Holiday themed events run from late November to early January in and around Raleigh. Multiple festivals, tree lightings and performances offer a variety of ways to join in the holiday spirit and relieve stress before and after exams.
Tree Lighting
On Saturday, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance will be hosting a Tree Lighting Celebration on Fayetteville Street from 4-8 p.m. Before the tree lighting takes place at 7:15 p.m., arrive early at 4:15 p.m. to watch dressed-up dogs compete in the Holiday Hounds costume contest. You can also judge and vote on gingerbread houses in the Gingerbread House Competition and enjoy live music throughout the night. During the tree lighting, sing along with cast members from Rudolph, The Musical, which runs from Nov. 24 to Dec. 24 at the Duke Energy Center.
Cary Lantern Festival
The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival returns for its third year at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary from Nov. 24 to Jan. 14. The lantern festival is a unique take on traditional Christmas light walkthroughs and features more than 20 new displays all made from LED lights. Last year, the Chinese dragon on Symphony Lake blew visitors away and will return as a display this year, in addition to animatronic pandas, a Santa Claus lantern and many larger-than-life characters. Visitors should expect a walkthrough to take 45-75 minutes and students should take advantage of student discount nights, Tuesday through Thursday and Sundays.
Next year is the Chinese Year of the Dog so to celebrate this, the festival has a new large pagoda lantern with a Chinese dog spinning on top of it. Liz McDonald, the general manager of the Koka Booth Amphitheater, describes her favorite new display and what visitors can expect to find at the festival.
“This is very different than other displays you may have seen at the holidays,” McDonald said. “The beauty of the festival is breathtaking and everyone gets a good look at the lanterns and the cultural performances during the 1.5-hour walkthrough. Since every display is new besides the dragon, it’s hard to say which one is the best new one, but I think [my favorite] is the Romantic Roses. It is a huge display in the center of the amphitheater with a rose frame for you to take pictures with your loved ones.”
Lake Myra Lights
For a more traditional scene, the Lake Myra Christmas lights display runs from Nov. 22 to Dec. 31. Donations are requested at the display, but admission is free. Lake Myra is in Wendell, North Carolina, and lights are on display from 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 6-10 p.m. on weeknights. The display is neither a walk-through nor drive-through display. Visitors instead sit in a viewing area and enjoy a show of 700,000 lights, music, and special effects for almost an hour. Hot chocolate is included on weekends.
The display’s creator, Don Williams, began the fully computerized light show in 2002 and had to move it to downtown Wendell in 2012. Wendell is roughly 20 minutes from Raleigh and has free parking near the show. Lake Myra’s Facebook page features a new aerial drone view of the show to check out as well.
“This is the first and largest computerized display in North Carolina with a 60-foot tall Christmas tree,” Williams said. “I have made it all myself and it is totally different since it’s not a walkthrough. We’ve also included some rock and roll and soul music into the show this year.”
“The Nutcracker”
The Nutcracker ballet is performed by the Carolina Ballet at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium Dec. 15-24. The Nutcracker, features timeless music and choreography, and continues to be a crowd favorite. The performance is made even more special by Rick Thomas, a well-known magician who created magic tricks specially for the Carolina Ballet’s performance. Tickets for a show can range from around $37 to around $120, but the show is a magical must-see.
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
Holiday classics premiered on the big screen years ago, but theaters like to bring them back to life every once in a while. The Cary Theater is showing “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Dec. 21 at 2:00 p.m. For only $5, individuals can re-watch the award-winning movie, back in a theater setting.
A New Year
The City of Oaks will celebrate the New Year by dropping a giant acorn in the middle of downtown. Last year’s celebration featured an all-day event that included a Ferris wheel, a giant swinging pirate ship called the “Sea Ray” and more than 10 musical performances spread over 20 blocks downtown. This year’s events are still unknown, but expect fun, end of the year festivities.
