101 Ideas for Holiday Family Fun in the Capital District
by Katie Beltramo
KidsOutAndAbout is America's online guide to everything for kids, teens, and families!
Below are items that have been posted to our calendar. If you are affiliated with a business hosting a holiday event that should be on our calendar, we'd love to see it there... it's free to post! Click here for instructions about how to add your organization to our list and easily post your events to our calendar!
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Santa Sightings
| Weekends beginning November 24 | Santa Cookies & Cocoa! |
| Most Thursdays to Sundays beginning Nov 18, 2023 | Wintertime Wonderland |
| Santa arrrives Saturday, November 18, 2023 | Santa is at Colonie Center |
| Beginning Wednesday, November 22, 2023 | Santa's Magical Express |
| Select Saturdays starting November 25, 2023 | Pictures with Santa at Rocking Horse Ranch |
| Santa arrrives Saturday, November 18, 2023 | Santa is at Crossgates |
| Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Christmas in the Air at Empire State Aerosciences Museum |
| Sunday, December 17, 2023 | Breakfast with Santa at The Edison Downtown |
Christmas Community Events
Holiday Theater (or just fun-for-the-family theater) Performances
| Saturday, Nov 5, 2023 | A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage - Proctors |
| November 29 to December 10, 2023 | Benjamin Franklinstein the Musical! |
| December 1 to December 23, 2023 | The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Cohoes Music Hall |
| Saturday, December 2, 2023 | "INTO THE LIGHT" (EXCERPTED PREVIEWS) at the Sinterklaas Festival |
| Sunday, December 10, 2023 | Finding Christmas: A Holiday Extravaganza To Benefit Building On Love at Cohoes Music Hall |
| Sun December 10, 2023 | Christmas Oratorio at UPH |
| Tuesday, December 12, 2023 | THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS VARIETY SHOW - FEATURING THE EDWARDS TWINS at Cohoes Music Hall |
| December 14 to December 17, 2023 | CBS 6 Melodies of Christmas at Proctors |
| Weekends in December, depending on location | Princess Holiday Caroling Visits |
Nutcrackers
| Tuesday, December 5, 2023 | Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet! at the Palace Theatre |
| Sat, December 9 & Sun Dec 10, 2023 | Albany Berkshire Ballet's Nutcracker at The Egg |
| Sat December 16, 2023 | Nacre Dance Group -- Nutcracker at The Egg |
| Saturday, December 2 & Sunday, December 3, 2023 | Northeast Ballet's Nutcracker at Proctors |
Holiday Concerts
Christmas Tree Experience
Holiday Lights
| Multiple Dates beginning Nov 24, 2023 | Glimmer Nights at The Farmers' Museum |
| November 22, 2023 to January 6, 2024 | Santa's Play Land Open House |
| November 24 to December 23, 2023 | A Frosty Fest |
| First lit the evening of November 18, 2023 | Schenectady Illuminocity |
| November 24 to December 30, 2023 | Holiday Lighted Nights: A Drive-Thru Holiday Light Experience at the Washington County Fairgrounds |
| Friday, December 8, 2023 | Luminary Walk at Grafton Lakes Park |
Crafty Christmas
Festive Flicks
| Friday, December 1, 2023 | Elf is at Proctors |
| Thursday, December 1, 2023 | Holiday Affair at Proctors |
| Monday, December 11, 2023 | The Muppet Christmas Carol at the Palace Theatre |
| Monday, December 18, 2023 | Elf is free at the Palace Theatre |
| Friday, December 22, 2023 | It's A Wonderful Life at the Palace Theatre |
| Wednesday, December 27, 2023 | The Super Mario Bros Movie "Family Fun Day" |
Ice Skating (mostly indoor facilities and shows)
| Limited public skate on weekends | Bethlehem YMCA |
| Public Skate every Saturday and Sunday from 2 pm-3:50 pm | Capital Arena in Clifton Park |
| Public Skate on Sundays from 2-3:30 pm | Messa Rink at Union College |
| Every day except Monday | Empire State Plaza |
Chanukah
| Sunday, November 19, 2023 | Home Depot Menorah Workshop |
| Saturday, December 2, 2023 | The Klezmatics’ Happy Joyous Hanukkah Concert at Proctors |
| Saturday, December 2, 2023 | Hanukkah Family Paint Class at Art in Mind |
| Sunday, December 10, 2023 | Chanukah on Jay |
| Monday, December 11, 2023 | Community Chanukah Celebration in Clifton Park |
Kwanzaa
| Saturday, December 16, 2023 | Kwanzaa - Operation Unite NY in Hudson |
| Kwanzaa Celebrations by the Capital Region Kwanzaa Coaltion |
An Old-Fashioned Christmas
| Begins the day after Thanksgiving and runs every Saturday and Sunday | Dickens Christmas at Skaneateles |
| Saturday, December 3, 2023 | Christmas in Museum Village |
| Sunday, December 4, 2023 | Holiday Traditions for Children at Clermont |
| Saturday, December 16, 2023 | Holiday Open House at Clermont |
| Thursday, December 14, 2023 | Holiday Stockade Stroll with Schenectady County Historical Society |
| Sunday, December 3, 2023 | Children's Traditions at Clermont |
| Saturday, December 9, 2023 | A Very Mabee Christmas |
Shopping & Craft Fairs
| Sat Nov 11 - Sun Nov 12, 2023 | Holiday House and Shop at Old Austerlitz |
| Friday November 17 - Sunday, November 19, 2023 | Country Folk Art Craft Show at HVCC |
| Sat Nov 25 - Sun Nov 26, 2023 | Indoor Craft Fair at Samascott's Garden Market |
| through Dec 17, 2023 | Shaker Holiday Market |
| Nov 25, 2023 | Saratoga Annual Holiday Craft Fair |
| Saturday, November 25 to Sunday, December 24, 2023 | Artisan's Market at Brookside Museum |
| Saturday, December 2, 2023 | Holiday Bazaar at Thacher Nature Center |
New Year's Eve
Miscellaneous
| Great Train Extravaganza at Empire State Plaza | |
| Sunday, December 3, 2023 | Model Train Show at miSci |
| Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Grillin' for Tots |
| Saturday, December 16, 2023 | Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana |
If you are affiliated with a business hosting a holiday event that should be on our calendar, we'd love to see it there...it's free to post! Click here for instructions about how to add your organization to our list and easily post your events to our calendar!
If we're missing an activity that should be on our list, please email Katie Beltramo, Communications Director of KidsOutAndAbout.com, at katie@kidsoutandabout.com. Please make sure to include a link to the event when you email. Thank you!
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