List of 2023 Christmas and Winter events in the Omaha metro: ice skating, Christmas lights, winter markets, music, and Santa appearances.
Get tangled up in the Christmas lights, burn last decade’s greeting cards for warmth, and splash too much bourbon into your egg nog. Christmas season is upon us once again. Mariah Carey screaming in my ear, “All I want for Christmas is you.”
Ice Skating Rinks
New for 2023 is the Heartland Of America Park Skating Ribbon, a peanut shape loop made festive with lights and music.
Check the prices on each. Some are skate rentals and others are rink access.
- Baxter Arena Holland Ice – 67th & Center
- Grover Ice – 61st and Grover
- Liberty First Arena – 73rd and Q
- Mahoney State Park – exit HWY 66 west of Omaha
- Motto McLean at Hitchcock Park – 45th & P
- Moylan Ice Complex – 125 & Maple
- Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont – Military & Lincoln intersection
- UNMC Ice Rink – 42nd & Dewey
Lights & Celebrations
- 11/12-2/14/24 – Season Of Lights @ Midtown Crossing
- 11/17 – Winterfest @ Bayliss Park – Lighting Ceremony and Santa Workshop, reindeer, free hot cocoa, live music, food trucks (blown snow if temps get below 32 degrees)
- 11/17-12/30 – Zoolightful @ Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
- 11/17-12/31 – Santa’s Rock N Lights @ Werner Park
- 11/18-11/25 – Tangier Shrine Feztival of Trees 2023
- 11/18-12/30 – Holiday Poinsettia Show @ Lauritzen Gardens
- 11/18-12/30 – Bright Nights @ Lauritzen Gardens
- 11/22 – Annual Tree Lighting & Holiday Parade @ Shadow Lake Towne Center (and fireworks!)
- 11/24 – Tree Lighting and Holiday Celebration @ Village Pointe
- 11/24 – Tree Lighting Ceremony @ Durham Museum
- 11/25 – Holiday Lights Festival @ Old Market/Gene Leahy Mall
- 11/25-1/1/24 – Holiday Lights @ North Omaha
- 11/25-1/1/24 – Holiday Lights @ South Omaha
- 11/26 – Holiday Magic @ downtown Ralston, NE
- 11/30 – Lights On Dundee @ Dundee, 50th & Underwood
- 12/1 – Holiday Cultural Festival @ Durham Museum
- 12/2 – Holly Days @ Heartland Of America Park
- 12/2 – Holiday Beerfest @ Crescent Moon
- 12/2 – Victorian Christmas On Main @ downtown Plattsmouth, NE
- 12/3 – KETV Family Festival @ downtown Omaha (YMCA, Durham, Children’s Museum, Kaneko, and Omaha Mounted Patrol Barn)
- 12/16 – Drive Thru Live Nativity & Santa’s Wonderland @ Scatter Joy Acres
Markets
Perfect way to shop small and local is at some of the many pop up vendor markets and galleries throughout the metro.
- 11/4-12/16 – Holiday Popup Series @ Mulhalls (Saturdays during this stretch)
- 11/25 – Handmade Omaha Holiday Art & Craft Show @ Bancroft Street Market
- 11/25-11/26 – Holiday Modern Market @ Local Collective Nebraska (120th & Blondo)
- 11/28 – City Sprouts Holiday Market @ City Sprouts (4002 Seward St.)
- 12/1 – First Friday @ Old Market
- 12/1 – First Friday @ Benson
- 12/1-12/3 – Maker & Baker Holiday Market @ SAC Museum
- 12/2 – Lights On At Luli | Evening Holiday Market @ Luli (1901 Howard)
- 12/2 – Holiday Arts & Crafts Show in Council Bluffs @ Mid-America Center
- 12/2 – Winter Wine Walk @ Rockbrook Village
- 12/2 – Unionmade Holiday Market @ Union For Contemporary Art
- 12/2-12/3 – Physicians Mutual Holiday Market @ Aksarben Village
- 12/2-12/3 – Winter Open House @ Hot Shops
- 12/3 – Holiday Market! @ Benson Bounty (6915 Evans)
- 12/9 – Hometown Christmas @ Ashland, NE
- 12/15 – Holiday Market @ The Terrace, River’s Edge in Council Bluffs
- 12/16 – Holiday Market @ Reverb Lounge & Waiting Room (yes, Reverb and Waiting Room)
Music
- 11/26 – Kanesville Symphony Orchestra “Christmas Present” @ PACE
- 12/2-12/3 – Joyful Noise: A Gospel Christmas “The Tenth Episode” @ Steelhouse Omaha
- 12/6 – Home Free for the Holidays @ Holland Performing Arts Center
- 12/7 – Jim Brickman “A Joyful Christmas”, w/ John Trones, and Anne Cochran @ Holland Performing Arts Center
- 12/9 – River City Mixed Chorus “40 Years of Fa La La” @ Holland Performing Arts Center
- 12/10 – Christmas With The Petersens @ The Arts Center at Iowa Western
- 12/14-12/17 – Omaha Symphony Physicians Mutual Omaha Symphony Christmas Celebration @ Holland Performing Arts Center
- 12/15 – Heartland Flute Choir presents “Holiday Harmony at the Shrine” @ Holy Family Shrine
- 12/17 – Iowa Western Community Band Holiday Concert @ The Arts Center
- 12/22-12/23 – Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis @ Orpheum Theater
Radio
Star 104.5 KSRZ-FM brings you the Christmas music.
- Listen in your car by dialing 104.5 or searching KSRZ with your radio app
- Listen online here: https://www.104star.com/player
Santa, Reindeer
- 11/21-12/17 – Meet Santa’s Reindeer @ Mulhall’s
- 11/24-12/17 – Visit With Santa @ Mulhall’s
- 11/24-12/24 – Santa’s Workshop @ Shadow Lake Towne Center
- 12/2 – Breakfast With Santa @ Historic General Dodge House
- 12/2 – SantaPalooza @ Sheel’s Village Point
- 12/2 – Meet Santa And His Reindeer! @ Bel Air Plaza
- 12/6 – Storytime with Santa and Mrs. Claus @ Shadow Lake Towne Center
- 12/9 – Santa Goes To Space @ SAC Museum
- 12/9-12/24 – Santa @ Westroads Mall
- 12/14 – Storytime with Santa and Mrs. Claus @ Shadow Lake Towne Center
- 12/16 – Cookies With Santa @ The Lofte (Manley, NE)
Sports
Thought I’d throw this on here, a couple of run/walks where you can also get into the holiday spirit.
- 12/2 – Candy Cane Course – 5k and 12k @ Seymour Smith Park
- 12/2 – Jingle Bell Run 5k @ Papillion Landing
Theater and Performances
- 11/17-12/23 – A Christmas Carol @ Omaha Community Playhouse (Hawks Mainstage)
- 11/18 – A Charlie Brown Christmas – Live On Stage @ Steelhouse
- 11/18-11/19 – The Nutcracker @ PACE, American Midwest Ballet
- 11/22 – The Hip Hop Nutcracker @ Orpheum Theater
- 11/24-12/17 – A Very Die Hard Christmas @ Bluebarn Theatre
- 11/24-12/23 – Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold @ Omaha Community Playhouse (Howard Drew Stage)
- 11/28 – Away in the Basement, A Church Basement Ladies Christmas @ The Arts Center at Iowa Western
- 12/1-12/2 – Ho Ho Homicide, Murder Mystery Cocktail Hour @ Joslyn Castle (Friday and Saturday)
- 12/1-12/17 – White Christmas @ Bellevue Little Theatre
- 12/1-12/17 – A Doublewide, Texas Christmas @ The Lofte
- 12/1-12/23 – Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer @ The Rose Theater
- 12/7-12/17 – A Christmas Story: The Musical @ Chanticleer Theater
- 12/9-12/10 – The Nutcracker @ Orpheum Theater
