If you’re planning on visiting Music City at Christmas, there’s so much to do, from pop up bars to Christmas shows at the Opry. To help you narrow it down, we put together this list of Christmas Things To Do In Nashville.
For more help planning your trip, check out all of our posts about Nashville.
We went to Nashville in the fall and just absolutely fell in love with it. From the very first moment we were in town, it just fit. The air, the vibe, the people … everything felt different there.
So combine that with the magic of Christmas and you need to put Nashville on your December bucket list.
If you’re planning on going this year and you’re wondering what to do (because honestly, there’s a lot to do and it’s hard to narrow it down), we put together this list of Christmas Things To Do In Nashville to help.
When you’re in Nashville, even if you’re just celebrating Christmas, you’re gonna end up on Broadway. It’s the most popular street in town, filled with bars with names of celebrities on them.
Go to them. But we also highly suggest you go to these Must-Try Nashville Bars And Restaurants (That aren’t owned by celebrities) too.
Christmas Things To Do In Nashville
This list is filled with some date specific ideas, but also some generic ideas in case you’re in town on some off days but still want to do some Christmas things.
Check out an Opry Country Christmas Show
The Grand Ole Opry (600 Opry Mills Dr.) turned 100 last month and it was such a big celebration. Huge names came out to play Opry 100 birthday shows.
But that doesn’t mean the Christmas season is gonna stop the excitement.
In fact, there’s a series of Opry Country Christmas Shows all December long. Just like the regular Opry shows, you may not know who is showing up until days before your show, but you have a good chance of seeing some big names. Scotty McCreery will be there on December 14 and Marcus King is playing a Christmas show on December 23.
For more, check out our full Grand Ole Opry review. (Spoiler alert: It’s amazing and a Nashville must do).
Check out A Swinging Little Christmas
I’m a huge fan of dinner shows. If you are too, you’ll want to check out A Swinging Little Christmas at the Nashville Nighlife Dinner Theatre (2416 Music Valley Dr.). The production is happening November 21 to December 23.
The holiday spectacular, filled with dancing and singing, is filled with Nashville treats for you.
Included with your ticket is Goo Goo Cluster Hot Chocolate, Legends of Nashville Coffee, and treats from The Cottage Cakery.
There is a Christmas show called A swinging little Christmas at the Nashville night life dinner theatre right across from Opryland hotel.
You need to get tickets ahead of time and they start around $41.
Marvel at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel’s Decorations
No matter when you go to Nashville, you’ll want to stop into the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (2800 Opryland Drive) to see its indoor gardens and waterfalls. It’s open to non-hotel guests because there are shops and restaurants within the hotel, so you can absolutely pop in and is always recommended as one of the top free things to do in Nashville.
But, during the holidays, it’s a must.
It’s free to see the lights and displays if you visit on weekdays or Saturday before 2 pm. After that, you need to be a hotel guest or have a ticket to one of the many events happening at the hotel: ICE! featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (an interactive attraction with ice sculptures), Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance, Delta Riverboat Co. Twelve Days of A Country Christmas Cruise, ice skating, ice tubing, and more.
You can see all the activities here.
See The Holiday Lights at Cheekwood
We have a botanical garden pass to our local garden, which is part of the American Horticultural Society reciprocal program. So we can visit hundreds of gardens nationwide for free. One of those is Cheekwood Estate & Gardens (1200 Forrest Park Dr.).
If you have a pass, definitely go to Cheekwood if you can get there (we actually didn’t go because it’s out of the city center and rideshare was super expensive for us, plus the timing just didn’t work out).
The pass will get you in during the day, but it’s night when you really wanna go. It’s when the gardens will be lit up and you’ll be able to walk through a 1-mile trail of twinkling lights.
The Holiday LIGHTS run from November 21 to January 4, 2026.
Zoolumination Festival Of Lights At The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
If you’re looking for Christmas lights, look no further than Zoolumination, the holiday event at The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere (3777 Nolensville Pike).
Each night, there are over 1,000 custom-made silk lanterns around the zoo, creating the most beautiful scenes.
It’s actually the largest lantern festival in the country.
Zoolumination happens nightly from November 13 to January 4, 2026, then continues Thursday through Sunday from January 8 to February 8.
Grab a seasonal brew at Yee-Haw Brewing
Our favorite space in Nashville was 6th and Peabody, home of Yee-Haw Brewing. It was two corners away from our hotel and we loved ending our nights here.
There’s live music, the largest screens we’ve ever seen for football games, and moonshine tasting on premises (because of Old Smoky Moonshine). Go check it out.
And, if you’re there this Christmas season (and you’re over 21), be sure to ask for a pour of the Chillbilly IPA — a cold fermented winter seasonal brew. It’s only out from November to January.
Hang out with Santa at Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
When you think of church, you don’t usually think of Santa. But Nashville First Baptist Church (108 7th Ave S) wants to change that.
It’s hosting Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree on December 5 The event with feature Santa, music, hot chocolate, holiday treats, crafts, and more.
Doors will open at 5 and, because it is a church after all, worship will start at 6.
If you want something more religious, there’s the church’s Carol Candlelight Celebration, featuring the Adonai School of Ballet from Huntsville, Alabama on December 14 at 6 pm and the highly-recommended Christmas Eve mass at 5 pm.
Shop The Christmas Market At Assembly Food Hall
Nashville is filled with souvenirs. But, if you’re looking for a Christmas gift too, shop at the Annual Christmas Market at the Skydeck at Assembly Food Hall (5055 Broadway).
The Skydeck will be feature local vendors and will be decorated for the season (so get those cameras ready) from Thursday to Sunday, December 11 to 21, from 11 am to 5 pm. Santa will even be there from 3 pm to 5 pm on Saturdays.
Assembly Food Hall is part of the 5th + Broadway complex, which is filled with a ton of shopping, including a Made in TN store, and my favorite hot chicken: Hattie B’s Hot Chicken.
Shop The Nashvillage Holiday Market
The Assembly Food Hall market isn’t the only holiday market in town. There’s also the Nashvillage Holiday Market at Walk of Fame Park (121 4th Ave S).
The market is happening December 4 to 7 at various times each day.
There will be crafts, face painting, snacks and gifts for sale, a tree lighting with the Nashville Predators on December 4, and more.
Plus, Santa will be there on December 6 taking photos (it’s $10 and you can download your photo from the Nashvillage Holiday Market website).
And, if you’re 21+, you can purchase a ticket for the Holiday Cocktail Bash.
Listen To Christmas Tunes By Candlelight At The Parthenon
Nashville has an actual-size replica of The Parthenon within Centennial Park (2500 West End Avenue). Fun fact: You may know the park as the home of the famous Taylor Swift bench. It hosts numerous candlelight concerts throughout the year.
In December, of course, it’s Christmas themed.
The Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings, which will feature 20 songs performed by the Listeso String Quartet, is happening on December 18 and 19. Tickets are required.
If you won’t be in town then, there’s also “All is Calm” performances by SONUS Choir, a modern a cappella choir, at the Parthenon on December 13 and 14. Tickets are also required for this event.
Go Ice Skating At Nashville Yards
So, technically you can’t go ice skating, you go glice skating (because, instead of real ice it’s a synthetic, eco-friendly material that you can skate on).
The Rink Under Broad at Nashville Yards (131 10th Ave. N) is open November 29 and 30, then December 4 to 7, 11 to 14, 18 to 23 and 27 to 30.
Passes are $10 on weekdays and $15 on the weekend and include rental skates (although you can bring your own if you happened to pack them in your checked bag).
Watch The Nutcracker
When I was living in Pennsylvania, I won tickets off the radio to see the local performance of the Nutcracker. It was amazing.
So, if you’re in town November 29 to December 28, head to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (505 Deaderick St.) to see the Nashville Ballet perform Nashville’s Nutcracker.
It’s the Nutcracker, but set in Music City’s past, so it’s a little Nashville, a little Nutcracker, and a lot of fun.
Listen To Elf In Concert
One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf. Any time Pete is flipping channels and it’s on, he stops so I can watch it.
If you love Elf too, you’ll love Elf in Concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (1 Symphony Place). The movie’s music is all played by a live symphony orchestra.
You can catch it on December 10 and 11 and tickets are required.
Hop Aboard The North Pole Express Train
It’s not often that we get to ride trains anymore, so the The North Pole Express Train experience from the The Tennessee Central Railway Museum (220 Willow S) is so unique.
Santa, elves, and Christmas carolers will flow through the train cars during the two hour ride.
The train ride is happening November 22 and 29, then December 6, 13, and 20.
Check Out A Holiday Pop Up Bar
There are so many holiday pop up bars in Nashville. If you’ve never heard of one, they’re themed, temporary bars that sort of “pop up” in existing bars. They usually serve themed drinks and have a ton of decorations.
There’s Home for the Holidays at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Marathon Village (we stopped here and Pete loved the spirits), Santa’s Smokehouse at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (we ate here and the brisket topped smashburger was delicious), and more.
You can see a list of most of the at NashvilleLifestyle.com.
Check out a Christmas Show at The Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium (116 Rep. John Lewis Way North) is the former home of the Grand Ole Opry, hosting the show from 1943 to 1974 before it moved over to the Grand Ole Opry House.
The Ryman does still host shows, including the Amy Grant & Vince Gill “Christmas at the Ryman” residency, which happens annually. It’s December 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19 and 20 this year.
There’s also for KING + COUNTRY’s “A Drummer Boy Christmas” on December 15 to 19, A Prairie Home Companion Christmas on December 15 (which I would love to see), and A Drag Queen Christmas on December 28.
That’s not to be outdone by the Old Crow Medicine Show on December 30 and 31. The New Year’s Eve show has become a Nashville tradition over the last few years.
See The Cirque Christmas Show
If you’ve never been to a Cirque show, we highly suggest you book tickets for the Magical Cirque Christmas at the Fisher Center (with Belmont University at 2020 Belmont Blvd).
The show is happening on December 9 and tickets are required.
Rock Out With Santa At The Gibson Garage
We stopped into the Gibson Garage (209 10th Ave S #209) when we were exploring The Gulch area of Nashville. There were guitars on a track, floating all around the room, videos to listen to about making the guitars, a custom shop, and a stage.
Speaking of that stage, Santa will be gracing it on December 13 for the annual Rockin’ Santa celebration. There will be music, seasonal merch, and photos with Santa on the Gibson Guitar Throne.
Visit Monday Night Brewing’s Winter Wonderland
What’s very cool about Monday Night Brewing (1308 Adams St) is that it’s located in an old meat packing plant in Germantown, so the building and the area have a lot of history.
And, on December 14, it’ll have a lot of winter. That’s when the brewery is hosting a Winter Wonderland. From noon to 6 pm, there will be cider and hot chocolate specials, free ornament decorating, Christmas movies playing, vendors, Santa (from 1 pm to 4 pm), and, of course, beer (if you’re 21+).
Which of these Christmas events in Nashville are you going to attend this year? Be sure to let us know in the comments.