Need a little Christmas? Try these fun holiday events in Jacksonville

Tom Szaroleta, Florida Times-Union
·4 min read

Don’t look now, but the 2023 holiday season is almost over, and if you don’t stop binge-watching Hallmark holiday movies and get out there, you’re going to miss it.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of things you can do to get into the holiday spirit before it’s time to start taking down the tree.

Neighborhood lights:Some of our favorite Jacksonville-area Christmas light displays

See the pretty lights

Thomas Matthews holds his almost 2-year-old son up to enjoy the fake snow being created along one of the walkways that are part of the Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens "Dazzling Nights" event that transforms the grounds for the holidays.
Thomas Matthews holds his almost 2-year-old son up to enjoy the fake snow being created along one of the walkways that are part of the Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens "Dazzling Nights" event that transforms the grounds for the holidays.

There are amateur light displays in just about every neighborhood, and some of them are quite good. But there are several places you can go to see what the pros can do when they set their minds to it.

  • Dazzling Nights Jacksonville turns the Jacksonville Arboretum into a winter wonderland with dangling lights, interactive lights, spotlights, floodlights, blinking lights, light-wrapped trees and laser lights. Visitors can dance on a pathway of lights that change with each step, frolic in an artificial snowfall or pose for pictures in a 65-foot-long tunnel of silver and gold light. It’s open nightly through Jan. 1, but you can’t just show up; you have to buy timed tickets online.  $25-$55. dazzlingjax.com

  • Jax Illuminations is a new drive-through light display at Regency Square Mall. It’s open nightly through Dec. 31, with a million LED lights that take 20-30 minutes to drive through. Tickets are only sold online. $30-$50 per vehicle.  jaxilluminations.com

  • ZooLights is at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, with 2 million lights transforming the familiar zoo pathways into a sparkling holiday attractions suitable for the whole family. It’s open Dec. 18, 22, 23 and 24 after the zoo has closed for the day. $25-$30. jacksonvillezoo.com.

  • Nights of Lights runs through January in downtown St. Augustine. More than a million lights decorate trees and historic buildings, and there is regular programming in the city’s Plaza de la Constitución. Free.

Holiday music

The Jacksonville Symphony Chorus joins the symphony for "Messiah."
The Jacksonville Symphony Chorus joins the symphony for "Messiah."

Oh, so now you’re in the mood for Christmas music, after Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Lindsey Stirling, Pentatonix, Debbie Gibson and Dave Koz have already played holiday shows in the Jacksonville area. There are still a few options, but you have to act fast.

  • The Jacksonville Symphony wraps up its holiday season with a performance of Handel’s “Messiah,” accompanied by the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, in the Jacoby Symphony Hall. $27-$81.

  • The Navy Band Southeast plays two Christmas concerts at Flagler Auditorium in St. Augustine. The free shows are at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18.

Live on stage

Jason Woods plays all of the characters from "A Christmas Carol."
Jason Woods plays all of the characters from "A Christmas Carol."

It’s not too late to catch a couple of Scrooges, a pair of Nutcrackers and two pals putting on a show for an old Army buddy live on Jacksonville-area stages.

  • Apex Theatre Studios puts a twist on the Scrooge tale, setting the story in Northeast Florida. “Eb Scrooge: A Southern-Fried Carol” has one show remaining on its run, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. $25.

  • Jacksonville actor Jason Woods does a one-man “A Christmas Carol” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Terry Theater. He describes it as "no costumes, no makeup, no scenery, just me and the giant that is Dickens." $45-$65.

  • Students from Zoika’s Dance of St. Augustine perform “The Nutcracker" in ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz and modern dance styles. 2 and 7 p.m. Thursday at Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College. $20-$30.

  • Puppets and dancers join forces onstage at the Florida Theatre at 4 and 8 p.m. Wednesday for “Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet.” $33.50-$83.50.

  • A stage version of the 1954 Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye classic “White Christmas” is at Alhambra Theatre and Dining through Christmas Eve. $66-$78.

Silver screen classics

Sure, you could watch a classic holiday film in the comfort of your living room, but where’s the fun in that?

Bring non-perishable food items to benefit Feeding Northeast Florida and see "The Polar Express" for free.
Bring non-perishable food items to benefit Feeding Northeast Florida and see "The Polar Express" for free.

Still here

The entrance to the annual Deck the Chairs event invites visitors to Latham Plaza Park and SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. This year marks 10 years of celebrating illuminated lifeguard chairs and other holiday decor with more than 40,000 lights on display. Its function is to promote the arts and education while uniting businesses and artists alike. The free event runs through Jan. 1.

Brightly decorated Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and lifeguard chairs remain on display for the holiday season.

  • Dozens of trees decorated for the holidays line the walkways in Green Cove Springs’ riverfront Spring Park. The free Parade of Trees is open from sunset to 10 p.m. through Dec. 31.

  • Scope out lifeguard chairs decked out in their holiday finest, along with a musical light show at Deck the Chairs, the free season-long event at Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. It’s up until Jan. 1.

  • There are still a few days left on the schedule for the Jacksonville Historical Society’s 20th annual Gingerbread Extravaganza. It’s at Old St. Andrew’s Church, 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, and Wednesday, Dec. 21; 1-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23; and 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 26-27. $11.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Christmas events, holiday music concerts, lights to see