19 central Iowa holiday events take over every December day leading to Christmas Eve
The holiday season is here and with it comes a slew of events throughout the Des Moines area. So if you're looking for something to do between decking the halls and ringing in the holiday cheer, check out some of these events. There's something happening every day from now to Christmas Eve.
Jingle in the Junction
When: Dec. 8, Dec. 15
Where: Valley Junction neighborhood, from Fourth to Seventh Streets and Railroad Avenue to Locust Street, in West Des Moines
Price: Free
The junction is once again ajingle for 2022 with Valley Junction's annual Jingle in the Junction, which has already been making Thursdays merrier these past few weeks from 5 to 9 p.m. through Dec, 15.
Businesses, including more than 150 boutiques, bars and restaurants, across the historic West Des Moines neighborhood will extend their hours for the seasonal event, allowing visitors walking along Fifth Street or Railroad Avenue to find all manner of holiday happenings, from horse-drawn trolley rides to Christmas carolers under thousands of lights.
More:11 Christmas light displays to visit around Des Moines this holiday season
Holiday Hullabaloo
When: Through Dec. 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Horizon Events Center, 2100 NW 100th St., Clive
Price: $20
Every day through Dec. 31 — except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day — shoppers and spectators can enjoy a Holiday Hullabaloo at the Horizon Events Center. This daily program has shopping opportunities with vendors selling food and gifts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and visits from Santa happening until 5:30 p.m. After that, the event is limited to adults only from 7 to 11 p.m. with DJs, igloos and indoor snowball fights
On Dec. 31, a third block of programming is scheduled from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. to ring in the New Year.
Tickets and more information about the event can be found at eventbrite.com.
Jolly Holiday Lights 2022
When: Through Jan. 1
Where: Adventureland Amusement Park, 3200 Adventureland Drive, Altoona
Price: $20 to $200
Adventureland may be under new management as of this past year, but the traditional Jolly Holiday Lights are still on for 2022.
The event gives those who attend the event a chance to drive their vehicle through a display featuring dozens of themed holiday lights. After 27 years, Jolly Holiday Lights once more partners with Make-a-Wish Iowa for this seasonal event scheduled to run until the first evening of the new year.
The large Teddy display, which was lost in the flooding at Water Works Park, returned in honor of Al Knudsen, a former board member and volunteer who passed away in 2022.
More information and tickets can be found at adventurelandresort.com.
Pentatonix
When: Dec. 8, 7 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St., Des Moines
Price: $25 to $250 at hyveetix.evenue.net
A cappella group Pentatonix gets Des Moines in the holiday spirit with this upcoming stop at Wells Fargo Arena with "A Christmas Spectacular!" 2022 Tour. Pentatonix got its start on the NBC series “The Sing-Off,” and grew in popularity through YouTube videos of a mix of pop cover songs, holiday standards and its own songs.
Season 21 winners of “The Voice” Girl Named Tom will open the show.
More information about the event as well as tickets can be found at iowaeventscenter.com.
More:Ready for the holidays? Pentatonix is announcing a December Christmas show in Des Moines
'The Nutcracker'
When: Dec. 8-11
Where: Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines
Price: $32 to $82 at hoytsherman.org
The ballet is back for its annual holiday tradition with Iowa's only professional performance of this oft-staged story of Clara and her toy Nutcracker. Last year, Ballet Des Moines added its own revisions to the second act of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's now-classic ballet in hopes of making the work more accessible to all audiences. This year, those revisions are carried forward.
Performances at Hoyt Sherman Place include Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Dec. 11 at 1 and 5 p.m. More information and tickets can be found at balletdesmoines.org or hoytsherman.org.
More:Ballet Des Moines' new characters add modern twist to Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker'
'A Christmas Carol'
When: Dec. 9-18
Where: Stoner Theater, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines
Price: $40 at iowastage.org/achristmascarol
Delay your "bahs" and hold your "humbugs," the Iowa Stage Theatre Co. is performing a classic show to uplift your Christmas spirits.
Though it has been a tradition of the local theater company to perform this Charles Dickins classic, this year's promises to be a new version of the story with all new sets to tell the story of Scrooge's haunting and everything that happened thereafter.
More information about the event and tickets can be found at iowastage.org or desmoinesperformingarts.org.
More:6 Des Moines metro tree farms where you can get a real Christmas tree this year
Des Moines Choral Society's annual December concert
When: Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ambrose Cathedral, 607 High St., Des Moines
Price: $10 to $30 at app.arts-people.com
Hot off performing with the Eagles last month, the Des Moines Choral Society is getting ready for its annual Christmas concert. This year's holiday show will be especially noteworthy as the choir celebrates the 20th season of the organization's artistic director, Dr. James Rodde, who is also a professor and director of choral activities at Iowa State University.
More information about the event can be found at dmchoral.org.
More: Get in the holiday spirit at these four pop-up bars with festive cocktails in Des Moines
11th Annual Single Mom's Christmas Dinner
When: Dec. 10, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Iowa Events Center, 730 Third St., Des Moines
Price: $15 per individual (mothers only) or $25 per family (mothers and children) at singleparentprovision.org/ChristmasDinner
West Des Moines non-profit Single Parent Provision is once again holding a Christmas event to honor the single mothers of central Iowa. This mothers-only event includes a catered dinner as well as programming and activities for children from zero to 18 who will be able to receive meals of their own during the event.
More information about the event as well as tickets can be found at iowaeventscenter.com.
Off Hours: How to support artists, businesses in Des Moines while doing your holiday shopping
Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-o National Act
When: Dec. 15, 7 p.m.
Where: Noce, 1326 Walnut St., Des Moines
Price: $20 to $50 via nocedsm.com
Drummer Matt Wilson is jazzing up Christmas in downtown Des Moines with this latest visit to Noce jazz club.
Wilson’s “Christmas Tree-o” album was released in 2010 and included his take on Christmas classics like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Hark! The Harold Angels Sing.” Earlier this year he released the single “Mariah Parusha!” with double bassist Paul Sikivie and sax/clarinet player Jeff Lederer.
Tickets and more information about the event can be found at nocedsm.com.
'An Intimate Christmas' with Lorie Line
When: Dec. 15, 7 p.m.
Where: Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines
Price: $55 to $60 via ticketmaster.com.
Pianist Lorie Line will once again help usher in the holiday season. Over the course of the evening, Line will provide 90 minutes of Christmas music and heartwarming anecdotes to those who attend.
Line has made similar appearances at Hoyt Sherman Place since at least 2013 and has frequently returned with her holiday show.
More information and tickets can be found at hoytsherman.org
More: Hometown Christmas, Holiday Home Tour return Dec. 3 in Dallas Center
'Tis the Season with the Beach Boys
When: Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines
Price: $55 to $115 via my.desmoinesperformingarts.org.
You don't have to travel way up north this December to hear some real famous cats caroling about the Christmas season. The Beach Boys will return to Des Moines as part of the band's ’Tis the Season tour.
The band is primarily known for classic surf-rock singles such as "Surfin' USA" and "Good Vibrations," but in 1964, The Beach Boys added some seasonal songs to their surf-rock catalog with "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album." That album, along with songs from Beach Boy's co-founder Mike Love's 2018 solo release "Reason for the Season," will be pulled from for this latest tour.
More information about the show and tickets can be found at desmoinesperformingarts.org
More:The Beach Boys play their holiday hits at the Des Moines Civic Center for Christmas
Shaun Johnson & the Big Band Experience: The 2022 Big Band Christmas Tour
When: Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines
Price: $32 to $38 via ticketmaster.com.
Shaun Johnson, the lead singer of the Minnesota-based a cappella group Tonic Sol-fa!, will be bringing his big band to Hoyt Sherman Place for another year of seasonal songs and Christmas classics.
More information about the event and tickets can be found at hoytsherman.org.
More: Surety Hotel rings in holiday season with festive rooms decorated by local designers
'A Very Merry Tallgrass Holiday'
When: Dec. 16 to 18
Where: Tallgrass Theatre, 2019 Grand Ave., West Des Moines
Price: $20 via tallgrasstheatre.thundertix.com.
West Des Moines' Tallgrass Theatre is celebrating the Christmas season with a jukebox musical collection of Christmas songs in this story of a family setting up for holiday times. The show promises to be filled with music and laughs for the whole family.
Tickets and more information can be found at tallgrasstheatre.org.
More: The Varsity Cinema plans to reopen just in time for Christmas: Here's what to expect
'Holiday Spectacular'
When: Dec. 18, 3 p.m.
Where: Franklin Junior High, 4801 Franklin Ave., in the Large Auditorium, Des Moines
Price: Free
The Central Iowa Wind Ensemble is playing the sounds of the season at Franklin Junior High this year, bringing classics like "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song" and many others to life. Though the event is free, organizers are asking for non-perishable food items, such as rice, pinto beans, tortillas and Knorr chick flavor, to benefit the local food assistance organization, Knock & Drop Iowa.
The afternoon of the show, the Des Moines Public Library will also be giving away books to younger concert-goers.
More information and reservations for the event can be found at eventbrite.com.
'Come Home for Christmas' with Matthew West
When: Dec. 18, 7 p.m.
Where: Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines
Price: $33 to $78 via ticketmaster.com.
Grammy-nominated, Christian music singer-songwriter Matthew West is bringing an evening of Christmas tunes to Des Moines with a performance at Hoyt Sherman Place a week before Christmas day. Last year, West released his latest album, "We Need Christmas."
West has previously come through central Iowa co-headlining Winterjam in 2016 and opening for Casting Crows in 2018 when that band performed at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand.
More information about the event and tickets can be found at hoytsherman.org.
'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical'
When: Dec. 22, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Where: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines
Price: $29 to $65 via my.desmoinesperformingarts.org.
You may know the story of the reindeer with the glowing red nose from his classic television special, but if you're looking for an extra twist to this reindeer tale, check out a live performance of the familiar story as Rudolph, Santa Claus, Yukon Cornelius and many more take the stage at the Civic Center.
More information about the event and tickets can be found at desmoinesperformingarts.org.
Michael W. Smith Christmas
When: Dec. 22, 7 p.m.
Where: Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines
Price: $59 to $69 via ticketmaster.com.
Worship music-focused, singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith is coming to Des Moines this Christmas, bringing with him Michael Tait, lead singer for Newsboys and a member of the Christian rock trio DC Talk. The pair will be performing a variety of Christmas hits and seasonal favorites throughout the evening.
More information about the event and tickets can be found at hoytsherman.org.
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
When: Dec. 23, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines
Price: $40 to $94 via my.desmoinesperformingarts.org.
Make way for Mannheim Steamroller Christmas as this show, created by Grammy-winner Chip Davis, comes to town for the holiday season. The group has more than three decades of Christmas music performances behind it. Tickets and more information about the event can be found at desmoinesperformingarts.org.
Nella Thomas Christmas
When: Dec. 23, 6 p.m.
Where: Wooly's, 504 E Locust St., Des Moines
Price: $12 via axs.com.
Nella Thomas, an Iowa-born singer-songwriter, is back at Wooly's for the holiday season with her eight-piece band to spread good cheer to those in attendance. Thomas and her band will perform at the intersection of folk and Christmas music. The event will include Tony Bohnenkamp and other special guests throughout the evening.
Thomas has been a performer on the Des Moines Arts Festival Main Stage and a lead singer for "The June Bugs," an all-female cover band.
More information and tickets can be found at firstfleetconcerts.com.
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 19 Christmas events near Des Moines to celebrate the holidays in 2022
