101 Holiday Happenings in Rochester - 2025
'Tis the season in Rochester! This is KidsOutAndAbout.com's annual 101 Holiday Events list of ways to make the holidays special in our area for 2025. Activities for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve.
The activities we've listed here are confirmed for this year, but many require reserving ahead of time, so click through to make arrangements, and keep in mind that things can be canceled at any time, so be sure to check.
If you are affiliated with a business hosting a holiday event that should be on our calendar, we'd love to see it there... it's free to post! Click here for instructions about how to add your organization to our list and easily post your events to our calendar!
150-House Driving Tour of Holiday Light Displays in Greater Rochester
Christmas lights, and lots more!So many families have the tradition of hopping in the car and going to see the lights in neighborhoods around our area. Check out KidsOutAndAbout's big list of holiday light displays... as reported by readers.
Sweet Creations at the George Eastman Museum
Saturday, November 8, 2025–Sunday, January 4, 2026The George Eastman Museum is delighted to invite visitors to its enchanting 2025 holiday season events. Known for creating memorable experiences, the museum’s seasonal lineup includes the beloved Sweet Creations Gingerbread Display, holiday wreaths, festive tabletop trees, decorative mantels, and so much more. Sweet Creations returns with more than 50 uniquely decorated gingerbread creations; the exhibit will be available for viewing through January 4 and you can take one home for next season if you're the highest bidder in the online silent auction. To manage visitor flow, advance ticket purchases are recommended and can be made at eastman.org/tickets. (Sponsored by The Summit Federal Credit Union with additional support from Tops Friendly Markets.)
For a full list of holiday screenings and ticket details, visit eastman.org/dryden.
RPO's The Nutcracker
Nov 26, 28, 29, and 30 2025 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre with the Rochester City BalletTara Simoncic, guest conductor
Rochester City Ballet
Your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Rochester City Ballet celebrate 26 years of The Nutcracker at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre! This timeless tale of wonder and imagination has become a Rochester holiday tradition. Be whisked away to a magical land of sparkling snow and delectable sweets as delightful dance pairs with Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score. This beloved story of a young girl’s Christmas Eve dream never fails to touch the heart!
Holiday Happenings at Genesee Country Village
There are so many ways to include Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, NY, in your family's traditions this holiday season! With festive special events like our Holiday Market & Preparing for Winter (November 8 & 9); Yuletide in the Country Theatrical Tours and Dinners (December 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 19, & 20); Holiday Open House and Breakfast with St. Nick December 7 and 21... plus holiday cookies and shopping in the Flint Hill Store, GCV&M can help you plan ahead for a season of winter wonder.
A Christmas Carol at Geva
November 22 – December 28, 2025The NEW VERSION of Rochester's favorite Holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol: Over the course of a single night, notorious grump Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four ghosts. But will their intervention prompt him to change his “humbug” ways? Filled with humor, heart, and hope. A Christmas Carol reminds us that it is never too late to have a change of heart. A Christmas Carol runs at Geva from November 22 through December 28, 2025
Christmas at RCCM 2025
Dec 12-14 and 17-23: Gates open at 6pm nightly. Register for your free ticket nowChristmas at RCCM is truly a magical place…. It’s a place filled with wonder, excitement, and Christmas cheer! Christmas at RCCM consists of 4 major attractions: Miracle, the thrilling and inspiring 4D motion ride; The Name, our brand new and incredible "spoken word”, multi-sensory experience; Raffadali's Great Adventure, our exciting and interactive family show starring Raffadali the donkey; Star’s Yuletide Workshop where cast members assist kids in making their very own Star-themed ornament! Plus don’t miss RCCM’s Musical Light Show Spectacular! Tens of thousands of color-changing lights animated all across the RCCM campus will leave you in awe! All FREE! Each show is about 20 minutes in duration, and each runs continuously from 6-9pm each night.
For more information and to reserve advance tickets, visit RCCM.org or call 585-247-4444. RCCM is located at 3177 Lyell Rd in Gates.
Holly Trolley Rides at the New York Museum of Transportation
December 7, 8, and 15 - Reservations requiredIt's a unique holiday tradition! Enjoy a 2-mile round trip trolley ride, visit with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, enjoy delicious hot chocolate and cookies, and thrill to holiday decorations throughout the museum. December 7, 8, and 15. Family-friendly admission for the whole experience is just $17 adults and seniors, $13 ages 3 - 14. By reservation only. Find details at http://www.nymtmuseum/Christmas
A Magical Christmas Adventure at Hidden Valley
Weekends Nov 28 - Dec 21, 2025Another Magical Christmas Adventure awaits at Hidden Valley Animal Adventure! The Lodge, in full holiday splendor, will host Santa’s Wonderland where you’ll decorate cookies, write letters to the North Pole, take holiday photos, and more before boarding your trolley for a journey through Hidden Valley’s Mystical Forest. There you’ll see herds of bison and elk, Randy the camel, llamas, and blackbelly sheep roaming the wintery terrain. Upon your return, pet and feed a variety of live animals in open-air stalls. Four consecutive weekends starting Black Friday, November 28 – December 21, 9am-4:30pm. Reservations Required. Book online at hiddenvalleyadventure.com. Allow 3 hours for the full experience.
Pirate Toy Fund's Toy Drive 2025
Main drive week Nov 28 - Dec 6. Toys are collected throughout December.The Pirate Toy Fund's main toy drive, where they press to collect 25,000 toys, is November 28 - December 6. The toy drive continues throughout December. Drop off a new, unwrapped toy so that a needy child in our area can benefit at the holidays and through the year. Go shopping with your kids and ask them to pick out a toy they know another child in our community would love. Then drop off the NEW, UNWRAPPED TOYS at any area Wegmans locations, Kinecta Federal Credit Union, Eastview Mall, Marketplace Mall, the Mall at Greece Ridge, or Mark's Pizzeria. ...and feel great that you're helping other kids in our area at the time they most need comfort and joy. Or CLICK HERE to donate toys online!
The Child Advocacy Center brings you The RG&E Holiday Lights Tour
December 6, 2025 - January 1, 2026Light up the holiday season at The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester RG&E Holiday Lights Tour. Make a gift of $30 and receive a Tour Kit full of Holiday treats & goodies, fun and festive activity book and of course a digital map of some of the most festively decorate home in the Greater Rochester area. Gather your family and friends, hop in a car, and make lasting memories as you explore the twinkling lights! Take the tour as often as you like from December 6th to New Years Day!
Roc Holiday Village
Wednesdays to Sundays December 5 – December 28, 2025The sixth annual Roc Holiday Village presents 17 days of enchanting festivities from December 5 to December 28, every Wednesday to Sunday. The downtown Rochester festival features free ice skating and skate rentals, a unique Shopping Village, free visits & pictures with Santa, fire pits with outdoor seating, indoor and outdoor bars, hand-crafted goods, Cozy Winter Igloos, free crafts for kids, food trucks, a variety of holiday celebrations, live music, private events, nightlife and more.
There's fun for everyone at the Holiday Village! www.rocholidayvillage.com
Tim Horton's Iceplex
Rochester's #1 Ice Skating DestinationJoin us this holiday season for Open Skate! Lace up the skates and see for yourself why ice skating at the Iceplex is one of Rochester’s favorite activities for people of all ages. Whether you are with friends, with family, on a date or just out for some exercise, ice skating is a great activity for all occasions. Throughout the season, we have multiple sessions hosted weekly and during winter recess we’ll have sessions every day! Make sure to purchase your tickets in advance, as sessions will sell out.
Stokoe Farms
Experience the magic of the holidays at Stokoe Farms! Begin your tradition with a wagon ride to cut your own meticulously hand-trimmed Fraser, Douglas, or Concolor Fir tree. For just $68, any size or variety includes shaking, baling, fresh cutting, and drilling for a pin stand. While you're here, enjoy free family activities, including a Live Nativity, Straw Fort, Giant Slides, Bonfires, and the whimsical Hillbilly Hen Chicken Show. Admission is free!
You can also choose to enhance your visit with private animal encounters at The Roo Ranch—hold a kangaroo or meet exotic animals. Weekends and Black Friday starting the weekend before Thanksgiving and continuing through mid-December.
101 Holiday Happenings in the Rochester area 2025
Santa Sightings
Christmas Community Events
Nutcrackers
| Nov 15, 2025 | Nutcracker Parent Night Out - Studio East Dance Company |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 26, 2025 | The Nutcracker - RPO |
| Nov 30, 2025 | The Nutcracker - Ithaca Ballet |
| Dec 2, 2025 | Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet - RBTL |
| Dec 5 - 7, 2025 | The Nutcracker - Fort Hill Performance Arts Center |
| Dec 12 & 13, 2025 | The Nutcracker - Genesee Dance Theatre |
Holiday Concerts
| Dec 6, 2025 | New Horizons Symphonic Band Holiday Concert - Brighton High School |
| Dec 7, 2025 | Sounds of the Season - Tower Fine Arts Center |
| Dec 10, 2025 | Live from Hochstein: Holiday Horns |
| Dec 12, 2025 | Holiday Prism Concert |
| Dec 12, 2025 | December Holiday Concert - Perinton Concert Band |
| Dec 17, 2025 | A Celtic Christmas - Smith Center for the Arts |
| Dec 17, 2025 | Live from Hochstein: A Cup of Good Cheer |
| Dec 19, 2025 | A Joyful Christmas - Rochester Oratorio Society |
| Dec 19 - 21, 2025 | Gala Holiday Pops - RPO |
Holiday Theatre
| Nov 15, 2025 | Champions of Magic: Holiday Spectacular |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 22, 2025 | A Christmas Carol - Geva Theatre |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 26, 2025 | Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas |
| Nov 28 & 29, 2025 | A Christmas Story - Dryden Theatre |
| Dec 4, 2025 | A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage |
| Dec 5, 10, & 13, 2025 | It's a Wonderful Life - Dryden Theatre |
| Dec 6, 2025 | A Nostalgic Night with Macaulay Culkin following Home Alone |
| Dec 11 - 14, 2025 | Home for the Holidays with The Calamari Sisters |
| Dec 12, 2025 | Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - Smith Center for the Arts |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland - Kodak Center |
| Dec 18 & 20, 2025 | A Christmas Carol - Dryden Theatre |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 18, 2025 | Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical |
Living Nativities
| Weekends Nov 23 - Dec 8, 2025 | Live Nativity - Stokoe Farms |
| Dec 19 - Dec 24, 2025 | Live Nativity - Powers Farm Market |
| Dec 12, 2025 | Nativity Night & Family Fun - Crossroads Community Church |
| Dec 12 & 13, 2025 | Live Nativity - Avon Wesleyan Church |
Christmas Tree Experience
| Starting Nov 22, 2025 | Wilbert's Christmas Tree Farm |
| Weekends Nov 23 - Dec 8, 2025 | The Stokoe Farms Christmas Experience |
| Starting late Nov, 2025 | Woody Acres |
| Starting Nov 28, 2025 | Crossen Tree Farm |
| 2025 Starting date TBD | Bauman's Farm Market |
| Click here for our full list of places to get live Christmas Trees |
Holiday Lights
| Multiple dates starting Nov 17, 2025 | Lights on the Lake Drive-Thru - Onondaga Lake Park |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 2, 2025 | Holiday Spectacular at Blue Barn's Campus in Hilton |
| Dec 5, 2025 | 2025 Keg Tree Lighting - Genesee Brew House |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 6, 2025 | Holiday Lights Tour - Child Advocacy Center |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 12, 2025 | Christmas at RCCM |
| Multiple dates starting Dec 12, 2025 | Holiday Gnome Roam - Cumming Nature Center |
| Be Sure to Check Out our list of Driving Tour of Holiday Lights! |
Crafty & Cookin' Christmas
| Dec 6, 2025 | Gingerbread Houses - Penfield Public Library |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Children's Holiday Art Market - Art Center of Rochester |
| Dec 6 & 7, 2025 | Christmas at CSM |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Wintercraft 2025 - Flower City Arts Center |
Ice Skating
| Open now through April 5, 2025 | Genesee Valley Sports Complex |
| Opens Nov 22, 2025 | Open Skate season starts at Dick's House of Sport in Victor |
| Opens Nov 22, 2025 | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square |
| Lakeshore Hockey Arena | |
| Paul Louis Arena | |
| Tim Horton's Iceplex |
Chanukah
| Dec 4, 2025 | Park Avenue Holiday Open House |
| Dec 7-8, 2024 - still seeking 2025 info | The Sinai Artful Hannukah Happening & Bazaar |
| Dec 7, 2025 | Hanukkah Celebration - Roc Holiday Village |
| Dec 9, 2025 | PJ Our Way Hanukkah Celebration - Dalit Spindel |
| Dec 9, 2025 | PJ Our Way Hanukkah Celebration - Temple B'rith Kodesh |
| Dec 16, 2025 | Hanukkah Party with Nate Salzman - Dalit Spindel |
| Dec 20, 2025 | Hoppy Havdalah Hanukkah |
Kwanzaa
| Dec 4, 2025 | CFAC Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration 2025 - Syracuse |
Journey to an Old-Fashioned Christmas
| Multiple dates starting Nov 28, 2025 | Dickens Christmas at Skaneateles |
| Dec 5 & 6, 2025 | Yuletide in the Country Tours & Dinner - GCV&M |
| Dec 7, 2024 - still seeking 2025 info | Christmas Open House at Tinker Homestead |
| Dec 12 - 14, 2025 | It's A Wonderful Life Festival - Seneca Falls |
Shopping & Craft Fairs
| Nov 8 & 9, 2025 | Holiday Market - GCV&M |
| Nov 15, 2025 | One Stop Holiday Shop - Walworth |
| Nov 14 - 16, 2025 | Christkindl Market - Granger Homestead |
| Nov 14 - 16, 2025 | Christmas in the Country - Rochester Dome Arena |
| Nov 15, 2025 | Holiday Market at Schutt's Apple Mill |
| Nov 21 - 23, 2025 | Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit Christmas Bazaar and Food Sale |
| Nov 22 - 23, 2025 | Holiday Bazaar - Rochester Museum & Science Center |
| Nov 28 & 29, 2025 | Holiday Craft & Wine Marketplace |
| Multiple dates starting Nov 30, 2025 | Holidays at The Market |
| Dec 6, 2025 | 9th Annual Holiday Open House - Upstate Vintage Market |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Hope Hall's Holiday Woodworking Sale |
| Dec 13, 2025 | Wintercraft 2025 - Flower City Arts Center |
New Year's Eve
| Dec 31, 2025 | Noon Year's Eve Party - Penfield Library |
| Dec 31, 2025 | Noon Year's Eve Party - Henrietta Public Library |
| Dec 31, 2025 | New Year's Eve Celebration - Holiday Valley |
| Dec 31, 2025 | Noon Year Party - Ontario Play & Cafe |
Christmas Tree Farms
Do you cut your own Christmas tree? Here's our big list of farms where you can cut your own Christmas tree in Rochester.












