We are here to provide you with the PERFECT guide to maximize your holiday experience. We are talking about pre-and post-thanksgiving concerts, light shows, pop-up shops, Santa sightings, and more! We are BACK and better than ever.
Let’s go!
Photo: @shelbywordsmith (Soulsville Christmas Tree Lighting, 2019)
Light Displays/ Reoccurring Events:
Zoo Lights at the Memphis Zoo: A classic Memphis holiday tradition. Don’t miss out on the festivities this year as the Zoo Lights have even MORE lights to see. There is a limited number of tickets available for each night and tickets must be purchased online.
- Dates: Nov. 12- January 1.
- Hours: 5:30-9:30pm
- Closed on: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day
- Tickets: Members $12/ Nonmembers $14
- Other activities:
- Ice Skating
- Ferris Wheel
- Singing Christmas Tree
- Visits with Santa
Enchanted Festival of Trees: Take a stroll through the Museum of Science and History’s Enchanted Festival of Trees, benefitting Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, which is filled with beautiful decorated trees in a magically snowy setting.
- Dates: Nov. 20-Dec. 31
- Hours: Wednesday – Saturday: 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Sunday: noon – 5 p.m.
- Box Office closes at 4:30 p.m.
- Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
- Tickets: Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
- Adult: $6
- Seniors: $5
- Children ages 3 -12: $5
Photo: @shelbywordsmith (Zoo Lights, 2019)
Starry Nights: Shelby Farms biggest event with over 3.5 million lights is back! All proceeds go to fund the daily operations of the park.
- Dates: Nov. 26- January 1.
- Hours: Open nightly
Holiday Wonders at the Garden: Holiday Wonders at the Garden runs through select nights through December 23. There are four different activity areas that cater to families, couples, or groups. They have tons of special events including concerts with the Memphis Symphony Big Band and a night tailored to your furry friend!
- Dates: Nov. 26- Dec. 23
Christmas Cove in Collierville: This cove in Collierville needs to become a staple in your holiday traditions! These two neighbors, John Thompson and David Brown, have been in friendly side-by-side competition to catch Santa’s attention since 2005.
- You can find these two homes at 472 Tuscumbia Cove West, Collierville
- 478 Tuscumbia Cove West
Gif: Holiday Wonders at Memphis Botanic Garden
Graceland Christmas Tours: This year experience King Elvis’ love of the season during a Graceland Christmas Tour! These limited-time tours feature live guides, holiday stories, and a first-ever special VIP holiday experience. The tour includes a guided tour of mansion grounds, a self-guided tour of Elvis’ custom Jets and full access to the Elvis Entertainment Complex.
- Dates: December 1st – December 20th
- Afternoon Tours: Hours: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. $90 Adults; $58 Youth (5-10); Children 4 and under free
- UVIP Evening Tours: Daily at 6:00 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm* $250 Per Person Limited to 8 people per tour
- UVIP also receive access to:
- Holiday Photo Ops both inside and outside Graceland Mansion
- Outdoor tour of the Graceland Mansion grounds decorated for the holidays
- $20 food voucher to use at one of our Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurants
- Keepsake Backstage pass
Bellevue Singing Christmas Tree: After two years, the Christmas tradition is back for the 2021 season! Purchase tickets to Bellevue’s Singing Christmas Tree for a night of music, drama, and joy!
- Dates: December 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th
- Get your tickets here.
Winter Wonderland at the Children’s Museum: Feel transported to a Winter Wonderland as you stroll through trees, twinkling lights, dancing snowflakes, and all the seasonal trappings at CMOM.
- Dates: December 4- January 2
- Other activities:
- Sock Skating
- Snowball Fight
- Letters to Santa
- Pictures with Santa
- Learn more.
The more the merrier this holiday season! Check out this blog to find holiday lights shining bright throughout Memphis.
One time events/Activities/Shopping
Gifs: Wonderland Escape Rooms
- Memphis Arts Collective: Memphis Arts Collective is hosting their 3rd Holiday Artist Market. The Charity Beneficiary is THRIVE Memphis (a facility for adults and teens with intellectual disabilities.)
- November 26th- December 24th
- Mondays-Saturdays 10:30 AM – 6:30 PM. Sundays Noon-5:00 PM.
- BIG Holiday Expo: Get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping with the biggest holiday shopping event of the season! There will be 100+ exclusive vendors, music, food, and fun for the whole family.
- November 17th
- Tickets:
- $2 for general admission
- $175 vendor pass
- Turkey Trot: You never need an excuse to delve into delicious Thanksgiving Day food, but running the turkey trot would definitely make room for more stuffing!
- November 24th
- Sign up here.
- Holiday Tree Lighting benefiting St.Jude: Head to the corner of Peabody Place and S. Main Street for the annual Downtown Memphis Tree Lighting!
- November 27th
- Hours: 4:00PM-7PM
- Friendsgiving at the Bluff with DJ Epic
- November 24th
- Hours: Starts at 10PM
- Wonderland Escape Rooms: Wonderland is an interactive photo experience with five different places to explore and sixteen different photo settings!
- Starts on November 5th
- Small Business Saturday Pop Up Shop: Spend the biggest shopping weekend of the year supporting small businesses! Head to Summer ave. for live music and tons of local vendors.
- November 27th
- Hours: 1PM-5PM
- Collierville Christmas Parade: Join in on the festivities at the 44th annual Collierville Christmas Parade!
- December 3rd
- 7 PM
- All Aboard! Holiday Kick-Off at Saddle Creek: Kick off the 2021 holiday season with an outdoor showing of Polar Express, train rides, and a visit from Santa himself!
- December 3rd
- Hours: 6PM-8PM
- Once Upon A Dream: Christmas Pop Up Shop
- December 5th, The Dream Center Event Venue
- Hours: 12PM-6PM
- 2021 Memphis Holiday Parade: The 2021 Memphis Holiday Parade is the biggest parade in Memphis! It features elementary and high school bands, community organizations, dance groups, cheerleaders, and even Santa! You do not want to miss the fun that is gonna go down on Beale.
- December 11th
- Hours: 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
- Talk and Walk- Winter Walk: During this cold season series, you’ll discover how life survives by using different cold weather strategies plus take a guided walk with a naturalist.
- December 11th
- 9:00 AM
- Tickets:$10.00
- Holiday Wreath Making Class
- December 12th
- 2:00 PM-4:00PM
- Tickets: $45
- Christmas Fiesta: This Christmas, Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group and Opera Memphis present a Christmas Fiesta! Head to Dixon Gallery and Gardens to enjoy the Christmas traditions of Latin America and the Caribbean. Enjoy music, food, and crafts!
- December 18th
- Hours: 11 AM-3 PM
- Christmas in Bartlett- Market and Festivities:
- Dates/Hours: Dec 10th, 4:30-7:30pm. Dec 11th, 9:00 am-4:00pm
- A. Keith Mcdonald Pavilion at Freeman Park, 2968 Bartlett Blvd
- Candle Making with Brooke Williamson: What is a better gift for a loved one than a hand-poured candle that you personally made? Join Brooke Willamson from New Harbet Candles to learn tricks of the trade when it comes to soy candle making.
- December 17th
- Hours: 6:30PM-8:30PM.
- Tickets: $65
- Beale Street Holly Jolly Holiday Celebration: Enjoy a FREE outdoor holiday experience in the newly renovated W.C. Handy Park on Beale Street. Partake in socially-distanced pictures with Santa, holiday music, and FREE hot chocolate.
- December 4 & December 11th
- Hours: 4:30PM- 6:30PM
- The Christmas Bar Crawl for Toys for Tots
- December 11th, 4PM-Midnight
- Stumbling Santa benefitting Porter-Leath
- 17th Annual Stumbling Santa Pub crawl is back! This bar crawl is at no cost to you except bringing a new, unwrapped toy for a Porter-Leath preschool children.
- Find Holiday Trivia events here.
Theatre/Musicals
Photo: Ballet Memphis’ Nutcracker
- Ballet Memphis presents The Nutcracker: Ballet Memphis returns to the Orpheum Stage with the live Memphis Symphony Orchestra
- December 17th-19th
- Tickets
- Cirque Dreams Holidaze: Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year Broadway style with Cirque Dreams Holidaze! This Broadway Style musical is combined with contemporary circus artistry for the perfect holiday event.
- December 1st
- Tickets
- Hamilton: What better way to celebrate the holiday season or ring in the new year than with the groundbreaking Hamilton.
- December 21-January 2
- Tickets
- Bilingual Play- The Last Christmas (La Ultima Navidad):
- December 3rd-5th.
- A Christmas Carol at Theatre Memphis
- December 3rd-23rd
Santa Sightings
Photo: Town of Collierville
- Bass Pro Shop presents Santa’s Wonderland
- Nov. 6- Dec. 24th
- Breakfast with Santa at the Fire Museum
- December 11th, 8:00 AM
- Get your tickets here
- Breakfast with Santa at Joe’s Crab Shack
- December 11th
- Tickets
- Holiday meet and great with Soulful Santa
- December 4th, 2:30PM-4:30PM
- $15 for three edited digital photos with Santa
- $25 for five edited digital photos with Santa
- Santa and Snow at Chimes Square: Come meet Santa Claus, play in the snow, write letters to Santa, and more at this merry-and-bright event!
- December 12th, 5:00PM-7:00PM
- Christmas is Collierville: Saturdays in the Collierville town square are extra special this holiday season! Families can visit Santa in the Gazebo, take a horse-drawn carriage around Town Square, and experience a quarter of a million Christmas lights!
- Dates: Saturday December 4, 11, 18
- Hours: 10AM-4PM
Live Music
- Thanksgiving Eve at Lafayette’s Music Room: Are you worried about family drama? Burning the turkey? Seeing unwanted extended family? Come and destress this Thanksgiving Eve at Lafayette’s! Enjoy live music from Jason D Willams.
- Nov. 24th, 7pm
- Thanxgivin’- Jaxgivin- Jack Oblivian & The Sheiks + Bar DKDC: Come shake off the turkey coma at Bar DKDC!
- Nov. 25th, 8pm
- Holiday Juke Joint: This Holiday Juke Joint will leave you buzzing with energy, excitement, and cheer. Enjoy an evening of dancing, singing, and laughter.
- Nov. 26th- Dec. 19th
- Tickets:
- Adult: $30
- Student/Senior/Military: $25
- Lindsey Sterling Christmas Program 2021
- Nov. 26th at 8pm
- Tickets
- Chris Stapleton in concert at the FedEx Forum
- Dec. 3rd
- Tickets
- Almost Elton John & The Rocketmen: The Christmas Concert
- Dec. 3rd 10 PM at Lafayette’s
- The Concert to Protect Our Aquifer: Don’t miss an incredible night of music featuring award winning artists Shemekia Copeland, Will Kimbrough, Jim Lauderdale, and Livingston Taylor, with special guest, Al Kapone.
- Dec. 5th, 7:00 pm
- Tickets: $50
- A Very Special Christmas with Michael W. Smith – Live in Memphis
- December 11th, 7pm
- Robert Earl Keen’s Road to Christmas
- December 29th, 7:30pm- 9:30 pm
- A Led Zep’n Christmas at Lafayette’s
- December 25th, 10 PM- 1AM
What about giving back?
Giving Tuesday is creeping up! You’ve got time to get involved and give back to the city that built you or is building you! This is the perfect opportunity to turn your hearts towards generosity and showcase the proud Memphian you are.
Volunteer Opportunities
Check out this blog to find ways to get involved this holiday season!
- Porter-Leath Toy Truck: Toy Truck puts a new toy under the Christmas tree for over 2,500 children served by Porter-Leath’s Preschool program. You can drop off new, unwrapped toys as well as cash, check, or credit card donations. Please bring dolls, puzzles, balls, blocks and other toys that promote early childhood learning.
- Silver Bells 2021: Brighten a homebound senior’s holiday by donating online or adopting a silver bell!
- 6th Annual New Year’s Eve Party & Supply Drive for the Homeless
New Year’s Eve Parties
- New Year’s Eve on Beale
- New Year’s Eve at Lafayette’s
- 6th Annual New Year’s Eve Party & Supply Drive for the Homeless
Places Open On Thanksgiving
*Call ahead for specific hours/reservations*
Offering Thanksgiving Meals To Go/Open on Thanksgiving
- Corky’s Ribs and BBQ
- Deadline to order is Monday, November 22
- Curb Side Casseroles
- Felicia Suzanne’s
- Deadline to order is Saturday, November 20
- Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House
- Frost Bake Shop
- Happy Glaze Donuts
- Julles Posh Food Co.
- Muddy’s Bake Shop
- Seasons 52
- open for dine in and to-go
- R.P Tracks
- Starting at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day
- Max’s Sports Bar
- open on thanksgiving evening
- LunchBox Eats
- Has a Thanksgiving order guide
- The Hi-Tone
- Will be open with a Walrus Thanksgiving show at 10PM
- Brookhaven Pub
- opens at 5PM Thanksgiving Day
- Capital Grille
- open Thanksgiving Day and offers to-go meals
- Bishop Memphis
- Open for brunch and dinner
- Bar Keough
- Opens late Thanksgiving Day
Photo: @muddysbakeshop