9 Festive Holiday Events to Check Out This Season – StyleBlueprint
9 Festive Holiday Events to Check Out This Season StyleBlueprint
Nashville is definitely in the holiday spirit, with tons of festive holiday events sprinkled throughout the city. From drive-thru dancing lights to the world’s tallest digital angel tree to the decked-out halls of Nashville’s best bars, there’s a little something for every holiday-lover. Celebrate the season with friends, family and loved ones at any one of these nine seasonal events, or keep this list handy, and tackle them all. Happy holidays!
GLOW Nashville
When: Through December 31, 2019
Where: 19 Jr Gilliam Way, Nashville, TN 37219
The highly anticipated event is finally here! GLOW kicked off on November 22 and continues through December 31, bringing holiday cheer to First Tennessee Park, home of the Nashville Sounds. More than 4 million lights glisten, and the tallest tree in the South — more than 100 feet tall! — stands smack in the center. It’s so much more than just lights, though. Visit Mistletoe Café for a cup of hot chocolate and holiday snack, or for the 21+ crowd, visit Blitzen’s Band Box to sip holiday cocktails around fire pits and in igloos. In the Winterfest Market, start (or finish!) your Christmas shopping with 25+ local vendors selling their handmade art, jewelry, soaps, skincare and more. You won’t want to miss the Reindeer Run Tube Park, where you can race down the 32-foot-tall, 170-foot-long tube built over the stadium seating. Step inside of Santa’s Workshop and be transported to the North Pole. Inside the giant gift, Mrs. Claus reads stories, elves are prepping for Christmas, and Santa himself is ready for all of the photo ops! Finally, ice skate in the Frozen Fortress Skating Rink. The three-story centerpiece with an elevated viewing platform is simply stunning — a blast to skate around or walk through! Tickets for this immersive holiday experience start at $19.99 for kids, and add-ons for ice-skating and tubing are available. Find more information HERE.
Find photo opportunities at every corner at GLOW! Image: GLOW
This GLOW rendering says it all — it’s a holiday event you don’t want to miss! Image: GLOW
Miracle at the Hidden Bar
When: Through December 31, 2019
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Where: 200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
It’s back! Noelle’s Hidden Bar transforms into a winter wonderland again this season with Miracle, decking the halls with all things holiday. The festive decor made its way onto all of our Instagram feeds last year, and they’re back for round two. You can expect the same over-the-top holiday decor, including a giant polar bear and disco ball, as well as some fun seasonal cocktails, served in spirited mugs and glasses. Try the Christmapolitan or Snowball Old-Fashioned, don your favorite tacky Christmas sweater, and slip into the holiday season.
The Hidden Bar is once again aglow with lights and decked out with fun decor. Image: Emily Dorio
A winter wonderland, indeed! Image: Miracle at Hidden Bar
Reindeer Games at Headquarters
When: Through January 1, 2020
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 3 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon to 3 a.m.
Open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Where: 114 2nd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201 • (615) 784-3494
The Reindeer Games return! Head to Headquarters downtown to check out the 6,500-square-foot space fully decked out in holiday decor. Guests are greeted by 5,000 lights, 12-foot wreaths and a 12-foot Santa Claus when they enter. They’re then led through a tunnel of Christmas lights. Inside, sip themed cocktails like Red Ryder Rosé, Santa’s Snack, Jack’d Skellington and more, including everything from 3D Christmas tree displays to life-sized toy soldiers. For those must-capture photo opportunities, take a seat in the side-by-side Naughty and Nice thrones or the “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” flying sleigh.
In addition to holiday decor and menus, Reindeer Games hosts events and specials throughout the pop-up, including weekly ugly sweater contests, Sleigh It Saturday dance parties, a Charlie Brown Christmas dog adoption event and a Night Before Christmas drag show. Find the full schedule here.
Get your Reindeer Games fix at Headquarters. Image: Reindeer Games
Bode Nashville Sippin’ Santa
When: Through December 31, 2019
Hours: Daily, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: 401 2nd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201 • (844) 431-2633
‘Tis the season! Imbibe alongside Santa at Bode‘s Sippin’ Santa pop-up. Picture tinsel-strewn decor and Christmas tchotchkes inside the hub of downtown’s chic accommodations. Celebrity mixologist Joann Spiegel has created a delicious set of cocktails, including a Kris Kringle Colada with Jamaican rum, amaro, allspice liqueur, lime juice, pineapple juice and cream of coconut, and Christmas Eve of Destruction with Overproof dark rum, lime juice, nutmeg syrup, benedictine and angostura bitters. Cheers to that!
RELATED: The One Winter Cocktail You’ll Want Again & Again
We’ll take a Kris Kringle Colada, please! Image: Sippin’ Santa
Bobby Hotel Nordic Winter Village
When: Through December 31, 2019
Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
230 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219 • (615) 782-7100
This holiday season, the rooftop at the Bobby Hotel has been transformed into a Nordic Winter Village. Enjoy sugar shacks, flowing champagne and festive programming along with chunky blankets and sheepskin, blazing firepits and, of course, the beloved igloos, which are available for rent. Joining the lineup this year are two winter cabins, which add to the festive fun. The igloos fit up to eight, and the cabins hold up to six. (SB TIP: Make your reservations now as they sold quickly last year!)
Take in the views, but not the chill, inside one of Bobby’s igloos! Image: Bobby Hotel
New to the lineup, reserve a Christmas cabin on the roof. Image: Bobby Hotel
Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood
When Through January 5, 2020
Hours: Daily, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: 1200 Forrest Park Dr, Nashville, TN 37205 • (615) 356-8000
One of Nashville’s favorite holiday traditions, Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood offers a winter wonderland that beckons kids and adults alike. A one-mile loop dazzles with its 1 million+ twinkling lights, plenty of photo opportunities and general Christmas cheer. At the Reindeer Park, guests can see two real reindeer, visiting from the North Pole, and chat with the Reindeer Keeper. Make sure to stop by and meet Santa in Cheekwood’s Historic Stable and Tack Room located in the Frist Learning Center, and explore the Dancing Lights of Trains at the North Pole Express! Located in the Turner Seasons Garden, trains move along a track that’s festively lit for the season. Additionally, kids can explore the new train depot with a slide, climbing net and more. Roast marshmallows, decorate gingerbread houses and marvel at the Poinsettia tree. Cheekwood Holiday LIGHTS is a seasonal must!
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Wander in wonder with a warm beverage in hand! Image: Cheekwood
Maybe we should replace the Christmas tree next year! Image: Cheekwood
The live reindeer steal the show! Image: Cheekwood
Winter Waldenland
When: Through December 31
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Friday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: 2909 Gallatin Pike B, Nashville, TN 37216 • (615) 760-5808
Walden becomes Winter Waldenland this holiday season. Inside, find over-the-top decor, a fireplace lounge, dancing Santas, peppermint Christmas trees, holiday-themed cocktails and special events throughout the month. The advent calendar features daily giveaways and prizes, and we’d be remiss not to mention the Paws & Pints happy hour. The cocktail menu draws inspiration from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation like “Why is the Carpet Wet, Todd?” and “The Blessssing” and the Jell-o shots include “Aunt Bethany’s Jell-o” and “Jelly of the Month Club.”
Toasty cocktails fireside? Say no more. Image: Walden
Dream Nashville’s Gingerbread House
When: Daily, 5 p.m. until close
Where: 210 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219 • (615) 622-0600
Dream Nashville’s Parlour Bar has transformed into a gingerbread house this holiday season. Enjoy fun features including an edible gingerbread cookie wall, specialty menu of seasonal baked goods and tapas-style savory items, as well as a selection of holiday cocktails including Gumdrop It Like It’s Hot (Chocolate), Spiked Eggnog for Two, Gingerbread Old Fashioned and more. Guests who attend the unconventional gingerbread house are invited to eat an edible ornament cookie off the tree, snap a photo with the life-size Gingerbread Bartender and enjoy a display of snow on North Fourth Street. Plus, a complimentary hot chocolate bar will be set up on weekdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Grab an Eggnog Fizz at the Parlour Bar this season! Image: Dream Nashville
Zoolumination: Chinese Festival of Lights
When: Through December 30, 2019
Hours: Nightly, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: 3777 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
This season, see the zoo in a new way! In the largest lantern show in the country — spanning more than 60 acres — Nashville Zoo is aglow with 500 custom-made silk lanterns. Visit the life-size holiday village full of lights, trees and holiday fun, and have your photo made with Santa, who visits each night through December 23. The Sumatran tiger, Andean bear, flamingos and Unseen New World exhibits will all be open late. Chinese artists have reimagined dozens of favorite zoo animals in bright and colorful scenes throughout, and Chinese acrobats and entertainers perform nightly at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m.
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For more happenings around town, visit our Happenings page here!
