it’s open for the its 76th season. For $5 per person ($20 per family) guests will also enjoy: a pancake breakfast and fun activities for the kids. RSVP required (see link above).
December 7: Head to Caesar’s Creek Pioneer Village for a Candlelight Walk. Go back to a time when Christmas time was celebrated in the most basic of ways. All of their buildings will be open for the public to go through and once it gets dark the whole village will be lit up by candle light along the paths between the buildings and within the buildings themselves. $6 per person.
December 8: Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer returns at Music Hall for a 7pm show. Celebrate the joys of the season with their annual “Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer” concert in Music Hall’s beautiful and historic Ballroom. Fan-favorite Mark Herman returns at the keyboard of the Mighty Wurlitzer and singer/actress Michele Ragusa returns as the special guest artist. Tickets required.
December 8: Liberty Center will host a Sensory Santa event from 10:30-11:30am. Sensory Santa is a sensory-friendly opportunity for children with special needs and their families to enjoy a private photo session and visit with Santa Claus in a calming environment before the mall opens to the public.
December 8: Art on Vine – The Holiday Gift Sale at Rhinegeist. 12-6pm
December 11: Signs and Songs, Holiday Edition will be at the American Sign Museum, 7-9pm. Enjoy the festive glow of the signs and seasonal tunes provided by Daniel Bennet and the Dirty Shirleys.
December 12-13: The Heritage Village Museum hosts 19th Century Holiday Guided Tours (advanced ticket purchase required). Celebrate the season with a holiday guided tour of the Village! Go inside eight historic houses and learn how Christmas celebrations changed and evolved over the course of the 19th century in Southwestern Ohio. See glimpses of the earliest Christmases of Cincinnati, hear about some of the Christmases of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the new traditions introduced by Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens. New this year: the Great Circle Line & Points North Rail Road will be here to demonstrate the GCLPNRR beautiful train display in Chester Park Station. Tickets required.
December 13-14: If 2024 hasn’t been scary enough for you, take a look at The Dent Schoolhouse’s “A Christmas Nightmare”, a Christmas haunted attraction. They’ll be bringing some of their Halloween haunted house characters in for a grizzly twist on the holiday. This 1 weekend special event, 6:00pm – 10:00pm.
December 13: Enjoy the Holiday Wonderland Laser Show at the Haile Planetarium at NKU. Enjoy the warmth and nostalgia of timeless classics, brought to life with dazzling laser displays. Whether you’re revisiting cherished songs or introducing new generations to holiday favorites, this experience will fill your heart with joy and wonder. Perfect for families, friends, or anyone looking to celebrate the season in a unique way! Tickets required (just $10-ish).
December 14: The Reindog Parade will be brightening up the streets of Mt. Adams starting at 2pm. Santa will lead the parade of dogs in their holiday best accompanied by their two legged friends.
December 14: The jolliest bunch of Santas will be singing some tunes as SantaCon takes on Downtown Cincinnati (The Banks, OTR, CBD), Covington, and Mt. Adams. The Cure Starts Now is their official charity and they will be supporting them again.
December 14: It’s Findlay Market’s annual Holiday Market Weekend 2! They will have dozens of local artisans alongside the normal lineup of merchants selling holiday gifts, food and decor.
December 14: Head to Hocking Hills for Christmas in Ash Cave, 5-7pm. This holiday program begins with an unguided lantern walk along the paved trail to Ash Cave. Once in the cave, families can visit with Santa, sit around the campfire, listen to carolers or music, sip hot chocolate, and munch on cookies.
December 14: Be swept back in time while visiting Old Historic Loveland during Christmas in Loveland. Everything from Jolly Ole’ St. Nick and Mrs. Claus at the North Pole, to a live Nativity scene, to a Winter Wonderland! 3-8pm.
December 14: Grab some great gifts at The City Flea‘s Holiday Market at Washington Park, 3-8pm.
You might also like: Drive Through Christmas Light Shows in Cincinnati
December 14 is National Wreaths Across America Day. Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 3,400 locations across the United States, at sea, and abroad. The wreaths are placed on the headstones of fallen soldiers. You can volunteer to lay wreaths at Spring Grove Cemetery that day.
December 14: Christmas in Loveland features lots of shopping, a tree lighting, entertainment, glassblowing demonstrations, character meet and greet, a holiday drone show, and more. 4-8pm (see link for details)
December 14: Head to Sharonville for Christmas on the Loop, 11am-3pm. Fun for all ages with horse-drawn carriage rides, their downtown business open house with annual Sharonville ornament, music, food trucks, inflatables and more!
December 15: Art on Vine – The Holiday Gift Sale at Rhinegeist. 12-6pm
December 21: It’s Findlay Market’s annual Holiday Market Weekend 3! They will have dozens of local artisans alongside the normal lineup of merchants selling holiday gifts, food and decor.
Check out our long list of Things to Do for Christmas Break for lots of great ideas (coming soon!)
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.
