2009 Winter Holiday Attractions in Philadelphia

If you’ll be in Philadelphia over the holidays, check out these fun attractions to get you in the holiday spirit!

Philadelphia Neighborhood Holiday Activities

Friday, November 20, 6pm

Let’s Get Lit in Chestnut Hill, PA

A very special visitor attends the tree lighting on the lawn of Christ Ascension Lutheran Church at 8300 Germantown Avenue. Carols, Mummers, refreshments, entertainment and some time with the very special visitor from the Far North.

Stag & Doe Nights

Wednesdays December 9, 16, 23 Chestnut Hill will truly shine on our special Wednesdays nights in December as our one-of-a-kind shops open their doors and welcome you with wonderful gift ideas, refreshments and personalized, friendly service. Stroll the Avenue and savor the beauty of the holiday season in Chestnut Hill where white lights twinkle in the trees, carolers sing on the street, fresh pine boughs decorate the shops and the crisp winter air reminds you of what the holiday season should be. So, this year, leave the stress of impersonal mall shopping behind and treat yourself to the magic of Christmas in Chestnut Hill.

Holiday House Tour in Chestnut Hill

Saturday, December 5 (10am to 4pm)

Tour the neighborhood houses that are beautifully decorated in the spirit of the season at this fun annual event.

For more information on these events visit www.chestnuthillpa.com/.

November 26 – December 24 (Daily 11am-7pm except Thankgiving  Day 9am-5pm and Christmas Eve 11am-5pm)

Dilworth Plaza in front of City Hall in Philadelphia

After a successful first year with 150,000 visitors Christmas Village is coming back to Philadelphia.  Located on the west side of City Hall, Christmas Village will be open from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve and there will be vendors in more than 50 wooden booths and timber houses that will sell European food, sweets and drinks, international seasonal holiday gifts, ornaments and high quality arts and crafts.  In addition, there will be a central stage for live performances of local choirs, orchestras, and bands.  Children can even sit on Santa’s lap at his House and give him their wish list.   Admission is free to this month-long medieval style Christmas celebration, so you won’t want to miss this! For more information, visit www.philachristmas.com.

November 27 – January 3 (4pm)

Holiday Garden Railway

Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill (100 E. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia)

The Garden Railway Display is returning again this winter as the 9th Annual Holiday Garden Railway Display. Visitors of all ages will be wow-ed by a quarter mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with fifteen different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under), and bustling model trains, all set in the lovely winter garden of the Morris Arboretum. The display and buildings are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with miniature rivers. Each building, while an exact replica of the original, is unique in its design. Philadelphia-area landmarks such as a masterpiece replica of Independence Hall are made using pinecone seeds for shingles, acorns as finials and twigs as downspouts.

The buildings are all meticulously decorated for the holidays with lights that twinkle along the tracks and around the surrounding landscape. The Garden Railway Display has become one of the Arboretum’s most beloved attractions since it opened in 1998, and the Holiday Garden Railway is quickly becoming a favorite holiday tradition for many families.  For more information visit www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum.

Friday, December 4 (6-9pm)

2009 Neighborhood Holiday Walk in Fishtown/Kensington

The Fishtown Area Business Association, in association with area merchants and the NKCDC, is organizing Fishtown and Kensington’s biggest, most festive First Friday ever! Spanning Frankford and Girard Avenue with nearly 30 different merchants, galleries, and artist’s studios participating.  The neighborhood is getting ready to ring in the new holiday season with an evening of arts and crafts, good food and drink, live music, and shopping discounts from your favorite merchants!

This event will also see the inauguration of five new businesses on Frankford Avenue: the art gallery Extra Extra, café Bella Sera, vintage boutique two percent to glory, dance academy the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School, and artist collective’s Part-Time Collective, and Piranha Betty’s Art Market.  Be sure to check out these exciting new additions to the Avenue!

For a detailed list of events, check out www.frankfordavearts.org and www.fishtownbusiness.org/ in the coming weeks.

Christmas Celebrations

November 3-December 13 (2-4:30pm)

Dickens Christmas Party

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Philadelphia

Come out to the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion to celebrate Christmas! There will be a reading from selections from Victorian authors Charles Dickens and Louisa May Alcott. In addition, the gift shop will feature wonderful 
holiday gifts for the entire family and cookies and punch will be served in the 
dining room. Cost: $12
Member cost: $10
Children (under 12): $6.  For more information visit www.ebenezermaxwellmansion.org.

November 26 through January 10 (9am-9pm daily)

A Longwood Garden Christmas

Kennett Square, PA

The horticulture showplace near Kennett Square, PA dazzles guests with spectacular floral displays, stunning trees, holiday music, 500,000 outdoor lights, dancing fountains and ice skating under the stars to delight the entire family. Admission to the display is by Timed Ticket only, with tickets issued for specific dates and times. Timed Tickets are on sale online at www.longwoodgardens.org or in person at Longwood. General Admission prices are $16 for adults; $14 for seniors (age 62+), $6 for students (ages 5-22) free age 4 and under. Tickets to view the ice skating performances are an additional fee of $5 ($4 for Garden Passholders.) and are available now.  Complete information is available online at www.longwoodgardens.org.

Saturday, December 12 and Saturday, December 19 (Noon & 3pm)

A Winnie-the-Pooh Holiday Tail and Meet the Man in Red

Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill, NJ

Join Santa and Winnie-the-Pooh characters following each performance for stories, cookies & milk and all around merriment.  For more information visit www.discoverymuseum.com.

Hanukkah Celebrations

Sunday, December 13 (2-4pm)

Latkepalooza at Gershman Y in Philadelphia

Celebrate Hanukkah with our 7th annual Latkepalooza. Drawing over 400 people, don’t miss this insanely popular event where you can sample gourmet latkes from Philadelphia’s hottest restaurants. Fun for the whole family, there will be music, a balloon clown, arts and crafts for the kids, vendors and more. Beat the crowds and save money – buy your tickets in advance!

Participating restaurants include: Estia, Jones, Marigold Kitchen, Max and David’s, Penne, Sabrina’s Cafe, Singapore Chinese Kitchen, Snackbar, Whole Foods and Zahav + more to come!

Advance: Adults: $15/ Children: $10

At door: Adults: $18/ Children: $13

Sponsored in part by Cabot Cheese

Visit www.gershmany.org for tickets and more information.

Sunday, December 13 (1-4pm)

Hanukkah Extravaganza and Craft Fair!

Kaiserman JCC.

Robert Saligman Campus.  45 Haverford Rd Wynnewood, PA

Enjoy:

-Performances and sing a-long with Andi Joseph, The Musical Mommy

-Shop for holiday gifts and more at our craft booths

-Latke tasting event

-Organized Hanukkah arts and crafts

-Lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah

-Dreidel spinning games and contests

-Cabot Cheese tasting

*Free and open to the community – Please bring Kosher Non-Perishable food items to donate to the Mitzvah Food Pantry.

For more information visit www.phillyjcc.com

Sunday, December 13 (1-4pm)

Hooray for Hanukkah!

Garden State Discovery Museum, Cherry Hill, NJ

Drop in crafts: 1-3pm

Concert: 3pm

Listen to Hanukkah stories, create holiday snacks and enjoy hands-on Hanukkah crafts with Rosie Hymerling. Then, top the afternoon off with a sing-along with Janet Sclaroff.  Visit www.discoverymuseum.com/ for more information.

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Kwanzaa Celebrations

Saturday, December 26 and Monday, December 28 (1pm)

Kwanzaa Festival with Queen Nur

The Garden State Discovery Museum, Cherry Hill, NJ

Experience the symbols and principles of this important African American celebration as Queen Nur lights up the stage with interactive storytelling and song in a joyous celebration! Visit www.discoverymuseum.com/ for more information.

Holiday Lighting Displays

November 26 – January 1 (10am-8pm daily)

Comcast Holiday Spectacular in 3D

Comcast Center, 16^th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia

Get out to the Comcast Center in Philadelphia to see the special 3D holiday show that runs every hour on the hour! The 15-minute Spectacular will be shown on The Comcast Experience video wall, which is the world’s largest 4mm LED video wall with 10-million pixels of clarity.  The holidays will be captured through a variety of stunning images, music, and more, so make sure you save time this winter for this special show!

November 27 – December 31 (10am-store closing daily)

Macy’s Christmas Holiday Light Show: A Philadelphia Tradition Since 1956

Macy’s Center City, Philadelphia (1300 Market Street)

Don’t miss the famous Holiday Light Show at Macy’s in Center City that features more than 100,000 energy-efficient LED lights that combine to create festive, computerized images. The lighting display is accompanied by festive music from the world-renowned Wanamaker Grand Organ.  For more information visit www.gophila.com/.

December 3, 2009, 5pm-7pm

Tree Lighting Ceremony in Rittenhouse Square

Come out to see Santa flip the switch and turn on Philadelphia’s largest Christmas tree’s beautiful lights! There will be musical performances, carol singing, cocoa drinking, and much more!  Visit www.rittenhouserow.org/ for more information.

Holiday Theatre/Concerts

November 24 – December 6

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Academy of Music in Philadelphia

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas tells the story of two showbiz buddies putting on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn, and finding their perfect mates along the way. With plenty of dancing, laughter, romance and some of greatest songs ever written, including the beloved title song, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas promises to be the Broadway event of the season.  For more information visit www.kimmelcenter.org

December 12-31

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker

Academy of Music in Philadelphia

Choreography/Music: Balanchine/Tschaikovsky

Our critically acclaimed production returns to the Academy of Music to delight audiences of all ages in this enduring holiday classic as Pennsylvania Ballet and PNC present George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. 

Running Time: approximately two hours (with one intermission)

Individual tickets on sale now.  For more information visit www.paballet.org.

December 12

Dupont Theatre in Wilmington, DE

Sister’s Christmas Catechism

Sister’s Christmas Catechism, the latest holiday addition to the popular Late Nite Catechism series created  written by Maripat Donovan, will arrive at Wilmington’s DuPont Theatre for a one-night only holiday performance on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7pm.  Tickets ranging in price from $35 to $50 are available at the DuPont Theatre box office, 1007 N. Market Street (open weekdays 10am to 4pm), by calling 302-656-4401 or 800-338-0881, or online at www.duponttheatre.com

December 13

Philadelphia Orchestra Holiday Concerts

Handel’s Messiah

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia

Conductor Julian Wachner leads the Orchestra, the Philadelphia Singers Chorale, and four leading soloists in Handel’s beloved Messiah. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.philorch.org/holiday.html.

December 18-20

Philadelphia Orchestra Holiday Concerts

The Glorious Sound of Christmas

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia

With the Glorious Sound of Christmas, The Philadelphia Orchestra lends its lush sound to festive orchestral classics and selections from its best-selling Christmas album of the same name (December 17- 19). Since the album’s release in 1962, millions of listeners worldwide have celebrated the holidays with the sounds of the Fabulous Philadelphians. This year’s program features works included on the original legendary recording and its follow-up, Joy to the World. Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Conductor Danail leads these performances. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.philorch.org/holiday.html.

December 24 – 27

World of Jewtopia

Perelman Theater in Philadelphia

The outrageous multimedia event and longest-running off-Broadway comedy World of Jewtopia makes its Philadelphia debut in Perelman Theater from December 24 – 27, 2009. Hailed as a “comedic extravaganza” by critics, Jewtopia combines stand-up comedy, audience participation and scenes from creators Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson’s best-selling book Jewtopia to deliver an undeniably hysterical performance. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this dynamic duo before they head back to Broadway in 2010! Fore more information visit www.kimmelcenter.org.

Holiday Bar Crawls

Saturday, December 19 (1pm-9pm)

“12 Pubs of Christmas” Charity Pub Crawl hosted by Run2Inspire– Center City Philadelphia

The event is from 1pm to 9pm in Center City and bars scheduled to attend include:

Fado

Irish Pub

Tir Na Nog

Misconduct

Devil’s Alley

McGillian’s

Maces Crossing

Bards

Oscar’s Tavern

Nodding Head

Tickets are $15.00 and participants get t-shirts, food, 50/50 raffles, and entrance into our special pub challenges!

This benefits Run2Inpire, and proceeds will go directly to cervical cancer research!

For more information visit www.run2inspire.com.

Saturday, December 19 (5:30pm – 3:30am)

The 15^th Annual Running of the Santas (Pub Crawl in Philadelphia)

What: The Santa Run is a Huge Holiday Bar Crawl in Philadelphia where all of it’s participants dress in holiday gear hopping from bar to bar on buses spreading the Christmas Spirit throughout the town. It’s a great way to start off your holiday.

WHERE: Starting at the Sheraton at 5:30pm and continuing on to some of Philly’s greatest Hot Spots. In 2008, we visited: Chickie’s & Pete’s, Mad River, McFadden’s, the Field House, and of course, Pat’s and Geno’s Steaks to top off the night! If you have a suggestion for a spot that could accommodate 80-100 people that night, send Santa an e-mail!

Hotel rooms are reserved under “Running With the Santas” or “Running of the Santas” and must be reserved by 12/9/09 to receive the $69.00 rate.

WHY: To raise money for the Support for Scott Bevan fund (http://www.supportforscott.org/) and to have a BLAST!

COST:

$50 per person.

Includes: Bus, Alcohol on the Bus and a Donation to the Charity.

For more information and to register visit www.thesantarun.com/.