Celebrate at 11 Holiday Events in Ohio

Medina Candlelight Walk | Nov. 20–22
Maybe it’s the Christmas tree in the gazebo, the locally owned coffee shops and boutiques full of people or the glow of thousands of luminarias and votive candles lining the streets, but Medina’s holiday atmosphere is set to “merry” for the city’s annual Candlelight Walk, Nov. 20 through 22. The weekend event in the Medina Public Square Historic District kicks off with a Friday-night tree lighting. Then, be sure to grab a good sidewalk spot for Saturday night’s Holiday Parade of Lights, which features dozens of floats, cars and trucks all aglow. The Holiday Market’s local vendors sell baked goods, candles and more all weekend. mainstreetmedina.com

Sauder Village Merry & Bright Holiday Nights | Nov. 28, Dec. 4, 5 & 12
Many U.S. Christmas traditions celebrated today became popular in the 1920s, including giving gifts and decorating Christmas trees with ornaments. It’s also when our perception of Santa Claus rounded out into the jolly figure of today. Sauder Village’s Merry & Bright Holiday Nights from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 28, Dec. 4, 5 and 12 revisits those decked-out days on its 1920s Main Street. The replica small-town block’s storefronts are decorated with lights, the vintage soda fountain offers hot cocoa, and Stotzer Hardware Store features Christmas presents that were popular during the 1920s. Each night, Santa appears on Main Street. saudervillage.org

Waynesville Christmas in the Village | Dec. 4–6
Leave it to a town that calls itself the Antiques Capital of the Midwest to bring the Christmas nostalgia. Waynesville’s Christmas in the Village dates to 1981 and dials up the homespun charm (Dec. 4 through 6) thanks to more than 1,000 white luminarias (lit by real candles) that line both sides of the town’s historic Main Street. Festivities include Santa Claus arriving via firetruck, Dickensian characters, strolling carolers and horse-drawn carriage rides. Don’t miss Sunday’s Christmas Market with local vendors selling handcrafted goods. Plus, Waynesville’s seven antique shops, including the 4,000 square-foot Waynesville Antique Mall, make great stops for some holiday shopping. waynesvilleohio.com

Dickens Victorian Village | Nov. 1–Dec. 31
This long-running community tradition brings locals together to re-create a Charles Dickens-era Christmas in downtown Cambridge. 

Ebenezer Scrooge needed four ghosts and a deeply haunting experience to change his stubborn ways in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Thankfully, the team of volunteers behind Cambridge’s Dickens Victorian Village doesn’t require that level of convincing to keep the event evolving across Christmases past, present and future. 

Since 2006, the event has grown into one that features 180 life-size figures depicting 96 Dickensian scenes throughout town. A new addition for this year’s event (Nov. 1 through Dec. 31) are QR codes with artificial-intelligence-generated videos that bring some scenes to life. Scan a QR code near one of the figures, such as the cleaning lady or apple vendor, and you can watch a video of that character describing their day-to-day responsibilities in Victorian-era England. 

“You get a little taste of their life,” says Julie Davey, president of the event’s board of directors. 

Over the last few years, Dickens Victorian Village has also added guided tours of local cemeteries, a kids-focused Little Dickens Day and more costumed reenactors.

“We’re trying to constantly add to the event so that we can give new things to people who have been coming for years and connect with younger generations,” Davey says. “If you stay the same, you get stale.” 708 Wheeling Ave., Cambridge 43725, 740/421-4956, dickensvictorianvillage.com

Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade | Dec. 5
The rustic charm of Lebanon’s Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade can’t be reined in. Originally created in 1989 to showcase the historic downtown’s decorated storefronts and tap into the area’s equine traditions, the holiday parade has grown from about 20 carriages. Today, it features as many as 100 carriages pulled by Shire, Clydesdale and Belgian horses, donkeys, ponies and mules. The Dec. 5 event includes two parades — one during the day and an evening procession, the Candlelight parade, that features carriages decorated with Christmas lights. The all-day festival also includes more than 60 vendors, artisans and crafters offering food, cocoa and cider, and holiday gifts. lebanonchamber.org

Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt Select nights | Nov. 19–Dec. 27
A city packed with people of German heritage hosts this holiday festival that is filled with plenty of old-world charm. 

Cincinnati Lager House’s Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt stretches across 25 magical nights from Nov. 19 through Dec. 27 and takes up the entirety of the Schmidlapp Event Lawn (and then some) in the city’s Smale Riverfront Park. Visitors will need a Clark Griswold-style itinerary to take advantage of everything there is to do during this holiday festival. 

“It feels like a little German village, and because we’re a block from the streetcar, it’s a big meetup spot,” says Cincinnati Lager House owner Gregory Hardman. 

Characters such as Santa Claus and Christkind roam the grounds to pose for photos with kids, holiday market vendors sell handmade gifts and goodies, and local bakery Servatii serves warm strudel. New for this year, the Krampus-themed bar offers a scary-good place to grab a drink, and attendees can enjoy glühwein, a German mulled wine made on-site. 

Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt also includes a 5K run, the U.S. Steinholding National Championships, and live entertainment such as jazz and traditional German holiday music and dancing.

“Around 50 percent of the people of Greater Cincinnati claim lineage to German heritage,” Hardman says. “That’s a big number, and it’s great to see the faces of people coming out and celebrating those traditions.” 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati 45202, 513/421-2337, cincinnatichristkindlmarkt.com

Christmas in Zoar | Dec. 5 
Say “guten tag” to Kristkind, Belsnickel and Krampus at Christmas in Zoar. All three folklore characters can be spotted at this one-day holiday event that celebrates the historic town’s German roots. The daylong celebration blends American holiday traditions, such as singing popular Christmas carols and visits with Santa Claus, with German customs such as a pickle hunt and authentic foods. The Dec. 5 event features the lighting of Zoar’s traditionally decorated Christmas tree, but guided Christmas tours Nov. 28 and Dec. 12 share the village’s history and visit elaborately decorated private homes. Don’t miss the Zoar Store and the Bakery for gifts and goodies. historiczoarvillage.com  

Steubenville Nutcracker Village| Nov. 24–Jan. 8
This effort to boost local pride now draws travelers to check the town’s display of more than 200 life-size nutcrackers. 

Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” tells a coming-of-age story, as Clara intervenes to save the Nutcracker from the Mouse King. Fittingly, the Steubenville Nutcracker Village has grown from its simple 2015 beginning to become a multiweek masterpiece. Conceived to inspire local pride by lining the streets with dozens of hand-carved, life-size nutcrackers, the event has since grown into a regional draw.

Running Nov. 24 through Jan. 8, Steubenville Nutcracker Village now features more than 200 nutcrackers carved to resemble characters from the “The Wizard of Oz,” native son Dean Martin and many others. 

The event also has an alpine-themed bar crawl with seven stops, a German Gluhwein Garden that serves hot mulled wine, a masquerade ball and a popup museum with more than 400 miniature nativity scenes from around the world. 

Event coordinator and nutcracker designer Therese Fedoryka says partnerships such as the one with the Canton Ballet, which performs selections from “The Nutcracker” at the Steubenville Masonic Temple and Theater on Nov. 28, show how the event has flourished.

“It’s such a shot in the arm to have communities from out of town say, ‘What you’re doing is really successful, and we want to come and partner with you,’” she says. “It’s great when the Christmas season can you give you that energy.” Visit website for event times. 157 N. Fourth St., Steubenville 43952, 740/371-6020, steubenvillenutcrackervillage.com

Historic Roscoe Village Christmas Candlelighting | Dec. 5 & 12
Historic Roscoe Village’s annual Christmas Candlelighting ceremony hasn’t changed much since the first one in 1971, when a windstorm blew all the decorations off the 35-foot Norway spruce tree. Determined to celebrate, those in attendance redecorated the tree, lit candles and sang Christmas carols. Aside from the main event where more than 1,000 spirited visitors gather to light candles and sing “Silent Night” around the tree, this year’s event, Dec. 5 and 12, includes hands-on crafting such as tin-making, candle-dipping and wreath-making. Visit the blacksmith shop for a candy cane ornament or warm up with hot cocoa, live music and fresh-baked ginger cookies around the village. roscoevillage.com

Yuletide Village Season of Lights | Nov. 27–Dec. 19
Wilmington’s Renaissance Park transforms into a holiday destination, complete with Santa, Krampus and plenty of holiday cheer. 

For anyone looking for an old-world Christmas, Yuletide Village Season of Lights can get straight up medieval … and Elizabethan … and Dickensian. Set at Waynesville’s Renaissance Park, a 1600s-style village and the home of the Ohio Renaissance Festival, the interactive holiday experience runs Fridays and Saturdays Nov. 27 through Dec. 19. 

“We have a village full of characters willing to play, greet you and have fun with the Christmas spirit,” says David Smith, Renaissance Park’s entertainment director.

Performers embody the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, along with carolers, Victorian-era characters and more. Santa Claus sets up shop in the village’s church, while the nefarious Krampus can be found lurking in Renaissance Park’s dark alleys. Smith says many regular visitors show up dressed in their finest cloaks, furs or Viking costumes. 

On-site pubs such as the Rose & Crown and New World Knoll serve holiday-style ales, mead and more, along with food such as turkey legs, Scotch eggs and sweets. The Yuletide Marketplace is home to dozens of shops selling gifts such as ornaments, leather goods, handblown glass, cloaks, mugs and more. 

“These are all handcrafted and you can shop through the village,” Smith says. “We have a bowyer and a fletcher who makes bows for Christmas presents.” 10542 St. Rte. 73, Waynesville 45068, yuletidevillage.com

German Village Society Village Lights | Dec. 6
Each December, residents of Columbus’ German Village decorate their homes in anticipation of this one-day event designed to celebrate the neighborhood’s small businesses. The charming Dec. 6 event features live performances from groups such as Opera Columbus, holiday-themed treats such as spiked (or not) hot cocoa and mulled wine, and festive window displays. Stop by must-visit shops such as the maze-like The Book Loft to find the perfect gift or visit restaurants like the landmark Schmidt’s Sausage Haus (be sure get a cream puff). There are share-worthy photo ops around every corner, and don’t miss the luminaria-lit paths at Schiller Park. germanvillage.com

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