101 Ideas for Holiday Family Fun in Buffalo
KidsOutAndAbout is Buffalo & WNY's online guide to everything for kids, teens, and families!
If we're missing an activity that should be on our list, please email Helena Robin at helena@kidsoutandabout.com. Please make sure to include a link to the event when you email. Thank you!
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Santa Sightings
November 25, 27 | Visit With Santa at Explore & More |
Starting November 18 | Visit Santa at Walden Galleria |
Fridays-Sundays Starting Nov. 19 | Santa's Wonderland Express |
November 26 | On Stage With Santa at the Historic Palace Theatre |
November 17, 18 | Santa's Reindeer Story Train Ride |
December 3 | Skydiving Elves Greet Santa in Lewiston |
December 4, 11, 18 | Cookies and Cocoa With Mrs. Claus At the Buffalo Zoo |
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in December | Santa's Christmas Cottage Snow Globe |
Various dates in December | Breakfast With Santa and the Animals at the Buffalo Zoo |
Various dates in December | Santa On the Heritage Carousel |
December 10 | Santa Land At Chestnut Ridge Park |
December 18 | Lunch With Santa at the Hard Rock Cafe |
Hanukkah
December 11 | Get Your Hanukkah On |
December 18 | Here Comes Hanukkah |
Old-Time Christmas
December 1, 8, 15 | Candlelight Behind-the-Scenes Tours at the Martin House |
December 11, 18 | Castle By Candelight at Old Fort Niagara |
Multiple Dates in December | Yuetide In the Country |
Light Displays
Various Dates Nov 25 - Dec 23 | Fairgrounds Festival of Lights |
Saturday before Thanksgiving - January 2 | Our Lady of Fatima Festival of Lights |
November 26 | Light Up Lockport |
Various dates in Dec., click to see calendar | Gardens After Dark: Magical Pointsettias and Train Display |
Starting November 19 | Buffalo/Niagara Holiday Light Show at the Niagara County Fairgrounds |
Starting November 27 | Zoolights at the Buffalo Zoo |
Holiday Theatre
November 26 | Free Holiay Movie At the Historic Palace Theatre: ELF |
November 26 | Free Holiday Movie At the Historic Palace Theatre: The Polar Express |
December 3, 4 | The Nutcracker at Shea's |
December 2 - 4 | |
December 10, 11 | Classical Ballet of WNY Presents The Nutcracker |
December 15 | Holiday Film: White Christmas |
Holiday Concerts
November 26 | Back To The Future In Concert |
December 11 | Jingle Bell Jam at the BPO |
December 9, 10 | Joann's Classical Christmas |
December 15, 16, 17 | John Morris Russell's Holiday Pops With the BPO |
December 26, 27, 28 | Elf the Musical at Shea's |
December 09 | 'Tis the Season With the Beachboys Featuring the Holiday Vibrations At Shea's |
December 21 | |
December 3,4 | A Charlie Brown Christmas at Seneca One |
December 22 | Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Key Bank Center |
Christmas Tree Experience
Weekends in November and December | Stokoe Farms |
Starting November 26 | Christmas Tree Time at Crossens |
Opens November 25 | Christmas At Akron Acres |
Ice Skating
Holiday and Leisure Rinks |
Classic Rink |
Harborcenter |
Northtown Center at Amherst |
Brighton Ice Arena |
The Ice at Canalside (November 25th, 2022) |
Faletti Ice Arena |
Shopping & Craft Fairs
Saturdays in December | Holidays at the Broadway Market |
November 25, 26, 27 | Heritage Carousel Holiday Market |
November 19, 20 | Holiday Market at Genesee Country Village & Museum |
December 3 | Holiday Market and Tree of Light at the Martin House |
December 10 | Christmas On the Canal Holiday Market |
December 3 | Holy Ghost Christcindl Holiday Market |
New Year's Eve
December 31 | Countdown To Noon at Explore and More (TBD 2022) |
December 31 | New Year's Eve At Holiday Valley |
December 31 | NYE at Splash Lagoon (TBD 2022) |
December 31 | Kids New Year's Party at Tumbles Play Cafe |
Miscellaneous
Starting November 19 | Magical Pointsettias and Train Display at the Botanical Gardens |
December 10, 11 | Winter Wonderland at the Botanical Gardens |
December 1-4 | Lewiston Christmas Walk |
Multiple dates in November/December | Polar Express at Medina Railroad Museum |
Multiple dates in November/December | Christmas Cookie Decorating Class At Buffalo Cake Pops |
Multiple dates in December | Holiday Magic at Explore & More |
December 13 | Holiday Cookie Decorating at Clarence Public Library |