Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina: Your Ultimate Holiday Guide
While thinking of different places where you can spend Christmas to your heart’s content, spending this festival in Raleigh, too, must have crossed your mind. If thoughts such as, “How should you start making your preparations?” or “How will you make your trip to Raleigh successful?” bother you, then stop worrying.
Believe us, this will be a cakewalk for you if you take our assistance. We can make things pretty easy for you by providing you with all the necessary details you would need to make your festive season an unforgettable and successful one. You can remain busy in your own work while we get to different sources to collect every piece of information, even it is a meager one to you, so that you can spend your Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina, exactly as you had only dreamed of.
Some attractions of Raleigh that can make your Christmas unforgettable in this city:
Bakeries and Dessert Cafés
Raleigh spoils everyone with a huge array of bakeries and dessert cafés, and a few of them are:
La Farm Bakery – This bakery is a popular one for its artisanal French pastries and breads that are created from top-quality ingredients. La Farm Bakery is also ideal to get a huge array of holiday-themed baked goods.
The Dessertery – To get unlimited sweets, this café is the best. You can also find a big hot cocoa bar with several toppings besides the choices for vegan treats and gluten-free treats. Again, you can also watch live entertainment on selected nights.
Bars and Restaurants
You will also find lots of bars and restaurants in Raleigh that are dispersed across the city.
Videri Chocolate Factory – Do you have a sweet tooth? If yes, then visiting Videri Chocolate Factory will be substantial for you.
Escazu Chocolates – This is another superb choice to get various sweet treats and handcrafted chocolates.
The Christmas Parade
The Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina Parade is a hit with both locals and visitors alike because it features various performers and floats, like a hula hoop performance, costumed characters, and a marriage proposal too. Again, you can also expect to see the parade featuring different participants like dance teams, schools, and the Raleigh Police. Other notable parts of the parade are classic cars, antique tractors, and other vehicles.
The grand finale of the Christmas Parade attracts lots of visitors because it features both Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. To watch the parade, visit the parade route. The ABC11 is also a nice place from which you can view this parade.
North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival
Spending Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina, becomes all the more special because of the NC Chinese Lantern Festival. This is not inherent to Raleigh but to Cary, a location close to Raleigh. This festival features completely new and handmade silk lanterns that get decorated with numerous LED lights and nightly cultural performances.
The artisans from the Sichuan province of China create them on-site. You can also see some nightly performances that add to the rich cultural experience. This well-attended community event runs for nearly seven weeks. However, you need to buy tickets online in advance by visiting its official website.
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Shop till you drop
Local shopping is a hugely prevalent activity in Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina , especially during Christmas. Browse through Raleigh-themed merchandise and locally made gifts to buy some for yourself and your close ones. You must also make it a point to check in at unique boutiques and shops.
Village District – It is a historic area that features more than one hundred distinctive shops, restaurants, and cafes that offer various services and products.
Deco Raleigh – This is the hub to get locally made housewares and gifts, including Raleigh-themed items, jigsaw puzzles, and skyline-adorned glassware.
Handmade Hanukkah Market – This event is the best that can help you support Jewish artisans who sell handmade goods like textiles, baked goods, jewelry, and pottery.
Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting
Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting takes place close to the Martin Marietta Center in late November every year. To watch the tree lighting ceremony, you have to visit it on the Friday that follows Thanksgiving. The good thing is you need not shell out money from your end to watch the event, as it is free for all.
Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour
While spending Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina, who can forget visiting the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour? This is a self-guided tour that is held in the earlier part of December. If you visit this tour, you will get access to the interiors of nearly one dozen homes, and all are splendidly decorated to embrace the Christmas festivities.
You will find docents positioned at all properties to share vital information about their architecture, the history, and the symbolism and themes of the decorations of Christmas.
At times, visitors opt to tour the properties on their own, whereas sometimes they choose an order based on their likes and preferences. As tickets are limited and they also sell out fast, it seems feasible to buy them online after Thanksgiving only.
The Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker
The Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina Ballet performs its production during Christmas in Raleigh, commonly from the early to the middle of December. This festive production is loved by all because of its beauty, bright costumes, magic, and live symphony orchestra that accompanies the dancers.
It features many enchanted components, like toys that come to life as well as dancing snowflakes. The stunning production also becomes the focus of the Carolina Ballet, where you can hope to see intricate sets, enticing choreography, and lavish costumes.
Families enjoy this tradition as both first-time ballet-goers and experienced ballet-goers take part in the festive celebrations. To get updated information on the tickets, visit the website of Carolina Ballet. Some social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, also give information on updates and announcements on Carolina Ballet.
Pullen Park Holiday Express
This Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina event features a well-decorated Pullen Park train ride, lots of holiday activities, festive lights, and a visit from Santa. The whole park gets decorated with festive displays and lights. Thus, it creates a welcoming and magical atmosphere for everyone who visits it. Kids love this event too, as they can take pictures with their loving Santa besides sharing their holiday wishes.
This event is filled with different holiday-themed activities, including s’mores, limitless carousel rides, and craft stations. Local families who are aware of this event make it a point to attend it, as it offers a charming experience for all people, regardless of their age.
As the Holiday Express is loved by one and all, the tickets do sell out pretty fast. So, you must purchase tickets immediately when they are available. However, visit the official website RaleighNC.gov to get updated information on times, dates, and ticket sales of tickets.
Light the Square Fenton
Attend the Light the Square Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina lighting ceremony as it is held on a Saturday. The event allows everyone to take part in different holiday activities, including a kids’ area, ice skating, and carriage rides. The focus of the event is the yearly tree lighting ceremony, where Santa remains present and leads the countdown to.
A notable feature of this event is that this festive atmosphere is a hit with people of all ages. While attending the event, you might also come across some holiday treats and carriage rides.
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Why choose Raleigh as your ideal destination for Christmas?
If you choose to spend Christmas in Raleigh North Carolina, you will never regret your decision. This is a worthy destination for all, as this city brings along stunning light displays, holiday traditions, and various festive performances that include the iconic Raleigh Christmas Parade, the Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker, the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival, etc.
Raleigh also offers tree lightings, art walks, and iconic neighborhood decorations to provide a huge range of experiences to visitors, from modern installations of lights to traditional parades. The extraordinary feature of the Raleigh Christmas festival is that no matter whether you travel solo or with your family, you will never spend a dull moment.
