Holiday Happenings

Holly Jolly Family Fun at The Art Haus in Opelika is a family-friendly event that welcomes guests of all ages to enjoy a festive day of creativity and holiday cheer. Participants can glaze a variety of ceramic pieces, including plug-in trees, Santas, ornaments, and more, making it a perfect opportunity to create one-of-a-kind keepsakes together.

The Rocky Top Holiday Market is an arts and craft festival featuring handmade, one-of-a-kind designs by local artisans and craftsman, unique gourmet foods, boutique and vintage items, a Kids Corral, and a variety of food vendors.

Come join the fun at The Art Haus as Jan Jones guides guests in a Santa Workshop, November 8 and 9! In this two-day workshop, students will create a completed sculpture of an old-world style Santa Claus using papier-mâché. All materials will be provided, including a clay face sculpted by Jan for Santa Claus.

Start your holiday shopping downtown Opelika while stores offer great sales on a variety of different gift options and live holiday music is playing throughout downtown. Make a day out of it and enjoy this annual holiday tradition.

Join seven local Auburn-Opelika small businesses as they collaborate to bring the community an opportunity to get holiday ready. With Vintage housewares and gifts, new women's clothing and accessories, and made pottery and art.

Get a head start on your Christmas shopping while meeting local artists at The Holiday Art Sale at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center & The Frank Brown Rec Center. This event features artists selling handmade works and more!

This Kids Craft Fair Holiday Market will feature some of Opelika's youngest entrepreneurs! Come shop for one-of-a-kind holiday wares handmade by local kiddos. Attendance is FREE.

Experience the enchantment of Auburn University's annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony on Samford Lawn. This kickoff of the holiday season will include hot cocoa, cookies, and latkes as the festive spirit builds towards the 5:30 p.m. on-stage program.

Auburn Public Library is hosting Hot Cocoa Day! Visit with your favorite APL elves to write a letter to the man in the big red suit. We bet you’ll get a personal letter back from him in the mail! Join in for the fun, music, and snacks to celebrate the season. No registration is required for this event.

Snopelika is Opelika’s official kick-off event for the Christmas season. This is an annual community event, which kicks off the Christmas season in Opelika with a parade, artificial snowfall, and tree lighting.

Santa will be making a special appearance in the window at Behind the Glass in downtown Auburn. Bring the kids, enjoy the festive atmosphere, and snap a few photos while you get some holiday shopping done.

Bring the family to The Marriott Grand National Resort for a festive evening with Mrs. Claus! Enjoy a holiday story, crafts, and treats in the Grand National Resort Lobby Lounge, followed by s’mores on the lawn. Kids are encouraged to wear their festive outfits or pajamas!

The Jingle Jog 5k and Santa Stroll Fun Run are here again – so pull out those Santa hats and ugly sweaters! Join Active Auburn and ring in the holiday season in style!

Now in its 30th year, this beloved holiday tradition supports Auburn-Opelika Habitat for Humanity. Attendees can enjoy festive entertainment, visit with Santa, admire handmade quilts, and select from thousands of homemade Christmas cookies.

Shop local arts, crafts, and food and traditional baked goods and frozen soups and casseroles at the annual Christmas Market at Auburn United Methodist Church.

The Holiday Market at Standard Deluxe in Waverly will allow visitors to shop for unique gifts from local vendors, enjoy food at the Feed Shak, and sip festive drinks at La Última Bar. Wild Flour Bakery will also be on site, offering coffee and sweet treats.

The Kreher Preserve & Nature Center will to turn into a winter wonderland, full of nature-themed crafts, performances, cookies, hot chocolate, and a visit from Mrs. Claus. This event will also include the traditional HoHoHo Hike, a unique and fun “Santa-hunt” where you will hike the Preserve looking for the elusive visitor in red.

Glazed is hosting a magical Santa Experience! Children will enjoy personal time with Santa, perfect for photos and holiday cheer, and create a custom ceramic plate featuring their handprint or footprint—a keepsake to treasure for years to come.

All the way from the North Pole to Toomer's Corner, Santa Claus will be visiting on December 6 and 7 for Santa on the Corner. Photos with Santa are complimentary, but guests must bring their own camera.

Join the annual Gingerbread House Contest at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa at Grand National! Participants will have one hour to craft their gingerbread masterpiece. Each booking includes one gingerbread house for up to four guests, and the winner will be selected by the resort’s Chef.

Join the Auburn Downtown Merchants for a festive, holiday celebration with extended shopping hours, local artists, Santa, tree decorating, train rides, live music, children's activities and more!

Celebrate the season at the Auburn Christmas Parade! Join the downtown merchants for festive floats, holiday cheer, and community fun. Local businesses and organizations are welcome to join the lineup!

East Alabama’s largest Gingerbread Village display will debut inside The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center just after the Auburn Downtown Christmas Parade concludes.

Santa Claus is coming to the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa for the Annual Brunch with Santa! Enjoy a festive brunch featuring an omelet and waffle station, train rides on the North Pole Express, holiday crafts, and movies.

Theodore the Elf is on the move, leaving ornaments in his wake. Children and families can embark on a merry scavenger hunt to find Theodore, the mischievous elf, hidden throughout various locations in Opelika. Clues will be posted Mon-Fri between 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Celebrating the Season: Holiday Wines, Master Sommelier Thomas Price will reveal the wines that are his personal favorites to serve throughout the holidays. Guests will enjoy sipping on all the best the season has to offer no matter how you celebrate. The event typically lasts about an hour. Guests must be 21 or older and show proof of ID.

Auburn Public Library is hosting Sweaters & Sweets! Wear your favorite holiday sweater and decorate a treat to feed your sweet tooth! Cookie decorating supplies will be provided. This event is FREE and open to the public.

This Christmas season, December 10-14, Opelika’s Northside Historic District is celebrating like it’s 1899! For five days in early December, 60 Victorian and historic homes near downtown Opelika are transformed into colorful, nostalgic reminders of Christmas from a simpler, slower-paced era.

Join in on the fun at Hey Day Lawn for a fun evening of holiday movies under the stars! Bring your friends and family to enjoy festive films and get into the holiday spirit together.

Join artist Jan Jones at The Art Haus for a hands-on seminar exploring the diverse techniques of her mixed media sculpting. Attendees will enjoy live demonstrations, a Q&A session, and leave with a complimentary instructional book to continue learning at home. Registration is required. Click the link for more details

The Covington Recreation Center in Opelika is hosting a fun and festive Christmas Drop-In for kids in 3rd through 5th. Participants will enjoy holiday crafts, sweet treats, and a visit from Santa himself. Kids can take part in hands-on activities, write letters to the North Pole, and soak in the cheerful atmosphere.

Join downtown Opelika for a night full of activities for children and children at heart including a children's train, pony rides, large and small animal petting zoo, wagon rides, trolley rides, and late-night shopping and dining to name a few.

The Opelika Parks and Recreation Department is hosting the Rocky Brook Reindeer Express in Monkey Park. Train rides will take you through stunning Christmas scenes with thousands of lights sure to put you in the Holiday mood. Enjoy food, hot chocolate, pictures with Santa, and a Christmas market.

Start the holiday season in a festive mood with a 10K, 5K, or 1-Mile at Toys for Tots! All participants are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be distributed to children in need.

Kids ages 6-12 are invited to make holiday crafts, write letters to Santa, play games, slide and jump on inflatables, enjoy food and watch a movie (Rated G/PG), giving parents an opportunity to do some kid-free holiday shopping!

Celebrate the season of Christmas at Chewacla State Park’s Nature Center with an Ornament Hand Sewing Workshop! Participants will create and decorate their own ornaments while learning the basics of hand-stitching in a relaxed, beginner-friendly environment—no experience required.

Join Chewacla State Park’s Nature Center for a fun and family-friendly Wintertime Bird Feeder Craft Workshop! Participants will make homemade feeders using pinecones, bird seed, and peanut butter (peanut-free options available), perfect for attracting winter birds.

Warm up with a cup of cocoa to celebrate National Hot Cocoa Day at the Auburn Public Library! Make your own chocolatey confection at the cocoa bar. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Collinwood Luminaries is a neighborhood event with live characters and animals showing the path to Christ. Drive-thru this lovely neighborhood by candlelight which leads to a live nativity.

Rob and Jen Slocumb will present A Martha's Trouble Christmas at The Sound Wall in Opelika, continuing a cherished holiday tradition filled with music, joy, and community spirit. This intimate concert will feature a mix of holiday classics, original songs, and heartfelt stories that capture the warmth and magic of the season in a cozy, inviting setting.

Enhance your Victorian Front Porch Tour experience! While the walking tour will be in full family-friendly swing, adults 21+ can enjoy the all new pub crawl which supports both the VFPT and downtown businesses, all while having a great time!

Celebrate the Christmas season with the 8th Annual Sound Wall Christmas Supper Club with Chef Chris Wilton. Join this cozy and intimate Christmas Supper Club for a night of delicious food and great company, featuring Chef Chris Wilton's famous Beef Wellington.

This festive pop-up event invites last-minute shoppers to explore original works by local artists, including pottery, paintings, and handcrafted gifts. Shoppers can browse during extended hours on Dec. 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Dec 16-19 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hosted by Auburn-Opelika Tourism, the market offers a cheerful way to find meaningful…

Auburn Parks and Recreation will offer its 4th Annual gift-wrapping service just in time for the 2025 holidays. Drop off up to 20 pre-boxed gifts at the Harris Center and pick them up wrapped and ready to go the same day!

Families are invited to drop in and create special keepsake crafts, play fun games, and enjoy delicious hot cocoa. Attendees will even have the chance to meet the Big Man himself!

The drive-through Auburn Toy Drive is back and ready to be the biggest year yet! Bring newly purchased unwrapped toys to the Dean Road Recreation Center & donate to families in need this holiday season!

The Auburn Parks and Recreation Department invites children to participate in the annual Letters to Santa program. Children can drop off their letters at special mailboxes located at the Harris Center (425 Perry Street), the Boykin Community Center (400 Boykin Street), and Lake Wilmore Park Recreation Center (2000 Grove Hill Road). Santa will respond with a…

Hosted by the Opelika Public Library, this festive showcase features up to thirty live Christmas trees, each uniquely decorated by local groups and businesses. Bring a cup of hot chocolate, take a Very Merry Stroll, and soak up the magical sights this holiday season.

Join The Farm at Rocky Top for Country Christmas! There will be a Christmas Tree Lot selling North Carolina Fraser Firs as well as activities such as an ugly Christmas sweater photo booth, Rocky Top Train Ride, nighttime Christmas lights, a Christmas zip line, and more!

Join on the Greenspace outside of Hey Day Market for a fun and festive winter season every day. With a 24 ft Christmas Tree, an ice skating rink, and snowfall every day at 5 p.m. on the Greenspace, this event will be fun, festive, and open for all to enjoy.

Come experience the largest Gingerbread Village in East Alabama at the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center. Over 10 Gingerbread Buildings are on display in the pre-function foyer for guests to admire.