Houston Christmas Festivals, Shows, Lights & Family Fun 2021

Happy Holidays, Houston! UPDATES being made now!

Here are all the Houston holiday festivals, shows and Christmas lights for November 1, 2021 through January 5, 2022.

As events change and pop up, we’ll update the list… and since this year is weird and things can change quickly, be sure to click the links and check before you head out to each venue!

If you want this list emailed to you each week, sign up for the free newsletter HERE. And if you know of more events, let us know!

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• Quick Links:
• Christmas Lights Near You:
• Houston Holiday Shows & Concerts:
• Houston Holiday Festivals & Family Fun:

Quick Links:

• All the events for this week
• Fall Festivals and Pumpkin Patches for 2021

Christmas Lights Near You:

• Dasher's Lightshow - November-January - 19623 Bauer Road, Hockley, TX (See our 2020 post HERE)
• The Light Park - Dates TBD - Splashtown Parking Lot
• Holiday Lights Countdown - Dates TBD - Memorial City Online (with lights up all season!)
• Santa’s Wonderland – November 12, 2021-December 30, 2021 – College Station
• Galaxy Lights – November 13, 2021 – January 2, 2022 – Space Center Houston
• Zoo Lights – Dates TBD – Houston Zoo
• Texas Winter Lights - November 11, 2021 - January 3, 2022 - Marriott Marquis (In 2020 it was open to the public on weekdays. Still getting details for 2021.)
• Sugar Land Holiday Lights – Dates TBD – Constellation Field (See our 2020 review HERE!)
• Festival of Lights – November 20, 2021  – January 2, 2022 – Moody Gardens
• Trail of Lights – Dates TBD – Dewberry Farm (See our 2019 post HERE)
• Friendswood Christmas Trail & Fairy Trail - Dates TBD - Stevenson Park (See our 2020 post HERE)
• Christmas Nights of Hope and Joy - Dates TBD- University of St. Thomas (Yoakum Blvd)
• Magical Winter Lights – Dates TBD - La Marque

Houston Holiday Shows & Concerts:

• A Little House Christmas - November 7 - December 18, 2021 - Main Street Theater are MATCH
• A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas – November 19 – December 29, 2021 – Alley Theatre (See our 2019 review HERE!)
• Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - November 20 - December 19, 2021 - Main Street Theater Main Stage
• Houston Ballet Nutcracker - November 26 - December 24, 2021 - Wortham Theater
• Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker - December 3, 4, 5, 2021 - Houston Symphony at Jones Hall
• Musical Treats from The Nutcracker—for Kids! - December 4, 2021 - Houston Symphony at Jones Hall
• A Drummer Boy Christmas with King and Country - December 4, 2021 - Toyota Center
• Handel’s Messiah - December 10, 11, 12, 2021 - Houston Symphony at Jones Hall
• Very Merry Pops - December 18, 19, 2021 - Houston Symphony at Jones Hall

Houston Holiday Festivals & Family Fun:

• Texas Renaissance Festival – Weekends, October 9-November 28, 2021 – Todd Mission, Texas 
  • Ticket deals can usually be found on coupon websites. Kids are free on Sundays.
  • The world’s largest Renaissance Festival has themes that change each weekend.
• Frostival – Date TBD – Discovery Green – 1500 McKinney, Houston, Texas 77010  
  • Last year this was virtual. Details still coming for 2021.
• Polar Express Train Ride – November 19, 2021 - December 26, 2021 – 789 Park Road 70, Palestine, Texas 75801
  • Ride on the Polar Express! Find the best pricing in November and early December… and book all tickets before they sell out!
• Santa’s Wonderland – November 12, 2021-December 30, 2021 – 18898 Hwy 6 South, College Station, 77845 
  • Biggest Christmas attraction in the state of Texas! Several ticket options are available.
• ICE at Discovery Green – Dates TBD – Discovery Green – 1500 McKinney, Houston, Texas 77010  
  • All ages are invited to skate at Discovery Green. There is usually a small toddler rink for the littlest ones to practice.
• Home for the Holidays - Dates TBD - Old Town Spring
  • Every weekend from mid November to Christmas. (But you could see the decorations/lights any day.)
  • The hometown holiday festival features a spectacular display of twinkling holiday lights, entertainment, family-friendly activities and photos with Santa every weekend!
  • A "Texas-style winter wonderland" featuring hassle-free holiday shopping along with unique gift ideas, hand-made and locally sourced products and more.
• Zoo Lights - TBD – Houston Zoo  – 6200 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77030
  • Tour the Zoo after dark! The Zoo closes at 5:00pm and reopens at 5:30pm for this event.
  • Check their website for “light” nights because the tickets are cheaper and the zoo is less busy.
• Trains Over Texas – Dates TBD – Houston Museum of Natural Science
  • Create holiday memories by travelling across Texas by model railroad in this scratch built “O” scale model. (See our 2020 post HERE.)
• Texas Winter Lights - Dates TBD - Marriott Marquis
  • Last year this was open to the public on weekdays. Float for walk through the lights!
• Holiday in the Gardens – November 20, 2021  – January 2, 2022 – Moody Gardens  – 1 Hope Boulevard Galveston, Texas 77554
  • Festival of Lights · Holiday 3D Films · Rudolph 4D · Arctic Slide · Train Rides · Star: the Dancing Tree of Light
• HEB Thanksgiving Day Parade – November 25, 2021 - Downtown Houston
• Christmas Train – Dates TBD – 1407 Victory Lane, Alvin, Texas 775711
  • Old-fashioned train ride through our winter wonderland of lights and religious scenery. Over 300,000 lights sparkle along the ¾ mile track.
• Christmas in the Country – Dates TBD – Dewberry Farm – Morrison Road and, FM 362, Brookshire, TX 77423
  • Dewberry Farm is transformed into a whimsical Christmas Village, with twinkling lights, garland, ribbons and tinsel.
  • Hop a wagon for a merry ride across the prairie to experience the magic of over one million lights, fantasy displays and holiday music! Enjoy 40+ attractions … including the Dewville Express Train, all included in the price of admission! (See our 2019 post HERE.)
• Friendswood Christmas Trail & Fairy Trail - Dates TBD- Stevenson Park 1100 S Friendswood Dr, Friendswood, TX 77546
  • Stevenson Park has transformed for the holidays… and families can enjoy the FREE Lighted Christmas Trail and the FREE Christmas Fairy Trail!
  • The Friendswood Christmas Trail includes different themes of lights every evening, 5:30pm-11:00pm, through New Year’s Day. On Saturday nights, the park also features holiday music and food vendors.
  • The Fairy Trail has been dressed up the holidays. The Christmas Fairy Trail is a daytime hunt for Christmas related fairies. Find the new Christmas fairies hidden along the new lighted Christmas trail.
• Mayor’s Holiday Celebration – Date TBD – City Hall – 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002
  • Details coming for 2021.
• Dickens on the Strand – December 3-5, 2021 – Galveston – Strand National Historic Landmark District
  • Victorian holiday festival!
  • Six stages, strolling carolers, musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and  even more entertainers. Costumed vendors peddle their wares from street stalls and rolling carts laden with holiday food and drink, Victorian-inspired gifts.
• Stearman Santa Fly-In – Dates TBD – Lone Star Flight Museum – 11551 Aerospace Ave, Houston, TX 77034
  • Santa flies in to the Lone Star Flight Museum! After you watch him land, you can meet him, do some activities and explore the museum!
• Tomball German Christmas Market & Festival – December 10-12, 2021 - Tomball
• Christmas Boat Parade – December 11, 2021 – Kemah Boardwalk – 215 Kipp Ave, Kemah, TX 77565
  • Boats cruise along Galveston Bay.
• Family Celebration - December 31, 2021 – Kemah Boardwalk – 215 Kipp Ave, Kemah, TX 77565
  • Fireworks at 10:00pm.
• New Year's Noon Celebration - December 31, 2021 - Children's Museum of Houston
  • Details still coming.
• High Noon Countdown - December 31, 2021 - The Woodlands Children's Museum
  • Details still coming.