Christmas in Las Vegas 2026: Holiday Lights, Shows & New Year's Eve

Las Vegas does the holidays in its own way: a cactus garden wrapped in lights, a drive-through light show at a racetrack, a Nutcracker with a live orchestra, and a midnight fireworks show launched from the roofs of the Strip's resorts. This guide covers the 2026 holiday season, from early November to New Year's Day.

How the dates in this guide work: we give a 2026 date only when the organizer has published it on its own website. This guide was updated on September 27, 2026, and several regular events had not yet announced their 2026 plans. For those, we describe what the event is and how it has run in the past, and point you to the official site to check. Look again in November, when most schedules are confirmed.

2026 Holiday Dates Already Announced

Not yet announced for 2026 when this guide was updated: Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Fremont Street Experience's holiday events and its New Year's Eve party, and the resort holiday displays and ice rinks.

Holiday Lights

Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden Lights (Henderson)

Ethel M's chocolate factory in Henderson lights up its cactus garden every winter, and 2026 is its 33rd year. The company says the garden uses about a million lights. It is one of the cheapest holiday outings in town: entry is $3 per person, and children under 2 and seniors 65 and over get in free. No reservation is needed.

• 2026 dates and hours: opens November 5, 5–10 p.m. nightly through December 23; Christmas Eve 5–8 p.m.; closed Christmas Day; December 26–30, 5–10 p.m.; New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 5–8 p.m.; January 2–3, 5–10 p.m.
• Santa: Ethel M says Santa is not there after December 23, 2026. Photos with Santa were listed at $35 for one print and $50 for two.
• Address: 2 Cactus Garden Drive, Henderson, NV 89014. You'll need a car or a rideshare from the Strip.
• Tip: the shop is next to the garden, so it's an easy place to pick up edible gifts.

Magical Forest (Opportunity Village)

Magical Forest is a holiday park run by the Las Vegas nonprofit Opportunity Village. As well as the light displays on its walking path, it has the Forest Express train, a carousel, the Avalanche Slide, mini golf, carnival games, food and visits with Santa. Opportunity Village's 2025 announcement said admission included unlimited rides, mini golf, the lights path and the train.

• 2026 dates: November 27–29, December 3–24 and December 26 – January 1. Closed Christmas Day.
• Hours: 5:30–9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 5:30–9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The box office closes 30 minutes before the park.
• Tickets: Opportunity Village says 2026 tickets go on sale in the fall and are date-specific this year. Prices had not been published when this guide was updated.
• Discounts listed for 2026 (box office only): $3 off for seniors 65+, $5 off for military and first responders, and children 3 and under free.
• Where: 6300 W. Oakey Blvd, west of the Strip.

Glittering Lights (Las Vegas Motor Speedway)

Glittering Lights is a drive-through light show at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, north-east of the city. You stay in your car and drive a three-mile route of displays. Its official site is glitteringlightslasvegas.com; the similar-looking glitteringlights.com is an unrelated site.

• 2026 dates: not yet announced. The 2025–26 season ran from November 7, 2025 to January 4, 2026, from 5 p.m. nightly, so expect a similar early-November-to-early-January run.
• Price (2025–26 season): $39 per car in cash at the gate or $44 by credit card. Check the site for 2026 prices.
• What to expect: the organizers describe millions of lights and more than 600 displays. There is also a Santa Tram, sold as a separate ticket.
• Tip: it's a drive-through, so waits come as lines of cars at the gate. If you can, go on a weeknight early in the season rather than a weekend just before Christmas.

Fremont Street Experience (Downtown)

Downtown's pedestrian mall decorates for the holidays under its LED canopy. In 2025 the season included "Holiday Lights on the Canopy" from mid-December to January 1, a 50-foot Christmas tree, a holiday village and free concerts on its stages. Entry to Fremont Street is free on normal nights. The 2026 program had not been announced when this guide was updated; check fremontstreetexperience.com in November.

Resort Decorations and Ice Skating

Many Strip resorts decorate their lobbies and atriums, and walking between them is a free way to spend an evening. Resort holiday dates are usually published close to the season, so check each resort's site before you go.

• Bellagio Conservatory: Bellagio's botanical garden changes its display with the seasons and has a holiday display in winter. Bellagio's site blocks our automated checks, so confirm the 2026 dates there.
• The Venetian and The Palazzo: The Venetian's Christmas page describes a large gold snowflake tree surrounded by giant golden snowflakes in the Waterfall Atrium at The Palazzo.
• Holiday photos at the Neon Museum: the museum offers holiday portrait sessions, a Sunset Portrait Hour in its North Gallery and a Late Night Portrait Hour among the lit signs of the Neon Boneyard. Dates and prices are on its booking pages.
• Ice skating: The Cosmopolitan has run a seasonal outdoor ice rink in past winters, and Downtown Summerlin has hosted a seasonal rink, the Rock Rink. Neither had announced a 2026 season when this guide was updated. Check The Cosmopolitan's and summerlin.com's event pages from November, and see our Las Vegas ice skating guide.

Holiday Shows and Concerts

The Nutcracker (Nevada Ballet Theatre)

Nevada Ballet Theatre performs George Balanchine's The Nutcracker at The Smith Center from December 12 to 27, 2026, with 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. performances. The Las Vegas Philharmonic plays the score live on December 12 and 13. Tickets are sold through The Smith Center; if you want a weekend performance close to Christmas, book early.

A Very Vegas Christmas (Las Vegas Philharmonic)

The Las Vegas Philharmonic's holiday concert is on Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 6 at 2 p.m. in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center. See lvphil.org for tickets.

Strip shows over the holidays

Resident shows generally keep running through the holidays, though some take dark days or add extra performances. For example, Mystère at Treasure Island lists a dark date on December 22 and special 4:30 and 7 p.m. performances on December 31, 2026. Check your show's schedule for the exact dates you're in town. Our holiday shows guide and the Cirque du Soleil guide have more.

The Las Vegas Great Santa Run

Every December, runners in Santa suits take part in Opportunity Village's Great Santa Run, a fundraiser for the charity. The 22nd annual run is on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at the Magical Forest site, 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. There is a 5K and a 1-mile walk. Pre-race festivities start at 12:30 p.m. and the races at 2:30 p.m.

• Registration: $42.50 until September 30, $52.50 from October 1 to November 22, and $57.50 from November 23 to race day.
• Pets and kids: pets can be registered for $10, and children 3 and under are free.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Las Vegas doesn't shut down for Christmas. Casinos on the Strip and downtown stay open, and resort restaurants serve holiday meals, but many other places close or shorten their hours. A few things to know:

• Holiday lights: Ethel M's garden closes early on Christmas Eve (8 p.m.) and is closed on Christmas Day; Magical Forest is closed on Christmas Day.
• Holiday meals: resort restaurants and buffets often serve special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus at set prices. Book as soon as reservations open, and confirm the price and seating times with the restaurant. See our Christmas buffets guide.
• Museums and attractions: many adjust their hours or close on December 24 and 25. Check each attraction's holiday hours before you plan the day around it.
• Shops and pharmacies: off-Strip stores often close or open late on Christmas Day. Pick up anything you need on the 24th.
• Church services: churches across the valley hold Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Check the parish or church website for times.

New Year's Eve

America's Party on the Strip

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority lists "America's Party: Las Vegas New Year 2027" for December 31, 2026, as free to attend. Its description is of an eight-minute fireworks display by Fireworks by Grucci, launched at midnight from ten hotel-casinos along the Strip: MGM Grand, ARIA, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian, The STRAT, Resorts World, Palms and Fontainebleau.

• Getting there: the Strip gets extremely busy on New Year's Eve, and Clark County and the RTC announce road closures and transit changes closer to the date. Plan to arrive early and on foot, and check those announcements in December.
• Where to watch: with launches spread along the whole Strip, you'll see fireworks from most points on the Boulevard. A spot between two launch sites gives you more to look at.
• Hotel rooms: rooms on the Strip for December 31 get booked up and priced up early, so reserve as soon as your plans are firm.

Fremont Street Experience

Downtown's New Year's Eve party on Fremont Street is a ticketed, 21-and-over event. For the most recent party, the Fremont Street Experience listed tickets at $65 including taxes, gates opening at 7 p.m., and a ban on items such as backpacks, coolers and glass. Details for December 31, 2026 had not been posted when this guide was updated.

For clubs, parties and planning New Year's Eve in detail, see our New Year's Eve guide.

A Sample Holiday Weekend: December 4–6, 2026

The first weekend of December 2026 packs in several of the fixed-date events above. Here is one way to combine them, using only the published 2026 dates and times:

• Friday, December 4, evening: Magical Forest (open 5:30–9:30 p.m. on Fridays). Book your date-specific ticket in advance.
• Saturday, December 5, afternoon: the Great Santa Run at the same Opportunity Village site: festivities from 12:30 p.m., races at 2:30 p.m. Walk the 1-mile route if you'd rather not run the 5K.
• Saturday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.: A Very Vegas Christmas with the Las Vegas Philharmonic at The Smith Center, downtown.
• Sunday, December 6, 2 p.m.: the Philharmonic's matinee, if you missed Saturday's concert, then head to Henderson for the Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden Lights (5–10 p.m.).

If you're in town later in the month, swap the concert for The Nutcracker (December 12–27) and add a drive through Glittering Lights once its 2026 dates are announced.

Planning Tips

• Pick your nights around the fixed dates. The Nutcracker, the Philharmonic concert, the Santa Run and the lights all run on set dates. Build your trip around the ones you care about most, then fill in with free resort displays.
• Book New Year's Eve first. Rooms, restaurants and parties around December 31 fill up earliest.
• Rent a car or budget for rideshares. Ethel M (Henderson), Magical Forest (west Las Vegas) and Glittering Lights (the Motor Speedway) are all off the Strip.
• Pack for cool evenings. December days are mild, but it gets cold after dark, and most of the light displays are outdoors. Check the forecast before you leave.
• Check again in November. Resort displays, ice rinks and downtown events announce their dates late. Use the official sites listed at the end of this guide.

Visiting in winter more generally? See our Las Vegas winter guide and the holiday season guide.