Holiday Happenings

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.

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!

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.

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!

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 p.m. on-stage program.

The Downtown Auburn Holiday Open house is the perfect event to check off everyone on your Christmas list while downtown Merchants remain open for extended shopping hours and offer exclusive discounts and specials. There will also be children's activities, Santa, live music, cocktails to go, and more.

This event features holiday gifts, jewelry, art, and ornaments. Free gift wrapping is available. Enjoy holiday bites and beverages while browsing items with holiday cheer!

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!

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.

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 29th 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.

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.

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.

All the way from the North Pole to Toomer's Corner, Santa Claus will be visiting on December 7th and 8th for Santa on the Corner. Photos with Santa are complimentary but guests must bring their own camera.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Head to downtown Opelika for an evening of art, music, and community! Tents will be set up along 1st Avenue and tables will be set up in The Railyard!

This Christmas season, December 13-17, 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.

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!

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.

Auburn Parks and Recreation will offer its 4th Annual gift-wrapping service just in time for the 2024 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!

Celebrate the Christmas season with the 7th 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 in on the fun every night in December 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.