Holidays sparkle with a tantalizing variety of seasonally themed activities this month. From spectacular concerts, performances and events to special holiday tours, grand balls, and more, take note of all the many can’t miss events.
Now through January 2 North Texas’s favorite pandemic-friendly tradition is back, with even more cheer when Dallas Zoo Lights returns. Check out one million twinkling lights, elaborate holiday-themed displays, dazzling 3-D sculptures, animal lanterns, and more, all from the comfort of your own vehicle. The Vocal Majority is 100-plus unforgettable voices from all walks of life. December 2-3 and 5, they perform Christmas on the High Seas at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.
The Grammy-winning duo For King & Country present a must-see holiday spectacle, A Drummer Boy Christmas at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on December 3.
December 3-12, the Dallas Symphony presents the annual Christmas Pops concerts at the Meyerson. Now through December 19, go on a special tour of Christmas Lights, Chocolate and Sips in Downtown and Park Cities. The adults-only weekend tours are an opportunity to see the area’s most creative holiday displays from the comfort of a motorcoach while sampling hot chocolate and sweet treats. Or book a Christmas carriage ride in Highland Park for a different bird’s eye view.
The annual Dallas Holiday Parade steps off in Downtown Dallas on December 4. Then one of Texas’s most popular seasonal events comes to the Hilton Anatole when the annual Crystal Charity Ball returns, benefitting children’s charities in Dallas County. The same evening at the Eisemann the Richardson Symphony Orchestra performs an evening of classic Christmas carols featuring the Richardson Community Chorale.
Dallas native Michael Martin Murphey (“Wildfire,” “Geronimo’s Cadillac”) returns to his roots with old-school western songs performed with holiday twists, December 10 at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie; and Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings powerhouse, all-new new holiday concert to the American Airlines Center.
A little north of Dallas in Plano, the Gift of Christmas has the panache of a Broadway show with a 1,000-member cast, and a multiplicity of voices, flying angels, and live animals, December 10-19 at Prestonwood Baptist Church.
All month long, Out of Many, One, a powerful exhibition of oil portraits and stories that highlights American immigrants and their contributions to our nation, is on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center
On December 11, the dazzling Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical comes to the Winspear, followed the next night by the Home Free Vocal Band at the Majestic and The Gatlin Brothers & Crystal Gayle with Holiday and Hits at Bass Hall in Fort Worth.
Check out Big Brassy Christmas & Organ Extravaganza with the Dallas Symphony at the Meyerson on December 14. Then, on December 17 at the Winspear, superstar singer LeAnn Rimes(“Blue”) returns to her hometown for an evening of unforgettable Christmas music, as Texas’s favorite married couple,Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, bring their Holiday Shindig Show to the venerable Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff.
Also on December 17, Christmas Contemporary acts Casting Crowns, Mac Powell, Cain, Dante Brown, and Jordan St. Cyr celebrate the season The Christmas Tour at Texas Trust CU Theatre, while the Texas Ballet Theater brings their annual Nutty Nutcracker to life onstage at Bass Hall in Fort Worth.
For local hipsters in the know, check the annual Polyphonic Spree Holiday Extravaganza on December 18 at the Majestic Theatre as the vast collection of talented performers plays seasonal favorites … with a twist.
December 18 is an outdoor delight at Strauss Square with Lightwire Theatre’s Very Electric Christmas, an illuminated holiday production is suitable for all ages, followed on December 22 by The Dallas Bach Society’s Messiah Sing-Along at Zion Lutheran Church, as well as Christmas at the Meyerson with the Dallas Winds.
Phantom of the Opera’s greatest star Sarah Brightman plays the Winspear Opera House on December 20, followed by the renowned Count Basie Orchestra at the Meyerson on December 21. On December 23, Dallas Bach Society’s production of Handel’s Messiah at the Meyerson is a Texas holiday staple; and December 24-26 the Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular is laced with thrills, chills, and music in Frisco’s Comerica Center. Perennial holiday favorite Mannheim Steamroller celebrates their 35th year at the Winspear Opera House on December 30; Lights All Night is a special sendoff to 2021 featuring a roster of Grammy-winning DJs, happens at Dallas Market Hall, December 30-31.
New Year’s Eve includes a series of super cool options, perfect for bringing in 2022 with a Texas-size bang. Comic Desi Banks takes the Improv in Addison by storm. Plus, the Dallas Bach Society performs highlights from the composer’s repertoire at Zion Lutheran Church. In Cowtown see rising Red Dirt superstar Parker McCollum at Dickies Arena; Swing is the Thing at Bass Hall, features dancers and more, presented by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra; and the Dallas Symphony’s traditional selection of Strauss waltzes and Viennese-inspired revelry concludes with a special a lovely midnight toast, at the Meyerson.