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Holiday Guide
Ultimate Houston Holiday Guide: All the Festive Things To Do in 2021
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HOUSTON! Now that turkey time is over, we can't wait to break out the sweaters, hot cocoa, and go for some nighttime strolls to see everybody's neighborhood lights this year. To get into the festive mood, we've put together our ULTIMATE guide of things to do this holiday season!
We'll keep updating the list as we continue experiencing the festive things around town. 🎄 Let us know in the comments how you'll be getting festive this year, or if we missed out on anything you want us to go to!
Millions of lights that synced with festive Christmas music is just what you need to get you into the spirit. Put on your favorite holiday sweater and pile into the car for this dazzling experience. This is a must for the family this season! They’re open 7 days a week until January 2, and tickets are available for purchase online, starting at $30 per vehicle! The Dasher Pass Experience tickets are HIGHLY recommended to skip the line, be able to come at anytime on the day of your ticketed date, and comes with 2 light park wands!
The interactive light experience features 20+ photo ops, a heated lazy river, DJs, winter cocktails, and more right on the Marriott Marquis' pool deck with the ICONIC Texas-shaped lazy river. Eat, drink, and swim under the lights from now through January 3rd! General Admission Tickets are $20 or book the Texas Winter Lights Package with rates starting from $197 a night. Both can be purchased on the Marriott Marquis website.
Did you know… 3 years ago, Matt proposed at Zoo Lights?! This was our first time being back since and wow has a lot changed! This year, Zoo Lights are better than ever, in our opinion. So you don’t want to miss out! Tickets start around $17 depending on the day and time.
Discovery Green is hustling and bustling this time of year with all things holiday, and it makes the most perfect date night spot! Go ice skating in the middle of downtown, visit the brand new Mosaic of Light installation, and visit Deck the Trees at @alleytheatre and George R. Brown across from Discovery Green. It’s magical at night and the perfect destination for a romantic evening stroll! Pro-tip: We would recommend going during the week if possible. It was very busy when we went over the weekend!
Get festive at The Christmas Train in Alvin, about 35 minutes outside of downtown Houston! This annual holiday tradition is going on 21 years, bringing Christmas spirit through thousands of lights and displays that can be viewed on an old-fashioned train ride, a festive complimentary elf show, holiday themed baked goodies and hot drinks, pictures with Santa, letters to Santa, and more! This event is put on by the nearby church and is great for families with young children, if you're still looking for something fun to do with the family this holiday season. They even have Santa's Speedway Go-Kart Racing for the older kids and adults. Tickets are $10-$12 online and FREE for ages 2 & under.
Lightscape is a brand new holiday light event to add to the list this year! Walk through the entire Houston Botanic Garden (definitely wear walking shoes) and gaze at unique dazzling installations with an amazing ambient soundtrack. Some of the installations come from previous installations from around the world, but there are even some unique Texas installations created by local and international artists. Our fav was the iconic Winter Cathedral with 100,000 lights! Tickets are $23-25 for adults, $16-18 for children 3-12, FREE for infants 0-2. Parking must be purchased separately and is $6-20.
Houston’s original Christmas pop-up is back at @johnnysgb, and this year you have more chances to HO HO HO 🎅🏻 it up because they’ve brought the over-the-top experience to their sister bar @winnieshouston! The food is incredible as are their holiday cocktails with alllllll the festive glassware. Plus the decor is on POINT! Pro tip: Make a reservation!
Dasher's Winterland is an all new outdoor festival and light show experience to add to your holiday traditions! They are located in Hockley, TX, just about 35 minutes outside of Houston, with a ton of activities for the entire family including: a Christmas hayride through their incredible light show,15,000 sq ft inflatable Santa maze, outdoor movie nights, tons of photo-ops (with Santa too), live music (certain nights, check the schedule online), and delicious food and drinks (including 21+ beverages) curated by a professional chef!
Tickets are $10 (which includes all the activities listed above) and parking is $5. The Dasher's Lightshow Drive-Thru only is $30-35 per vehicle.
Sugar Land Holiday Lights is back this year at Constellation Park! This year’s lights features 8 DAZZLING themed displays, vendors for holiday shopping, food, meet Santa, and carnival rides. Purchase tickets online: $16 adults and $14 child, military, and senior.
Holiday Lights in Clay Family Eastern Glades is back at Memorial Park, so it's time to take your pup to have a holiday photo shoot! Koda was not into photos, but we were able to snap a couple before she was off exploring the trail! Such a cute place to go for an evening stroll with all the twinkling lights and colorful trees.
Lei Low is another MUST this holiday season! They have lots of festive cocktails, including fishbowl drinks that serve 2-4 people. We got the Santa's My Co-Pilot, and it literally came out on FIRE! Such a fun spot to get into the holiday spirit!
Night Shift has transformed their bar into a fun and festival tropical holiday destination for the season! They have multiple rooms that are each uniquely decorated, and it’s another great bar with themed cocktails to get into the holiday spirit. They also have a food menu as well if you want some bites with your drinks!
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