From Santa Visits to Lantern Lights: Cary’s Top Holiday Happenings

‘Tis the season, and we couldn’t be more excited!

There are plenty of Christmas and holiday-related events happening in Cary, both run by the town and by private businesses. If you want to make the most of it, read this guide and discover some ways to make memories this holiday season.

Meet Santa!

Take a picture with Santa! Mr. Claus will be at Downtown Cary Park on Sunday, December 17th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. It is completely free to attend and tickets are not required, but you can RSVP here and read more information about the event.

Go Ice Skating!

Cary has two spots where you can go ice skating.

Downtown Cary Park has a small ice skating rink (with artificial ice). The rink is open until January 12th, and is free to use. You can read more information about it here.

There’s another ice skating rink in Fenton that will be open until February 5th. This one uses real ice and is a bit bigger than the one in downtown Cary, but it is not free ($17 for a day, $90 for a season pass). You can buy tickets and read more information here.

Get a festive cocktail!

The Side Door Cocktail Bar (located at 1389 Kildaire Farm Rd, connected to V Pizza) is decorated adoringly for the season and has a plethora of festive drinks. They do not have a website, but you can view their Instagram page here.

Attend the free ice and fire festival!

On Friday, December 15th, attend Frost and Flame Fest: A Night of Fire and Ice in the new Downtown Cary Park!

The event is completely free to attend, and will have food trucks, Carolina Circus Festival’s fire dancers, an ice carving battle, photos with Santa, s’mores, and so much more! The Night Market will also be going on across the street if you want to get some holiday gift shopping done as well. Read more info here.

Watch holiday classics at The Cary Theater!

The Cary Theater (122 E Chatham St) is showing a ton of holiday classics leading up to Christmas, including It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, The Muppet Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Home Alone, and more! You can view a full list on their website here.

Check out the Chinese Lantern Festival!

This is the 8th year the Chinese Lantern Festival is happening in Cary, and it’s a tradition that you don’t want to miss. The lights are beautiful, the lanterns are impressive, the food is great, and the cultural arts performances are always very awe-inducing. Check out all the info, including ticket information, here.

About Article Author

James Tuliano

Founder of The Cary Report. When I am not keeping up with local news, you can find me riding my bike around the Greenway trails or lying by the pool.

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