Brand USA Reveals the Can’t-Miss Holiday Celebrations in America That Made This Year’s Nice List
’Tis the season to be jolly, and throughout the USA, cities large and small are hauling out the holly and decking their halls as they prepare to celebrate the holiday season. From the 100th anniversary of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to countless twinkling holiday light shows to New Year’s Eve drops unlike any you’ve seen before, you’ll find a variety of ways to ring in Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s.
“The holidays bring out the best of the USA. Across the country, communities celebrate in their own way, from century-old parades and dazzling light displays to cultural traditions you won’t find anywhere else. Whether travelers are drawn to a snowy small-town festival, a beachside celebration or a one-of-a-kind New Year’s Eve countdown, there’s no better time to experience America,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA.
What’s New and Noteworthy for 2026
Several popular holiday events are celebrating some major milestones this year.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade turns 100 this year and will celebrate with cherished memories and new additions. One notable debut will be a new Sorcerer Mickey Mouse Balloon from Disney.
Come celebrate in Natchitoches (pronounced “NACK-a-tish”), Louisiana, also called the “City of Lights,” for the 100th anniversary of the Natchitoches Christmas Festival, one of the longest-running holiday celebrations in America. Each November, the city takes on a new shine with more than 300,000 lights that set the scenic Cane River Lake aglow.
A new edition to “An Old Time Christmas,” Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo., is bringing the Stars, Lights & Christmas Nights Parade to its annual holiday celebration. While the parade will include colorful floats and characters, guests also become a part of the action by handing letters to Santa’s elves, walking the route as festive ornaments and journeying to the route’s end that includes a moving Nativity finale.
After a brief hiatus, Holiday in the Park returns to Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey and Six Flags Over Georgia. Completely reimagined, the event will feature three new, fully immersive themed lands that include beautiful lighting, holiday music and family-friendly activities in addition to the parks’ popular thrilling coasters and rides.
Taking the stage at the Das Festhaus at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Christmas Town LIVE! A Holiday Special will transport guests back in time to the 1960s. The holiday TV special will include classic carols and festive medleys that everyone can sing along with as they celebrate the season.
Those celebrating New Year’s Eve in Chicago will do so with a new event. For the first time, Chicago’s midnight countdown will be featured live on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. This marks the first time in the show’s 50-year history that a Central Time Zone countdown will be featured.
On Jan. 1, 2027, celebrate 125 years of mummery at the Philadelphia Mummers Parade on Broad Street in downtown Philly. This folk parade is filled with comics and jesters, ornate costumed characters, string bands and more in a kaleidoscope of sound and color.
Kick Off the Season with Iconic Thanksgiving Celebrations
Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday season, and there’s no better way to start than with the famous balloons, marching bands and festive floats of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City. With the parade celebrating its 100th year in 2026, expect a bit of nostalgia as organizers look back over the parade’s long and storied history.
Step back in time with America’s only historically accurate parade in Plymouth, Massachusetts. America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade starts at Plymouth Rock and highlights the country’s history from the 17th century through today.
For more than 100 years, the holiday season has started in Philadelphia with a family-friendly Thanksgiving Day parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade features dancers, marching bands, floats and others in the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the nation.
Also celebrating its 100th anniversary, America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit will have a lineup of celebrities, high-flying balloons, vibrant floats and marching bands pounding the pavement down Woodward Avenue. Additional notable Thanksgiving parades hit the streets in Chicago and Houston.
Long before they receive their official presidential pardon at the White House, the National Thanksgiving Turkeys head to the Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. Here they enjoy a luxurious stay, meet with the press and relax before their meeting with the president. Guests and visitors can celebrate the turkeys’ reprieve at the hotel’s annual Thanksgiving Brunch.
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without American football, and this year’s NFL lineup has expanded to include five games across three days. On Thanksgiving Eve, fans can flock to Los Angeles for a matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams. On Thanksgiving Day, the Detroit Lions will host the Chicago Bears in Motor City, the Dallas Cowboys will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Arlington, Texas, and the Kansas City Chiefs will head to Buffalo, N.Y., to play the Bills. On Friday, the Thanksgiving games wrap up in Pittsburgh when the Steelers take on the Denver Broncos.
Set the Scene in These Festive Cities and Towns
From coast to coast, destinations transform for the holidays, creating idyllic settings for a seasonal escape.
In Kansas City, Missouri, the Hallmark Christmas Experience brings holiday magic to Crown Center with a pop-up market, ice skating, a festive light walk and more. Across town, the Country Club Plaza, modeled after Seville, Spain, kicks off the season with its beloved Plaza Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving, illuminating the district’s Spanish-inspired architecture with thousands of lights.
Head west to Wyoming to see Cheyenne become the North WEST Pole, the site of Santa’s old ranching homestead. Follow the Santa Stops around town to meet Santa and his horses, take a holiday light trolley tour, and grab some gifts at the holiday market.
In Washington, Leavenworth turns into Christmastown, hosting festivities for all ages. Enjoy the sparkle of more than half a million lights in the Village of Lights, write letters to Santa at the Festhalle, and meet the big guy himself at the gazebo.
For nonstop holiday entertainment, travel to Grapevine, Texas, the Christmas Capital of Texas. Over 40 days, this small town hosts more than 1,400 Christmas events ranging from ice skating at Peace Plaza to watching a Christmas movie at the Historic Palace Arts Center to catching the parade of lights.
Known as “Christmas City USA,” Bethlehem, Penn., invites you to create new holiday memories as you explore the town. Start with a carriage ride that looks at Bethlehem’s history and architecture, then follow with a photo with Santa at Santa’s Haus. Additional activities include a pub crawl along the annual holiday cocktail trail, the tree lighting and peruse the Trees of Historic Bethlehem.
Just outside Nashville, Franklin, Tenn., becomes a small-town Christmas complete with garland-wrapped streetlights, a towering Christmas tree on the square, and storefronts dressed for the season along walkable, brick-lined streets. The city’s marquee event is the 41st annual Dickens of a Christmas, a free, two-day festival with costumed characters, carolers and musicians playing a glass harmonica (water-filled glasses tuned to carols).
Get Your Glow On with Holiday Lights and Seasonal Attractions
The holidays wouldn’t be complete without twinkling lights in the trees, along the eaves and just about anywhere else!
A great starting point is The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival taking place in Chicago on Nov. 21. This nighttime parade glows brightly with more than 1 million lights illuminating more than 200 trees along the route.
In Louisville, Ky., drive through the world’s only fully underground holiday show at Lights Under Louisville at Louisville Mega Caverns. For a more immersive experience, take the guided tour in an open-top vehicle where you can soak in the sights.
At Rock City on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tenn., stroll the paths of the Enchanted Garden of Lights, a nighttime winter wonderland illuminated by millions of lights. As you walk across the swing-a-long bridge and squeeze between the rocks, you’ll be accompanied by the sounds of the season.
Expanding to eight resorts for 2026, Gaylord Hotels’ ice!™ returns with its signature frozen Christmas attraction that brings beloved themes to life in a unique format. Three new themes join the mix for this year: Harry Potter™, Home Alone™ and Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas™. The experience will debut at Gaylord Pacific Resort in Chula Vista, California, and JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, Arizona., while returning to JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas and Gaylord Hotels nationwide.
Throughout December, the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden Holiday Lights Festival invites guests to stroll among the gardens as they glow and sparkle with millions of twinkling lights in California. Additional activities include snow falls, caroling and pictures with Santa.
Experience a different type of holiday light show throughout New Mexico: glowing paper lanterns. Known as farolitos in Northern New Mexico and luminarias in the south, these candlelit displays can be found at Santa Fe’s iconic Canyon Road Farolito Walk on Christmas Eve, Albuquerque’s enchanting Old Town Luminaria Tour, and Noche de Las Luminarias at Fort Selden Historic Site.
Celebrate with a bang at Christmas Illuminations at Mount Vernon, where you can enjoy an evening filled with festive lights, spectacular fireworks over the Potomac River in Virginia, and a visit with soldiers at an 18th-century winter encampment.
Find the Perfect Gifts at Christmas Markets and Winter Festivals
People love European-inspired holiday markets for their artisanal crafts, local treats and cozy atmosphere. It’s no surprise, then, that these annual favorites have found their place in America’s holiday season.
Founded by German settlers, Cullman, Ala., honors its heritage with the annual Cullman Christkindlmarkt. Visitors can sample authentic German cuisine, shop handcrafted goods and take a spin on the largest Weihnachtspyramide in the USA, a 108-foot Ferris wheel overlooking the festive grounds.
At Seattle’s National Nordic Museum, the 49th annual Julefest turns the Ballard neighborhood into a Nordic-inspired holiday marketplace. Wander the stalls searching for that perfect gift, tap your toe to live music and dig into a variety of traditional foods.
Throughout the state of Iowa, a variety of festive markets tap into the state’s diverse cultural history. Visitors can explore Dutch-inspired traditions in Pella at Kerstmarkt, enjoy authentic German food and handcrafted gifts at Christkindlmarket in Des Moines or discover Scandinavian crafts, folk art and festive celebrations in Decorah.
New for 2026, the Santa Monica Pier will debut the Swiss Winter Village, an authentic Swiss-inspired holiday market featuring handcrafted goods, Swiss cuisine and festive entertainment overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Taking place in Arizona’s Christmas City, Prescott’s Christmas Market & Christkindlmarket will feature a German-style market, German food and beer in the Bier Garden, and rides in a horse-drawn carriage around the courthouse.
The nation’s oldest outdoor German Christmas market, the Mifflinburg Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg, Penn., lines Market Street with outdoor stalls showcasing handcrafted wares and traditional German dishes such as Lebkuchen gingerbread hearts.
Additional markets include the Christkindlmarket Chicago, the Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt at Cincinnati Lager House, the Germania Society Christkindlmarkt in Cincinnati, and the Atlanta Christkindle Market in Lawrenceville and Senoia.
Don’t Miss Out on Multicultural Holiday Celebrations
Christmas isn’t the only holiday to celebrate this season, so mark your calendar for these Hanukkah and Kwanzaa events.
Kick things off with the National Menorah lighting on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C.
In New York, the Latke Festival celebrates the traditional potato pancakes that are a centerpiece of every Hanukkah meal. During this event, you can sample a variety of latkes to see if any can match those of your Bubbe’s. Afterward, visit the world’s largest menorah in Brooklyn for that evening’s lighting.
At the 5th Annual Downtown Detroit Kinara Lighting, join the celebration as the Kinara is lit. Billed as the world’s largest, this 30-foot solar-powered Kinara sits in Michigan’s Campus Martius Park.
Presented by the Elegy Folklore Society, the Capital City Kwanzaa Festival in Richmond, Va., celebrates with live performances, a lighting ceremony, a Ujamaa Market, workshops and children’s activities.
Puerto Rico extends the holiday season into January with the vibrant San Sebastián Street Festival in Old San Juan and Three Kings Day celebrations, showcasing the island’s traditions through music, parades, and festive events.
Start New Traditions with Distinctive Holiday Experiences
Expand family traditions with a variety of seasonal performances that epitomize the spirit and joy of the holidays.
A great starting point is the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York. This high-energy, high-kicking show features 10 show-stopping numbers that will have attendees clapping along from their seats. In Harlem, the Harlem Gospel Holiday Celebration showcases NYC’s finest gospel choirs as they share the songs that define the season.
Celebrating its 70th anniversary, Disneyland brings yet another holiday season to life with a variety of events around the park. These range from searching for ornaments along Chip & Dale’s Ornament Trail to watching as Sleeping Beauty’s castle is transformed into a wintertime spectacle to catching your favorite Disney characters as they march in A Christmas Fantasy Parade.
A truly unique experience, the annual Cave Sing at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky brings together musical groups and visitors as they sing the carols of days gone by. This event honors the original residents who first celebrated Christmas in the cave in 1883.
Hotels around the nation join in the holiday fun with a variety of themed hotel experiences that make memorable holiday escapes. For instance, at The Roosevelt New Orleans, step into a holiday world filled with a life-sized gingerbread house, a Teddy Bear Tea, holiday cocktails and a Christmas brunch.
Chocolate lovers can indulge at Hilton Americas-Houston, where Pastry Chef Mahesh Weerasinghe and his team will transform the lobby with a 1,800-pound chocolate masterpiece.
This annual display features a new theme every year, and serves as “The Land of Sweets” stop on Houston’s annual City Lights celebration.
Fans of gingerbread houses can’t miss the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, which displays dozens of winners in the National Gingerbread House Competition, held at the inn since 1992. The display runs from Nov. 17 to Jan. 3, and is open to the public on select days. The display is always open to registered guests.
Visit Candy Cane Lane at Hilton Boston Park Plaza where the grand lobby becomes a whimsical holiday wonderland. Candy-inspired decor drapes across the oversized Christmas tree, wraps around columns and hangs from the ceiling. Visitors can snap photos for their holiday cards, sip on holiday cocktails and take part in festive programming throughout the season.
Since it popped onto screens in 2004, “The Polar Express” has become a treasured holiday tradition across the country. As such, there are numerous opportunities for kids of all ages to don their favorite pajamas, grab a hot cocoa and settle in for a whimsical journey down the tracks. Popular Polar Express excursions include the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City, N.C., the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz., and the Branson Scenic Railway in Branson, Mo.
For the second year, the Holiday Magic Train at the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad in Fish Camp, Calif., welcomes passengers to climb aboard for a one-hour journey on a steam train. And in Rockhill Furnace, Penn., step aboard the East Broad Top Railroad’s Christmas in Coal Country train for a trip on a historic narrow-gauge railroad through the scenic hills of central Pennsylvania.
Unique holiday parades also lend their own festive flair to the season. For example, in Geyserville, Calif., the Lighted Tractor Parade rolls off on Nov. 28 with a mix of tractors, firetrucks, pickups and other vehicles all decked out with hundreds of holiday lights.
For the 118th year, Newport Beach, Calif., celebrates the holidays with the Christmas Boat Parade. With more than 200 entrants, this parade includes boats of all shapes and sizes, each decked out with sparkling lights and holiday decor. Viewers can choose from a variety of viewing locations to catch the parade as it travels on all sides of the harbor, lining the Balboa Peninsula, and circling both Lido Isle and Balboa Island.
Celebrating its heritage, Alexandria, Va., hosts the 55th Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade with tartan-clad marchers and bagpipers marching through the streets of Old Town. This is one of the highlights of Alexandria’s Biggest Holiday Weekend, two days of events filled with holiday spirit.
Anyone who loves to collect Christmas ornaments can’t miss the annual Willamette Valley Ornament Hunt in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon. Every winter, locally crafted wooden ornaments are hidden along the hiking trails in the forest. Ornament hunters can check the hunt’s website for the participating trails to see where to start their search. If they’re lucky, they’ll come away with a memorable piece to add to their collection.
For more than 20 years, OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beach Resort on Oʻahu has celebrated the holidays with Santa’s iconic canoe arrival, a uniquely Hawaiʻi tradition featuring hula performances, festive entertainment, and family-friendly activities each December.
Ring in 2027 at New Year’s Eve Events Across the USA
People love to come together and cheer as one year ends and another one begins. In America, the most iconic celebration takes place in New York’s Times Square. Here you can join a million other partygoers to watch the 12,350-pound New Year’s Eve Ball descend atop One Times Square as you count down the final seconds of 2026.
At Nashville’s Big Bash in Tennessee, revelers ring in the new year with headlining performances from today’s top country music stars and fireworks at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
While there will be lots of great music, fireworks reign supreme at America’s Party 2026 in Las Vegas. Several resorts will come together to launch fireworks from their rooftops along the Strip, resulting in a spectacular display of color and sound. These include ARIA Resort & Casino, Caesars Palace, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Resorts World Las Vegas, The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower, Treasure Island – TI Hotel & Casino, and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Off-Strip, the Palms Casino Resort will join in for the first time, and in downtown, the Plaza Hotel & Casino will launch its own fireworks show on Fremont Street.
Although the Times Square Ball Drop is the most notable in America, it’s far from the only drop on New Year’s Eve. In fact, you’ll find many unique regional “drops” and events that reflect a destination’s identity or local culture. For example, in downtown Mobile, Ala., celebrants will gather to see the MoonPie Over Mobile drop down in the final seconds of 2026.
Known as the City of Oaks, Raleigh, N.C., rings in the new year with a 10-foot, 1,250-pound copper acorn. Celebrating its 34th annual drop this year, the acorn will descend from City Plaza. The acorn drop is part of First Night Raleigh, North Carolina’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration.
Since 1999, the Weatherford Hotel in Flagstaff, Ariz., has celebrated New Year’s Eve by lowering a 70-pound, 6-foot-tall, well-lit, metallic pinecone. The pinecone will descend three times on Dec. 31: for the kids at noon, 10 p.m. to coincide with the New York Times Square celebration and another to mark Arizona’s midnight.
In downtown Prescott, Ariz., celebrants can watch the new year arrive following the drop of a 6-foot illuminated boot from the Palace Building’s flagpole on Whiskey Row. The boot drops twice, once at 10 p.m. in tandem with Time Square and again at midnight.
Fans of PEEPS® gather at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Penn., for PEEPSFEST®, an annual two-day New Year’s Eve festival paying homage to this beloved sweet treat. At 5:30 p.m. on each day of this family-friendly event, a 4-foot-9-inch-tall, 400-pound lit PEEPS® chick will drop, signaling the coming of a new year.
At the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in Southwest Florida, people gather in downtown Sarasota to watch a pineapple drop to count down the final seconds of the current year. The pineapple drop is the culmination of a block party celebrating the end of one year and the birth of the next.
About Brand USA
Brand USA is the nation’s destination marketing organization, dedicated to attracting legitimate international inbound travel to strengthen the U.S. economy, increase exports, create quality jobs, and promote community prosperity. By running data-driven campaigns and unifying messaging across industry and government, Brand USA positions the United States as a top global destination while providing current visa and entry information.
Over the past 13 years Brand USA has driven 11.3 million additional international visitors who spent $38.1 billion in the United States, leading to $82.9 billion in total economic impact and sustaining an average of more than 40,000 jobs each year. These efforts have generated nearly $11 billion in attributable tax receipts at the federal, state, and local levels.
