2025 Holiday Events in Downtown & Theater District

Photo Credits: Tree for Boston and The Boch Center.

Boston Common Events

The 84th Annual Boston Common Tree Lighting will take place Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM. Nova Scotia is once again gifting the tree, a tradition going back over 50 years, in thanks for Boston’s help after the 1917 Halifax Explosion.
Expect speeches, holiday lights across the Common and Public Garden, and a community kickoff to the season.

Also mark your calendar: the Official Holiday Tree Arrival is set for Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at ~11 AM.

Last but not least, don't forget Ice Skating on the Frog Pond, which normally opens in late November for seasonal skating throughout the winter.

Theater District Holiday Shows

So many holiday shows to choose from:

• A Drag Queen Christmas - Nov 15 - Schubert Theater - One of the country’s longest-running holiday drag tours. Hosted by Nina West, the lineup includes queens like Shea Couleé, Jewels Sparkles, Crystal Methyd, Bosco, Lydia B. Kollins, and more.

• The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show - Nov 22 - Wang Theater- Brought to you by RuPaul's Drag Race alums Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme, this iconic duo will be spicing up the stage at the Wang Theater with hilarious, dazzling, and awe-inspiring holiday-drag spectaculars.

• 'Twas the Night Before...By Cirque du Soleil - Nov 26 - Dec 15.- Wang Theater — Cirque du Soleil's first holiday show reimagines the classic holiday poem with acrobatics, whimsical characters, and a heartwarming father-daughter journey.

• Nutcracker Ballet - November 28-December 28- Boston Opera House — If a more traditional Mouse King or Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies is up your alley, you’re only a short distance away from one of theater’s classic ballets playing all month long.

• NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet - Nov 29 - Schubert Theater — Experience a dazzling take on The Nutcracker with world-class ballet, whimsical puppets, lavish costumes, and acrobatics set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.

• Gavin DeGraw Christmas Tour - Nov 30 - Wilbur Theater - GRAMMY® Award-nominated, multi-Platinum singer and songwriter Gavin DeGraw sings hits and more from his recent first-ever Christmas EP, A Classic Christmas.

• Ingrid Michaelson - Dec 4 - Schubert Theater — Hannah Winkler joins Grammy and Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter/composer Ingrid Michaelson for an evening of inspired musical artistry.

• Jingle All the Way with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - Dec 6 - Schubert Theater — Béla Fleck & The Flecktones reunite this winter for Jingle All the Way, performing their Grammy-winning holiday album live for the first time in 15+ years. Expect reinvented, jazz-infused classics and playful twists on seasonal favorites, joined by Jeff Coffin and the Tuvan throat singers of Alash.

• Christmas with CeCe Winans - Dec 4 - Wang Theater — Best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time CeCe Winans performs inspired renditions of holiday favorites. Also featuring Angie Winans & Debbie Winans.

• Urban Nutcracker - Dec 13-21 - Shubert Theater — Ballet, swing, flamenco, jazz and hip hop collide in this modern take on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. Tony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker will have you tapping your feet and leaving your seat to sway to the beat.

• A Prairie Home Companion Christmas - Dec 18 - Wang Theater — Join Garrison Keillor and other artists from the popular series for an entertaining evening of stories and beloved carols.

• The Snow Queen - Dec 27 - Emerson Colonial Theater — The Grand Kyiv Ballet returns with their latest holiday ballet, The Snow Queen, adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale.

More Holiday Happenings

These other nearby holiday events are also worth a look:

• Hanukkah at MFA - Dec 18 — Celebrate Hanukkah with an evening of art, music, and community performances honoring Jewish cultures and traditions at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

• Holiday Pops Concerts - Dec 4 - 30 — Enjoy festive performances by the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall throughout December, from classic evening pops concerts, to kid-friendly matinees, Elf in Concert, and more.

• Cocoa & Carols Cruise — Savor a hot cocoa as you admire the sun going down and the lights coming up while you listen to holiday hits on the Northern Lights Yacht’s holiday cruise of Boston Harbor.

• SoWa Winter Festival - Nov 28 - Dec 28 — Explore over 100 vendors at New England's largest indoor holiday marketplace from November 28 through December 28, 2025 , featuring handmade art, holiday gifts, specialty foods, and cocktails. Held annually at the SoWa Power Station in Boston's South End.

• Boston’s First Night - Dec 31 — Boston First Night 2025 will be a free, family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration full of art, ice sculptures, parades, live performances and fireworks across Boston, especially around City Hall Plaza, Copley Square, the Common, and the Harbor.

• Snowport - Nov 7 - Dec 28 —Snowport in Boston Seaport returns this holiday season from November 7 through December 28, 2025, at 100 Seaport Boulevard with a free holiday market featuring over 130 local vendors, festive food and drink, winter games and outdoor activities.