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Let the Festivities Begin: The Holiday Season Lights Up the Triangle

‘Tis the season for celebration, the time of year for family togetherness, goodwill and creating new traditions while revisiting old ones. From tree-lighting ceremonies and parades to opportunities to meet St. Nicholas himself, the Triangle offers plenty of festivities to get families into the holiday spirit. Mark your calendar now for upcoming events.

City Highlights

Apex welcomes the season with its annual Christmas on Salem Street event Dec. 5. The town lights its tree at 5:25 p.m. and Santa arrives in front of the Chamber of Commerce at 5:30 p.m. Families can enjoy sleigh rides from 6 to 9 p.m. and take part in a scavenger hunt.

The next morning, from 7 to 11 a.m., the Salem Street fire station hosts a pancake breakfast where Santa and Mrs. Claus read stories and listen to children’s wish lists. Pictures with Santa are available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A Christmas parade Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. features area bands, marching units, floats, antique cars and Kris Kringle, too, marching down Salem Street. Tour the downtown’s historic homes from 1 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 7. For more information on these events, visit www.apexnc.org.

Benson hosts a Christmas on Main event Dec. 5 with a parade, enter-tainment, hot cider and cookies. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. More information is avail-able at www.benson-chamber.com.

A full day of holiday cheer awaits youngsters and their families when Cary hosts an Ole Time Winter Festival Dec. 6 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Enjoy arts and crafts, entertainment, kids’ activities and a visit with Santa. For an old-fashioned Victorian experience, visit the Page-Walker Arts and History Center from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. to learn about holiday traditions, sing carols and enjoy holiday refreshments.

The town’s tree-lighting ceremony follows at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall campus with the illumination of an outdoor 30-foot cedar tree and an indoor Town Hall community tree, embellished with handcrafted ornaments. Call 919-469-4061 or visit www.townofcary.org for more information.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro families can enjoy a Christmas parade complete with holiday-themed floats, marching bands and Santa Claus on Dec. 13. The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on Franklin Street and ends on Main Street in Carrboro.

Chapel Hill’s Holiday House Tour Dec. 6 and 7 allows visitors to see seven historic homes along Franklin Street dressed for the holidays. The homes are open 1 to 5 p.m. each day. Visit www.chapelhillpreservation.com for tickets.

Clayton ushers in the Christmas season with a live nativity, music and a traditional tree lighting from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 4 at the town square. For more information, call 919-553-1545. The town’s annual Christmas parade, featuring more than 100 units, makes its way down Main Street on Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. For details, call 919-553-6352.

Holiday festivities in downtown Durham begin on Dec. 5 with the lighting of the Lucky Strike Tower at the American Tobacco Campus at 7 p.m. Learn more at www.americantobaccocampus.com. Then on Dec. 6 enjoy music and entertainment at 2 p.m. at the CCB Plaza, followed by the city parade at 4 p.m. and the official tree-lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.durhamnc.gov.

Young people can enjoy a prelude to Kwanzaa featuring Chuck Davis and the African American Dance Ensemble at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham on Dec. 2 at 10:30 a.m. Visit www.hayti.org for more information.
Also in Durham, families can celebrate an 1870 Christmas during candlelight evening tours of the Duke Homestead on Dec. 5 and 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. The tour features period decorations, costumed re-enactors, caroling, hot apple cider and other good-ies. Call 919-477-5498 for details.

Fuquay-Varina offers two holiday events this year. Families can enjoy the town’s tree-lighting ceremony, school choruses, sleigh rides, pictures with Santa, and even pay the Grinch a visit on Dec. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. The town’s old-fashioned holiday parade along Main Street takes place Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. Visit www.fuquay-varina.org for more information.

The mayor leads the countdown when Garner lights its community tree at the Garner Recreational Park on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Holiday music, entertainment and food round out the evening. Call 919-772-4688 for details.

Hillsborough hosts a kick-off to the holidays on Dec. 6 with a parade on Churton Street at 3 p.m. followed by the lighting of the town tree and an ecumenical dance. The town also hosts an impressive display of 30 handmade gingerbread houses on Dec. 6 at the Burwell School Historic Site and on Dec. 7 at various venues during the town’s Christmas Candlelight Tour of private homes and historic buildings from noon to 7 p.m. Visit www.candlelighttour.com for more information on these events.

St. Nicholas visits downtown Holly Springs, accompanied by church choirs, on Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Families can see a live nativity at the Holly Springs Baptist Church from 6 to 7:45 p.m. and enjoy a hayride from Town Hall to the Cultural Arts Center, where Mrs. Claus will read to the children, also from 6 to 7:45 p.m. The mayor and Santa officially light the town tree at 8 p.m., followed by a performance by the Holly Springs Concert Band at the arts center. The Happy Holly Days Christmas parade down Main Street takes place Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. Call 919-567-4000 for more information.

Knightdale hosts a tree-lighting ceremony Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. where families can take horse and carriage rides and jump aboard a decorated caboose on First Avenue to visit Mrs. Claus and Rudolph. A Christmas parade, featuring more than 90 units, takes place Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. Call 919-217-2235 for more information.

Downtown Mebane hosts a two-day Hometown Holiday Celebration Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. featuring carriage rides, strolling carolers, marshmallow roasts, a tree-lighting ceremony, kids activities and photos with Santa. On Dec. 5, the town gets festive again with a nighttime Christmas parade at 7 p.m. For details, visit www.downtownmebane.com. Pittsboro also hosts a holiday parade downtown Dec. 7 at 3 p.m.

Festivities in Raleigh begin Nov. 22, when the city hosts its annual Christmas parade at 9:30 a.m. The parade begins at the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary’s streets and features floats, marching bands, large helium balloons, booths and vendors. Visit www.grma.org for details.

On Dec. 10, families can visit the Capitol grounds from 5 to 7:30 p.m. to enjoy musical performances and witness the Governor and First Lady lighting the State Christmas tree. Visitors are invited inside the Capitol to see the Raleigh Garden Club’s decorations. The Junior Women’s Club of Raleigh hosts a holiday festival featuring music and children’s activities on Union Square, in the museums and on Bicentennial Plaza that evening. Call 919-733-4994 for more information.

Smithfield lights its tree Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. on Third Street and hosts a parade Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Selma hosts a holiday parade Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Visit www.johnstoncountync.org to learn more.

The Lighting of Wake Forest features musical talent from local schools and church groups, hot apple cider with cookies and Santa’s arrival on a carriage Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Children can have their photos taken with Santa at the gazebo in the municipal parking lot Dec. 6 and 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The town’s annual Christmas parade is scheduled for Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. Call 919-570-1372 for details.

Wake Forest’s Christmas Historic Home Tour from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 6 features properties never before viewed, horse and carriage rides, and entertainment by the Victorian Carolers.

The annual holiday parade in Zebulon takes place Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. on Gannon Avenue. Antique cars, marching bands and more than 100 floats high-light the event. Call 919-269-6320 for more information.

Major Shopping Areas

Area shopping centers get into the Christmas spirit early, with opportunities for families and children to greet Santa, enjoy storytelling and listen to heart-warming holiday music performed by local groups.

Cameron Village’s open house Nov. 20 begins with Santa’s arrival in a horse-drawn carriage at 5 p.m. Merchants dress their shop windows in a mall-wide decorating contest, and the Raleigh Boychoir and other musical groups entertain shoppers throughout the evening. Children can have their photos taken with Santa at Tookie’s Toys free of charge beginning at 5:15 p.m. Call 919-821-1350 for more information.

Magic acts and balloon sculptures add to the excitement when kids eat breakfast with Santa at Crabtree Valley Mall on Nov. 15 at 8:30 a.m. Call 919-787-8993 for details.

Northgate Mall in Durham welcomes Santa in his parade Nov. 22 at 10:45 a.m. The Holiday Concert Series, featuring the musical talents of Leonard Bearstein and his all-bear orchestra, also begins Nov. 22 with shows every hour. Call 919-286-4400 for more information.

Triangle Town Center in Raleigh lights its tree and welcomes Santa Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Call 919-792-2222 for more information.

Santa makes his grand appearance at University Mall in Chapel Hill on Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. Families may view the Arc of Orange County’s Festival of Trees, showcasing a winter wonderland of more than 30 glittering creations, inside the mall free of charge Dec. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Dec. 7 from 1 to 6 p.m. Visit www.universitymallnc.com for details.

Be sure to check with the event’s sponsors before heading out. Plans can change based on weather or other unexpected conditions.

— Janice Lewine